Ireland Study Abroad Experience

One of the first Irish readings we read before leaving to Ireland was an excerpt from “The Poor Scholar,” Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry, which is based on (or at least influenced by) William Carleton’s personal experiences in Ireland.

Picture from "The Poor Scholar"

 A powerful statement helping define the Irish identity is when the famous Irish author Carleton wrote, “An Irishman will make you laugh at his joke, while the object of that joke is wrapped up from you in the profoundest mystery, and you will consequently make the concession to a certain point of his character, which has been really obtained by a faculty you had no penetration to discover, or, rather, which he had too much sagacity to exhibit. Of course, as soon as your back is turned, the broad grim is on him, and one of his cheeks is stuck out two inches beyond the other, because his tongue is in it-at your stupidity, simplicity, or folly.” (Carleton, 260-261).

 We all took a weekend to describe what this phrase meant. To me, this defines the Irish as being coy, and left me the impression that the Irish would be deceitfully fake. There was an underlying theme that pointed out others to be the butt-end of their jokes and to yank on and make fun of these others in subtle and keen ways. Although this is an impressive feat for people that I initially thought were under-educated in comparison to others, the Irish culture blew my expectations away almost as soon as I landed.

The vast historical knowledge the Irish have predates the United States. Some of history is well known among Irishmen while other have different variations of stories (due to different upbringings and different perspectives from the past and present tensions of catholic and protestant.) An example I can think of that fits the above quote to the explanation of the formation of Giant’s Causeway. Science has explained this natural phenomena being formed by lava. A bus driver in Dublin had told our professor of how he would tell tourists that scientists were all wrong about this formation. He would proceed to tell visitors the tales of the legendary Fionn MacCool (FinnMcCool) as solely responsible and not the preposterous molten lava. Although he was kidding, he was persuasive and funny. 

Pictured is myself on Giant's Causeway

True Irishmen hold heart to the incredible history of their lands and that is what makes America different from Ireland. Here, in the states, people are so eager to conform to change. Everything and everyone are always moving so fast to update and pave new roads and paths without being conscious of what lies underneath. The Irish are a proud community that may fight as brothers and sisters at times (between the Republic and the North,) but their faith and voice carry themselves through even the most adverse moments. The “Fighting Irish” has only stood for Notre Dame to me, but after visiting Ireland I now understand the name.

Irish flag flying outside Kilmainham Gaol

From South Bend to Dublin

When I think of Irish I instantly think of the color green and leprechauns due to the extreme stereotypes of St. Patrick’s Day. It did not help living in a town that religiously celebrates a college team called the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to enhance these views. In downtown South Bend, Indiana I have been going to the annual St.Paddy’s Day Tent Party and Pub Tour, where the whole town goes from bar to bar drinking green beer on the way. This event always gave me a sense of community that I also believed was a strong aspect of the Irish culture.

Plastic Paddys enjoying the South Bend Tent Party

Now that I have been learning about Ireland (for 3 weeks) with Indiana University of South Bend, I now know my assumptions were not completely accurate. Green beer would be a travesty in an Irish pub, to waste a good beer by tainting it with food coloring. I did not realize that both the GuinnessStorehouse and JamesonDistillery are located in Dublin, Ireland. Along with these two major alcohol corporations, I noticed by looking at google maps that there is a surplus of pubs in Dublin.

I am interested to see different places and try different foods. Hopefully we might run into some famous Irish celebrities such as U2 singer Bono, UFC fighter Conor McGregor, or former One Direction member Niall Horan to name a few. Seeing that the geographical size of Ireland is roughly the size of Indiana, and that the majority of the population resides in Dublin, it is a possibility to be star struck while out enjoying a pint of ale on our literary pub crawl.

Real Irishmen on a pub crawl

Expectations of Ireland

It became apparent to me after the first class that, outside association with Guinness and Notre Dame, I did not have a clear expectation or impression of Irish culture. To be honest I had always taken these sources of Irish culture to be noting more than a part of their branding, so I had not related impressions of them back to the culture itself. For example, most of Notre Dame's impact on my life has revolved around their football games (American football). American football is not something I think of as being Irish, so once again the Irish ties seemed to be more of rallying cry for school spirit instead of a direct connection to Ireland itself.

Though we are only at the end of our third week in the class my expectations have already changed. From the stories and documents we have read from Ireland their culture seems to place considerable value in storytelling (this is something I was grateful to hear). At this moment I am most excited to see how prominent storytelling still is as part of their culture, specifically in the areas of film making and books. On the topic of storytelling I am curious to hear from others if they prefer films or books? Personally I feel that each form has its own benefits depending on the story, but overall I do prefer film.

Legend of Knockmany

What does it mean to be Irish?

On the first day of this class, " 'Everybody's Irish': Uncovering Plastic Paddys and 'Real' Irishmen", we looked at these two pictures and easily determined which was the "Plastic Paddy":

Plastic Paddy

Real Irishman

The green beer definitely gives the fake Irishman away! But, of course, truthfully the other picture is only one of many examples of a real Irishman--a concept that has changed over the years and differs by age, gender, part of Ireland, and many other factors.

For both the Irish and outsiders like us (as Americans), what it means to be Irish is influenced by media, history, literature, and personal experiences, and may never have an exact definition.

Yet we can begin to explore this idea through seeing what characteristics are commonly ascribed to the Irish (wit, deceit, hospitality/friendliness, loyalty, etc.), comparing them in insider and outsider accounts, and finding out how our own opinions and experiences also contribute to our understanding of modern Irish identity.

My thoughts have certainly evolved as I began growing up on Irish music and fairytales to seeing Ireland as a tourist after high school, then as a study abroad student from Notre Dame--home of the Fighting Irish, then living there for 5 years while completing my PhD at UCD, and finally visiting many times over the years after marrying a Leitrim man with 8 brothers and sisters.

As I help lead this inaugural IU South Bend study abroad trip to Dublin and Derry in just a few weeks, I look forward to hearing all about your first impressions of the Irish and seeing how they change as we read more about Ireland and see it up close. I'll be sharing my reflections along the way too, but this will mostly be a student space for sharing your thoughts about Ireland and the Irish.

With this in mind, let's get the conversation started--in a comment quickly explain what you're most looking forward to seeing/doing in Ireland and what you're thinking about doing on your free days. Feel free to ask any trip related questions here too.

Here's to a great trip...Slainte!