The True Irish

The True Irish Experience 
We all have heard of the Irish stereotypes,

• green
•  leprechauns
•  drunks
• witty
• fighters

If anyone of these stereotypes are most true it would be the fighters. The fighting irish has never been so true in my eyes after learning more and more of their background.
As an American, i never learned of the Irish history i only learned our American history, which is unfortunate because you can learn a lot by knowing the history around us in the world. Anyway, I've grown to have a certain kind of respect for the Irish and their persistence.

This is probably the most famous mural in Derry because it represents the most unlawful deaths of PEACEFUL marchers. This day is known as bloody sunday and has affected many families in Derry. I took a tour of in a museum about Bloody Sunday which was super personal and emotional. I know that i always remember that museum and the people it was made for.  That place is a reminder of the strong fighters the Irish are because after that horrific act in Bloody Sunday by the police, the families took it to court and got justice for the ones who were shot and killed unlawfully.





Our first day going through Dublin we saw our first protest, I didn't stop and ask what it was about, however, i thought it pretty cool since in class our professor told us just how much they protest for equal rights throughout the country. I was blown away about how the Irish are so passionate about their country and politics but on the same note can have a civil conversation with someone who has a different  belief unlike other countries...by that i mean America.

 I guess I would define a true Irish person as kind but witty(So funny), strong willed, yes, they have many pubs and the Irish drink...who doesn't though? In class we would read things from the past and the stories would be written by an English person. The english were not fond of the Irish, they descried them as peasants who dressed in rags and who fought as a sport or for fun, as people who were uneducated and just horrific things.

Cliffs of Moher

In "Home to Harlem" we read in class about an Irish man who came to America for college and his struggles with Identity (He was Black Irish) but anyway, every other word was the "F" word. I've heard this stereotype before that the Irish cuss a lot and it's just the way of their everyday talk. I didn't find this to be true, i mean they cuss as much as anyone/anywhere else.

What i Found

In Dublin it was mostly tourist and we ran into Americans everywhere which was extremely annoying. BUT, Derry is way more...i want to say private. We met locals the first night and now they're great friends of ours. I found none of the stereotypes with them, the only things i found to be true is that they all are strictly Irish. 

Class

"She looks up at him"

"African-American?", she says"

"I'm not American"

"you sure?" "she says" 

"yes"

"well-what are you?" 

"I'm Irish" 

In "Home to Harlem" it talked a lot about identity for example in America people love diversity. Its "cool" to be of different ethnicity, like me, i'm Italian-Amercian even though i was born in America and my parents were born in America so i should probably just say i'm American... but thats boring. In Ireland no one identifies themselves other than Irish. 

Stereotyping 

As i listed some stereotypes above, and they're kind of out there...but i also saw that in Ireland the irish entertain the Green, and Leprechauns, for example, they literally have a Leprechaun museum( Leprechaun Museum). They do this i would say for tourist attractions. 

Reflection 

This study a board trip was absolutely the best decision I've ever made, it was the highlight of my college career ( well...ya know bedsides graduation) and if i could i would do it all over again. If i had to say anything to someone who was wondering if they should go on a study abroad trip, i'd say just do it. Go have that adventure of a lifetime and have no regrets. 

 

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.