Category Archives: Northern Ireland

Change

Ireland has been a place lately defined by dramatic change. The change brought by surging wealth developed during the Celtic Tiger years, when the country catapulted from one of the economic under-performers of Europe to the shining star that countries … Continue reading

Posted in Development, Housing in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Travels on the Island, University College Dublin | Leave a comment

The Journey Begins

I first visited Ireland with my family when I was ten years old. As a young boy who had never left his country, coming from a small isolated family of four, the experience changed my outlook. That visit, I learned … Continue reading

Posted in Conflict Resolution, Irish Relatives, Northern Ireland, Trinity College Dublin, US Military | Leave a comment

Meeting George Mitchell!

On February 10th, I had the opportunity to go see former Senator George Mitchell speak on a panel at Queen’s University Belfast with Monica McWilliams (former leader of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition) about their memories from the peace talks that culminated … Continue reading

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Sláinte!

Given that this is my last blog post as a Mitchell, it seems essential to do a bit of reflecting. It has truly been quite an incredible year. I’ve couch-surfed with 21 people around the globe, visited 14 new countries, … Continue reading

Posted in class of 2016, Northern Ireland, Travels in Europe, Trinity College Dublin | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Final Thoughts on an Incredible Year!

It’s hard to believe that this wonderful year is already coming to an end! Without a doubt, this has been the most incredible year of my life – I’ve had opportunities to study alongside leading global scholars in the field … Continue reading

Posted in class of 2016, Conflict Resolution, Northern Ireland, Queen's University Belfast, Travels in Europe, Travels on the Island | Leave a comment

Perspective in Conflict Studies

Recently, I visited Cambridge University to help me decide whether to pursue a PhD there or attend law school in the United States next year. On the train there from London King’s Cross, I read a book, Between Ourselves: Exploring … Continue reading

Posted in class of 2016, Conflict Resolution, Northern Ireland, Queen's University Belfast, Travels in Europe | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What is a heroine?

In my course in Conflict Transformation & Social Justice at Queen’s University, Belfast, and in all of my travels around Europe, I am focusing, broadly, on women. I am consciously examining everything that I read and see through a gendered … Continue reading

Posted in Class of 2015, Conflict Resolution, Northern Ireland, Queen's University Belfast, Travels in Europe | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Tale of Declan the Hero

For the Mitchell Scholarship Orientation in Dublin, Sasha and I took a bus from Belfast, where we both attend Queen’s University, Belfast. We arrived with a few hours to spare  before the reception at Google HQ. We got off the … Continue reading

Posted in Class of 2015, Northern Ireland | Leave a comment

Straight Ballin in Belfast

Hello everyone! I’ve been in Belfast for about two months now, and I am happy to provide some updates on my life so far. To provide a bit of background, I’m completing a Master’s in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice … Continue reading

Posted in class of 2016, Conflict Resolution, Northern Ireland, Queen's University Belfast, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

“Our pioneers keep striking, inwards and downwards:” Poetry in Northern Ireland

The first thing that drew me to Belfast was poetry. After spending a year poring through the verse of Northern Ireland’s poets, I wanted too to live “in Belfast between the mountain and the gantries/To the hooting of lost sirens … Continue reading

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All Politics is Local

In the United States we have a saying: ‘All politics is local.’ While this phrase is most famously associated with former Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill, it more readily applies to the context in Northern Ireland, where local is … Continue reading

Posted in Class of 2015, Northern Ireland, University of Ulster | Leave a comment

The Decision to Study Abroad

When first deciding to take a year to study abroad, instead of going straight into a PhD program, I was…nervous. There was endless worrying about whether I was making the “right” decision. How would the year affect my career plans? … Continue reading

Posted in Class of 2015, Northern Ireland, Queen's University Belfast | Leave a comment