Monthly Archives: March 2018

I had to take a medical leave from University College Cork for the fall semester, and so by the time I returned to Ireland in January, I was anxious to make up for lost time. One of my top priorities … Continue reading →

“You talk funny,” the four-year-old standing in front of me noted in his thick Cork accent, a spirited grin spreading across his face. His dad apologized as I threw my head back laughing. In late January, I eagerly accepted a … Continue reading →

For as long as I can remember, one of the best spaces to become present to the people and places around me has been during a car ride. Whether it was the usual summer family road trip, long drives on … Continue reading →

When we visited Corrymeela in Northern Ireland for our mid-year Mitchell retreat, I was unprepared for the deeply philosophical conversation that ensued – much like I felt prior to our initial retreat in Limerick. Padraig, a community leader, orchestrated the … Continue reading →

Whenever the weather allows in Galway (which can never be guaranteed), I like to walk the Salthill Promenade. On one of my first nights here, Azza introduced me to the walk and ever since then it’s often been a place … Continue reading →

Studying conflict can be intensely demoralizing. Every day seems like a new lesson in mankind’s potential to be cruel, and every solution seems painfully imperfect. We learn to pull our far reaching hopes in, to make our goals a bit … Continue reading →

First, you will want to get an early start to the day, plan for a 9 o’clock breakfast in Cathedral Quarter, where you can sit down to a great meal at one of Belfast’s new hip restaurants. You’ll want to … Continue reading →

When I got the email saying that my play was going to be produced in Dublin as part of the Smock Alley Scene + Heard festival, I cried tears of joy. The play that I had submitted was called Escapegoat. … Continue reading →

I’ve played trombone since I was about eleven years old. Picking up the instrument seemed natural to me. My father played trombone when he was younger and always had an old musty instrument in the basement that, when I was … Continue reading →