Category Archives: Irish University

Abortion: A Change in Ireland and in Myself

On October 28, 2012, the devastating death of Savita Halappanavar at University Hospital Galway led to a nationwide protest in Ireland and a revaluation of women’s reproductive rights in Ireland. Savita was a 31-year-old dentist, who had been starting a planned family … Continue reading

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Human Rights Day in Belfast

Over the years, one of my academic and activist passions has been the issue of capital punishment and the question of human rights for incarcerated persons. This interest has led me to a series of heartbreaking and fascinating events, organizations, … Continue reading

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Getting Distance on Galway

It seems hard to believe that the first semester is already over and that we’re all about to stumble into a new year here in Ireland. Currently, I’m officially in exam period, writing final papers and tying up the odds … Continue reading

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Discovering Brú na Bóinne

The couple of months since my last post have allowed me to find a bit more time to settle into Dublin, and though the pace and stress of my academic work has picked up significantly, Ireland has proved to provide … Continue reading

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Importing Your Comfort Zone

Living in Europe, I’ve become increasingly aware of the numerous varieties of theme-based tourism this continent seems to invite. A prominent specialty of Ireland, for instance, is heritage tourism, in which visitors pilgrimage to, say, the former cottage of their … Continue reading

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A Picture-Perfect White-Washed Red-Trimmed Cottage

I’m looking back at my year in Ireland from a distance of four months and more than 4,000 miles. My friends from the master’s program at NUIG finally celebrated our graduation at the end of November, an event I could … Continue reading

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O’Bama: Election Season Away from Home

As a former volunteer for the Obama campaign, I felt as though I was neglecting my political duties by being away from the US during prime election season. But within my first hour on the island of Ireland, I had … Continue reading

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Sinking In, Running Around

I’ll admit to a slow start. I arrived in Belfast with the standard hopes-and-dreams of any student arriving in a new country to study. Perhaps being in the field of human rights law, I was a bit more starry-eyed and … Continue reading

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Out with the Old, In with the New?

Today marks my two-month anniversary in Ireland. I arrived in September, dragging my disheveled way down O’Connell Street, shoulders straining under the three suitcases still stained with dust acquired somewhere between the African Sahel and the Eastern seaboard of the … Continue reading

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Star-Struck in Belfast

It’s not everyday that you meet a celebrity. But for me, it happens nearly every Thursday in my MFA in Photography course. Continue reading

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Dispatches from Oireachtas na Gaeilge

I recently spent a weekend at the Oireachtas na Gaeilge in Letterkenny in County Donegal. I didn’t really have a choice. For months now, everyone around me has been talking about the Oireachtas. I had heard a lot about it, … Continue reading

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First Impressions

It’s now a bit more than a month and a half since I set foot in Ireland, and what a roller-coaster ride so far. With multiple trips outside the country, a part-time job with an organization in DC, a local … Continue reading

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