Submit to Ireland

After visiting Ireland and meeting “real Irishmen” it was evident that the Irish people hold their history dear to them. As a group, we went on many tours and we were met with the same charismatic, knowledgeable, and proud Irish person everywhere we went.

I think the Irish identity is something that has only gotten stronger with time. The Irish are proud and resilient. Throughout history, the Irish have fought countless battles to secure the rights of their people, and although they were often unsuccessful, the Irish never gave up, they never wavered, and they always came back stronger than before.

While in Dublin, the mark left by the leaders of Easter Rising was shown almost everywhere. When we met at the Spire, we stopped at the General Post Office which was the site the rebels declared Ireland an independent republic. We were able to see the bullet holes on the pillars, and also the proclamation.

Mural of Bloody Sunday

Another event in history that left its mark was Bloody Sunday. In Northern Ireland, "The Troubles" were a turning point in their history and are remembered across the city of Derry. As we were walking through the Bogside, we were able to see the various murals on the sides of buildings depicting scenes from Bloody Sunday. There were also various flags, plaques, and memorials to commemorate the lives lost and battles fought.

 In Derry, I could still feel a divide between the people. There was an awkwardness to the community as if everyone was walking on eggshells, but at the same time displaying their views aggressively enough to warrant a similar behavior on the other side.

A reoccurring theme in our class readings is that the Irish people are extremely hospitable, and I definitely saw that in both Dublin and Derry. Even our servers at restaurants were extremely kind even though they didn’t have to fake it just to get tips, and the people at the stores we shopped in were welcoming and helpful.

I was expecting people to not be so fond of Americans, but the whole time I was there, I never encountered someone that treated me poorly. Robert Bell speaks of the Irish hospitality in Document B when he says, “Such a visit, so far from being deemed an intrusion, gave pleasure to every individual of the family, who were not only impelled by their natural feelings, but conceived themselves bound by a kind of sacred duty, to perform those acts of hospitality.”

Another personal example of mine is when we hiked to the top of Killiney Hill and I managed to come into contact with stinging nettle. I was honestly freaking out and so scared I was about to have a major reaction to it, but then a local man offered his help.

He stopped what he was doing and began to search through the brush for another type of plant to help the pain. Instead of just pointing it out, he got me the plant and helped me try to stop the burning. That just shows how kinds and selfless the Irish are and how willing they are to lend a hand.

The thing that stuck me the most was the history. Our country is relatively young, so to be able to see buildings, churches, schools, and castles that date back 1000 years, it was amazing. We cant get that here.
When a few of u went into the church Christ cathedral, my jaw dropped as I stepped in. I’m not a very religious person, but the sheer beauty of the building and its contents was almost bringing me to tears. I’ve honesty never seen anything like it.

Overall, I'm obsessed with my experience on this trip and I have so much respect and love for Ireland and its people. If I had a word of advice for future students going on this trip it would be: Submit to Ireland, experience all it has to offer even if it scares you. This trip has given me a gift that I will forever cherish. I was confined to my American bubble, but now I feel more aware of the world we live in, not to mention I've made such wonderful friends.

 Now that I’ve been to another country, I’m addicted, all I want to do is travel more, experience more, and see more. where shall we go next?

My Irish Experience

My time in Ireland brought many experiences that I never thought I would get to encounter. I toured a castle, ate lunch on the side of a cliff and many other things I never dreamed of experiencing. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I decided to study abroad. I knew leaving my home and family would be very hard, but I knew I needed to do this for myself before I graduated. Now that I have returned home and experience Ireland, I am very glad that I decided to go on this trip.

Malahide Castle

The thing I was most interested in was getting to know the Irish Identity better. To me, the Irish seem to be proud of their heritage and where they come from. They had to fight for a country of their own and break away from England. They aren’t ashamed of being Irish, in fact they show much pride in being from Ireland. 

I was talking to someone from Northern Ireland about how the felt about being part of United Kingdom. What they said really shocked me and got me thinking about Irish identity. They said “when people ask about my heritage, I don’t say that I am from the United Kingdom. I simply tell them that I am from Ireland and that I’m Irish”.  This really showed how strongly the Irish feel about their heritage.

Bloody Sunday was a very heart breaking event to me. Seeing the museum made it more realistic. I personally thought the museum was so special because many people who worked there had lost loved ones in the massacre. At the end, it made my feel happy that the victims had finally gotten justice. They were no longer seen as "bombers".

It reminded me of the poem “Easter Rising”.  The poem says, “Wherever green is worn, Are changed, changed utterly”. This saying means that the Irish went through terrible times to be able to have their freedom. They will never forget what happened to them, but they are still proud to be Irish. The time of The Troubles were very hard on the Irish, but they stayed strong and fought for what they believe in.

Being raised in the Catholic faith, I was very excited to go to Ireland. The trip the Maynooth and seeing St. Patrick’s Cathedral was very exciting to me. The beauty of the church was amazing. My personal favorite part was the angels and saints that were painted on the ceilings.  It was also really interesting for me to learn about the conflicts between the Catholics and the Protestants. Going to Derry, it was really interesting to see the wall that divided the Protestants and Catholics. 

My study abroad experience was amazing. It was very hard to leave my family and friends at home, but I quickly formed new friendships while in Ireland. I thought the experience was once in a lifetime. Not many people get the chance to travel all over Ireland for two weeks. My advice to future study abroad students is to not waste time sleeping! Make sure to experience as much as you can while your there. 

I would say overall this trip taught me a lot. I learned about the Irish history and culture, but I also learned how to travel and be away from home. Now that I have left the country, I can’t wait to do it again. Although the site seeing was very fun, I thought being on the trip and making memories with new people was a really fun aspect of the trip. 

I learned that Irish stereotypes aren’t true. Many people accuse the Irish of being uneducated, mean drunks. I however found them to be fun-loving people. I think this trip was important to show us who Irish people really are and the struggles they went through.