Irish Lit is Lit

Coming to Ireland, I only knew the island for its drinking of Guinness and stories of deception and tales of the supernatural. Recently I adventured on the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl by accompanying three professional actors as they performed renditions of some of Ireland’s famous writers like James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Brendan Behan, Oscar Wilde, and many others.

This insightful tour gave me knowledge of past writer’s ideals through the portrayal of their famous works. I now can see the Irish for more than just the drinking I once believed was their talent. The voice and passion of the Irish now stand out most. Having both the intelligence and the charisma to produce such beautiful literature truly opened a different perspective to me.

Two actors performing "Waiting for Godot" at Dukes Pub

If the stories about the writers were not engaging enough for some, there was an added incentive to paying attention along the tour. When the pub crawl started at the Duke Pub in Dublin, the actors announced there would be a trivia challenge at the very end with two potential prizes to those who could answer the most correct answers about both the writers and their literary movements. Anyone with a competitive mindset was truly engaged after this point. After proclaiming the challenge, one actor then broke out into a famous interactive Irish song “Waxie’s Dargle.”

True Irish actor playing an Irish song in Dublin

The pub crawl then proceeds to tell more tales and famous songs of Irish history, most of which I was hearing for the first time. The most notable lectures tome where those by Oscar Wilde while we strolled through Trinity College. What we heard of his work through adversity was pervasive in a positive manor. His influence to me can be seen as having a voice and standing out even when others may not want to hear it. Wilde definitely had an impact of future writers.

The tour continued to go through M.J. O’Neill, then to The Old Stand, and finally concluding to Davy Byrnes. It was outside of this last pub where everyone regurgitated their brief trivial knowledge. Our class at IUSB worked semi-collectively to take one of the two prizes showing our commitment to excellence. Overall in regards to the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl, I would definitely recommend everyone to indulge on this tour to not only see the city from an insider’s view, but to gain some knowledge on the people who helped shape literature in Ireland and made an impact on the city for the better. The tour has also received brilliant reviews! 

Pictured is myself, actor (I believe Finn was his name), my classmate David, and the other two awesome actors!

Special thanks to the three gentlemen actors that led our tour (whose names now escape me)…

Who are the Irish?

Ireland is not just leprechauns and green beer. After visiting both Derry and Dublin, I have come to find out about he Irish culture. Meeting and interacting with the infamous, hospitable Irish was really what I experienced in my time in the country.

Dublin is the capital of Ireland and I could tel why that is. It is full of vibrant and lively culture with people who love to interact with tourists. One way I experienced this was when we explored the city of Dublin and learned about the tough history from a charismatic Irishman, Dr. Frank Cullen. He explained to us how the Vikings first took over Ireland, specifically Dublin and was called the "black pool". In Gaelic, black pool is translated to "duvh lin", which is now known as "Dublin".

Temple Bar is also a location we strolled through during our history lesson, which is a major tourist attraction. It is filled with pubs, restaurants, shops, and more that give off the Irish culture. The pubs were streaming with traditional Irish music and if you were lucky, even Irish dancing.

Temple Bar

Visiting Dublin lit a lightbulb in my head because I truly understand the Irish identity. In Robert Bell's "Document B", he discusses the characteristics of the Irish by stating, "...every man's door was open to a neighbor or a stranger" (72) and "...and if he could play on any instrument of music, or tell tales of old times calculated to excite the admiration of his hearers, the inhabitants of every neighboring cottage vied with each other for the honor of entertaining him as a guest" (73). I would agree with Bell because I have experiences this first hand.

Meeting Irishmen who were happy to help with directions or happy to talk to us Americans, treating us like we were friends. Also, watching music players entertain others at pubs or on the streets just for the fun of it, was what I saw in Ireland.

In Derry, we visited the famous Giant's Causeway. We first learned about this in William Carleton's, "A Legend of Knockmany". It was beyond beautiful and unique to be able to tour this location. Also, having the opportunity to visit a place we once read about in class was fascinating as well.

Giant's Causeway

During the lectured we had we learned about, "The Troubles" Derry faced. The one that stood out to me most was Bloody Sunday. It was a major event that is still commemorated to this day. Citizens were killed, fighting against internment and the ban on marches. 14 were killed and 13 others were injured.

Meeting Irish people in Derry was easier than in Dublin, since Dublin has more tourists there. I was fortunate enough to become friends with one in particular and she proved that the readings and my impressions of the Irish were correct. She showed kindness, willingness to help, and hospitality. It was a nice change to be able to meet authentic Irish people rather than meeting other Americans.

This study abroad experience has altered my life because I was shown there are more patient people who are willing to help strangers that I'm not used to much in America. Meeting professors in both Dublin and Derry benefitted my experience because I learned more about the history and culture of the Irish.

Cliffs of Moher

If you ever get the chance to study abroad in Ireland, you will have no regrets.