I’m writing this just after getting back home from Mitchells group trip to Derry. It’s been a thought-provoking few days, with a range of themes and moods. We went up mainly to participate in Derry’s Halloween festival, which, with the >45,000 people it draws, is the largest Halloween event in Europe. While the ghoulish festivities related to the 3-day long affair were a big part of our experience, we were also fortunate enough to explore the North Coast, making stops at Giant’s Causeway, Ballycastle, and some Donegal beaches. We also were able to learn more about the history of Ireland from museums such as the Museum of Free Derry and the Siege Museum. Most of all, though, we were so lucky to engage in conversation with locals who have lived through instrumental years of change. Michael, a Derry local who was showing us around the North Coast, grew up during the Troubles and spoke with us transparently and honestly about the dynamics in his hometown. While divides are still apparent, he said, there is much more open discourse between both sides of the conflict about the future of the city as a place where both populations thrive. It requires acknowledging the past, but it also requires a willingness to accept that wrongdoings that have happened in the past cannot be undone, and that healing comes from looking forward.
Overall, I have noticed a general culture of inclusion and forward-facing amongst the Dubliners whom I’ve met. Despite only having been here for two months, I’ve had several run-ins with Dubliners who have gone out of their way to help me out. Just the other day, I was visiting the Irish Museum of Modern Art and wasn’t able to finish viewing a few wings. A museum guard then offered to unlock the Baroque Chapel, one of the Museum’s wings, and ended up walking me and my friend through the Chapel’s history, up to the restorations done in the past few years, including a fantastic papier-mâché reconstruction of the ornate baroque ceiling. Another time, a young woman who was on the same late-night flight as I offered to give me a lift back to the center of the city, where she was also headed. We ended up stopping at McDonalds and chatting for an hour—and realizing that we live quite close to each other! Since this serendipitous meeting, we’ve stayed in touch. These are just two examples of some of the everyday kindnesses I’ve experienced, actions whose generosity I never would have expected, given the general “stranger danger” mentality in Japan and the US. This generosity is apparent everywhere I look, from a Dunnes store clerk going out of his way to swap out a shopper’s bag of potatoes for a fresher set, or strangers readily giving up their seats so families can sit together on the Luas. I wonder how this sense of community and solidarity can be cultivated in other cities, and because my field of study here at Trinity College is urban- and energy-system planning, these reflections are shaping how I’m defining and measuring the improvement of public infrastructure to include these intangible aspects of urban life.
At Trinity, I can’t help but notice how vibrant the culture surrounding student organizations are—there are several clubs holding educational meetings, guest lectures, debates, relaxed socials, or pub crawls every day of the week, and it seems that every event is buzzing with club members. I myself followed suit and signed up for several clubs, including the Sub-Aqua Club, which organizes scuba dive training and trips around the island, the Harriers and Track Club (the term here for cross country running, which took me a while to realize), the Visual Arts Society, which hosts tours of exhibitions and art workshops, and the Hiking Society!
It’s wonderful meeting so many students who are all equally eager to lean into life in Dublin. Most weekends start with my idea of perfection, a destination run with some friends to/around various smaller towns just outside of Dublin, after which we’ll walk around a farmer’s market, explore some local businesses, and maybe even check out a museum. I’ve been able to visit Howth, Dún Laoghaire, Bray/Greystones, Rathmines, and Castleknock this way. A highlight was visiting the James Joyce Museum at the Martello Tower in Dún Laoghaire with a few other Mitchells and nerd out together over being in the room where Buck Mulligan and Daedalus start their morning in Telemachus. I’m planning to make it up to Malahide to run along the beautiful coastline and visit Malahide Castle next!
