June 2007 Reflection

Posted on June 1, 2007 by kcook07

I have felt overwhelmed, exhausted, and strangely elated these past two months. The more routine rhythm I had established during the first half of the semester has transitioned into an intense workload punctuated with travel and other amazing opportunities. One week I would be taking six final exams in a row; the next week I would be pulling an all-nighter at the Seville airport trying to get back from Morocco so that I could meet some friends for a party in Galway. What I have lacked in sleep, I have made up for in memorable experiences. Right after I finished my last March entry I enjoyed two weeks of traveling, one week through Spain and Morocco with some friends and another week through England to see friends in London. I also got a chance to visit Bunratty, Cliffs of Moher, Kilkenny, Connemara National Park, and Blarney Castle, just to name a few of the highlights. I really enjoyed discovering new parts of Ireland with my friends and watching their faces as we hung over the side of Blarney Castle to kiss the famous stone. Connemara National Park was the best experience, though—I got to drive a car on the wrong side of the road! This did not end in disaster, so I thought it was a huge success. OK, so maybe a few pedestrians do not agree, but the car is intact. I will need some more distance from the experience to fully reflect on my time on the island, but suffice to say it has given me a lot to think about.

I returned to Dublin inspired about research, and I got accepted to go to a conference on intertextuality in Stirling, Scotland. The conference was amazing, and overwhelming, but people seemed responsive to my ideas about the American cowboy references that pervade Irish literary culture. I am very excited about my research, although a bit overwhelmed with all there is to do in the next few weeks.

A welcome respite from my work was the Mitchell Scholar reunion in Dublin in May. Besides the wonderful feeling of receiving our class rings and spending time with my Mitchell class, it was an honor to meet so many donors to the Mitchell program. I also saw 2005 Mitchell Scholar Nick Johnson’s play in the Beckett Theatre, watched an eventful rugby match, and went to Victoria’s Trinity book launch. I am surprised by how many friends I have made this year, and how close I feel to people I only met in September. My course had one last goodbye at Mulligan’s Pub on the quays last week, and I began the process of saying goodbye. I realized that next year I will miss the view of the Liffey River from the O’Connell Street bridge, my favorite place to buy scones on Dame Street and people saying things like “your man over there” or “good craic”. The Mitchells, my Irish friends, and Ireland itself have all left a huge impact on me.

I think that the departure will be bittersweet. While I am looking forward to going back to the States to see my family and find a job to apply all the things I’ve learned this year, I will certainly miss Ireland. One thing that has been consistent throughout this choppy semester are the friendships I have developed with the other Mitchells and students and professors in my courses, for which I am truly grateful. One thing that hasn’t wavered has been my affection for this island and all the insights I have gained because of my experiences here. I would like to thank the US-Ireland Alliance and all of its sponsors for this opportunity.

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March 2007 Reflection

Posted on March 1, 2007 by vsprow07

As I am writing this I can feel winter turning to spring—it was sunny and warm out today. There were people eating their lunches on the benches by the playing fields. I was surprised to see flowers blooming already. In Boston this time last year, there was still snow on the ground! I am getting ready to leave for a month in Italy and Spain, and when I come back I hope spring will be in full force! (I’m going out to buy sandals right now!) My mom is coming for a visit in April, and I’m excited to show her the city.

I feel like this is very much the turning point in the year. Because Trinity has three terms, term 2 ends next week, and all my classes are winding down. I am looking forward to some down time, because it has been a very busy past few months. Soon I will find out who my advisor is for my thesis, and spring will be spent working on my writing, with no classes. It will be wonderful to work one-on-one with one of the professors here.

I have been hearing back from a lot of the graduate schools I applied to in the US, with many acceptances! It is comforting to know where I might be next year. I think taking this year to be in Ireland was absolutely the best thing I could have done. I am sure I would not have gotten into so many great programs in the US without it. The whole experience has just been so worthwhile. First of all, for the first time in my life, I am financially no longer dependent on my parents, which has made me feel like much more of an adult! I am 22 years old, and I have already traveled more than most people get to do in a lifetime! And, by the time I leave, my writing will actually be on the shelves of dozens of bookstores. It has all really been a dream come true.

At the same time, now is about the time when cravings for American culture set in! January and February are hard months, everywhere—it is when things get mundane, it is cold, it is dark, etc. This past week the Oscars aired (in the middle of the night here in Ireland), and I definitely craved a bit of good old American celebrity (I don’t know who they’re talking about in all the tabloids over here!). And part of me also can’t wait to see my family again this summer when I go home. However, I can’t believe that the next time I write this journal I will be leaving for the U.S.—the year has really flown by.

One of the best parts of being in Dublin in February, though, was the Jameson Film Festival. This is definitely worth setting aside a whole week to watching movies! I saw Half Nelson, Sherrybaby, and The Painted Veil—all of which I had heard about in the U.S. but didn’t get a chance to see when I went home for Christmas. Really, the film festival is amazing—they show over 100 films in theatres all around the city. I also recently saw Julius Caesar in the Abbey Theatre, which was very worth going to.

This weekend—before my big vacation starts—I’m excited to be going to Derry for a few days with some of the Mitchell Scholars. Traveling around Ireland has been amazing—by the end of the year I will have been to Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Derry, Galway, the Aran Islands, the Cliffs of Moher, the Giants’ Causeway, the Blarney Stone, Kilkenny, the Ring of Kerry, Listowel, and more. Irish Rail offers these great, and cheap, day tours, which my mom and I will be doing in April. They are each about 12 hours long, and they take you by train and then bus to different sites throughout Ireland. It’s really the perfect way to see the countryside as well as the city.

More again in a few months!

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March 2007 Reflection

Posted on March 1, 2007 by kclaussen07

SOUNDS OF BELFAST

On my first day of volunteering at the Catholic Chaplaincy at Queen’s in January, the jovial cook broke into a chorus of “I’ll take you home again, Kathleen” upon learning my name was Kathleen. I hadn’t heard that familiar Irish tune since I was down in Dublin during our Mitchell Scholar orientation last September. Listening to it again, I was reminded of the first days of our arrival in Ireland which now seems so long ago. And I was reminded of the deep history of the green isle that I fear I take for granted as I go about my studies.

So, I convinced myself then and there to take the time to re-discover the richness of this place. I finally climbed the treacherous Cave Hill – the beautiful Belfast “mountain” that cheerily greets me outside my window each (non-rainy) morning. There, the air was still, the birds were chirping, and I felt at peace. The city can be noisy with shouts of exuberant young people or the whirl of the car motors; it was a joy to explore the quieter side of Belfast and to take in the spectacular view of the Belfast Lough.

I took the time to visit a part of the Republic I hadn’t seen before – the southern coast. During tours of the area attractions, I heard a new accent that threw me for a loop. I have become accustomed to the variations on the Belfast brogue during the time I’ve been here – someone even told me recently that my own intonation of speaking sounded like a local one! – but the south provided me with a whole new challenge.

Back in the North, there are other sounds to which my ear has been attuned. The church bells that ring at 10:15 every Sunday remind me of the intense religiosity of this region, commonly referred to as the Bible Belt of the British Isles. The sound of the bubbling boil of a ready kettle in the kitchen means more than preparedness for a warm drink; rather, tea time is talk time – a break in the day for reflection and togetherness, a pause to cultivate friendships.

Away from these sublime moments of social and spiritual growth, I spend much of my time following the news in preparation for the upcoming election. I’ve heard the party platforms and taken in their advertising campaigns on billboards, lamp posts, and internet television. I listen to my colleagues discuss their apprehensions about water charges and potential political arrangements that could circumvent the impending new system. When I’ve asked about their hopes for the election outcome, they’ve quipped about their historical skepticism about elections, reciting the familiar saying in the North: “vote early and vote often” … but maybe not so this time around, they add. When one hears the rhetoric from the extreme parties, it’s easy to understand why my friends scoff at the obstinateness of the political leadership, even in preparation for this promising election.

Though it’s still chilly, the days are getting longer again in Northern Ireland. Spirits are high during this exciting time in the region’s development and Belfast is bustling with activity. As I prepare for a busy spring, I also intend to take the time to slow down, to listen and to learn, before this remarkable experience comes to an end.

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March 2007 Reflection

Posted on March 1, 2007 by swappett07

We are now halfway into the second semester. Technically here at DCU the idea is to finish the second semester before really putting any focus onto our dissertations. Instead, I submitted an abstract to the International Sunbelt Social Network Conference in Corfu that takes place the first week of May. It got accepted, and so now I have a hard deadline enforcing a goal I had made when I got here – to finish the dissertation before I left Ireland after the final ring ceremony with Senator Mitchell.

Classes are far and away more interesting this semester. I am taking Political Islam, Political Terrorism, the Politics of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, and European Security. I had wanted to take a class on the Northern Ireland conflict, but it got cancelled due to lack of interest. This might strike some as odd, but from what I’ve been exposed to, many in the south really do not concern themselves a great deal with what is going on in Northern Ireland anymore. In any event, the professors are much more excited about their topic areas, and I am really getting immersed in subjects and issues with which I had never before been able to spend any time.

Some of my adventures these past two months have had to do with my research. I spent a week in Palermo and Rome in search of a single book that had once been awarded the national prize for literature in the mid 1990’s and was the ‘confessions’ of one of the most important Mafiosi ever. The book is currently out of print, and is not available in any bookstore in either city. I only found it in the National Library in Rome. Last week I was up in Belfast with the rest of this year’s Mitchell class. I have spent the past three or four months trying to get permission to get copies of an indictment and a judge’s decision in a case from 1983. In the US tradition, these would be public documents that would be relatively easy to access. In Northern Ireland, the Freedom of Information Act only kicks in 30 years after the most recent document in a case file. I still got to pick up the document when I was up there (and the employees were incredibly helpful getting me through the approval process), but it was strange to see the public records building, guarded with police and spiked fences as though it were a hostile embassy.

My fiancé came over for Valentine’s Day and my Birthday. We went out to Galway and Salthill for a weekend. It was a lovely weekend, and the weather held out for us. At one point while along the Salthill Promenade we ran into a wedding party who had made a side trip to the Promenade between the ceremony and the reception in order to do a set of portraits with the coast and the Aran Islands in the background. We got to use the vouchers that I (and the rest of the Mitchells) won way back in September at the Ryan Tubridy Show. Needless to say, some of us have been trying to secure tickets to the show again.

So far, the best time I’ve had in Ireland has been the Belfast trip we all just got back from this past week. The election and the tours and many explanations have helped immensely to give me a perspective on my dissertation work. We always have a great time together as a group, and this time was no exception. Our poor bus driver when we went out to the Rope Bridge in Carrick-a-Rede and Giant’s Causeway thought that we had collectively lost it as we ran and jumped around like little kids. A couple of us decided to climb any and all cliffs, rocks, and otherwise high and windy places to get the best views (and to unnerve Mary Lou). The two sites were by far the most beautiful I’ve seen on the island.

I go home this week for Reading Week to see my sister’s high school musical, get a few research sources, take care of a few wedding preliminaries, and to take a small break before the last two very work-focused months I have left. Maybe after I get back from Corfu and all the work is done but before the ring ceremony, I’ll use the rest of the train tickets to tour around the rest of the island.

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March 2007 Reflection

Posted on March 1, 2007 by akurman07

After returning to Derry from a winter vacation in Cyprus and Israel/Palestine, I took my first semester exams and then spent the last week of January attending a number of events commemorating the 35th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. It was an interesting time to remember Bloody Sunday – when 14 unarmed civil rights marchers were killed in Derry by British paratroopers in 1972. The anniversary more or less coincided with a Sinn Fein Ard Fheis (special party convention) that determined that the republican party historically tied to the IRA – the ranks of which soared in the wake of Bloody Sunday – would finally accept and support the reformed Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). This was a controversial decision, as I heard in community discussions leading up to the Ard Fheis. At one event, hundreds of nationalists gathered to hear several politicians – including one from the Social Democratic and Labor Party (the SDLP, which had already accepted the PSNI), one from Sinn Fein, one fiery socialist, and one unaligned republican – discuss issues related to policing and police reform.

At another event, over a thousand nationalists gathered to hear Sinn Fein leaders, including Gerry Adams and Gerry Kelly, explain how accepting the PSNI fit into their larger political strategy for achieving a united Ireland through peaceful, political means. No matter what one thinks of the past and politics of Gerry Adams, Sinn Fein’s President, he proved a charismatic and commanding speaker. I found it particularly provocative to hear Gerry Kelly, the current Sinn Fein spokesmen for policing and justice who had himself spent years in prison as an IRA volunteer, respond to accusations that Sinn Fein was betraying the republican cause by claiming that Sinn Fein sought to “colonize” policing in Northern Ireland. Kelly and his colleagues acknowledged that they were accepting a British police force but explained their intent to gradually but surely wrest control of Northern Ireland from the British. For Sinn Fein’s leaders, signing up to policing was just a step on the way to finally and totally reversing the effects of centuries of British “colonial” control of Ireland.

I also attended the screening of a film about the killing of 13 Arab Israeli youths by Israeli security forces in October 2000 and the subsequent official inquiry, events which in many ways paralleled those of Bloody Sunday. The film was particularly powerful for me because it featured the story of Aseel Asleh, an outstanding Seeds of Peace camper who was murdered by an Israeli policeman in an olive grove near his home. I met Aseel’s mother, who attended the screening and was also a keynote speaker at the end of the Bloody Sunday commemorative march the following day. While the march itself was uneventful, I found it telling that after the march most of the younger members of the crowd stayed to listen to the Sinn Fein speaker but departed before hearing the SDLP politician, signaling the fading fortunes of what was until 2003 the most popular nationalist party.

Fast forward about five weeks, and on the first full day of our Mitchell Scholar gathering in Belfast, John, Sarah W., and I observed SDLP politicians and employees canvassing for votes in the Northern Ireland Assembly election at a polling station in Carryduff, several miles outside of Belfast. The main competition in the election was not between Unionism and Nationalism but rather within each of the two political traditions, with the Democratic Unionist Party (the DUP, Ian Paisley’s party) and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) competing for Unionist support and Sinn Fein and the SDLP competing for nationalist support. In the heavily Unionist district of which Carryduff is a part, where Sinn Fein received negligible support from the Catholic minority, the SDLP was hoping to beat out either the Alliance Party or one of the Unionist parties for one of six Assembly seats; in 2003 they had fallen some 300 votes short.

It was a chilly, overcast election day, but fortunately the rain held off. For much of the day, the SDLP folks were trying to determine voter turnout levels; they wanted to make sure their supporters came out to vote before the evening’s Celtic and Manchester United matches began and kept voters from the polls, which remained open until 10pm. At the polling station, one of the SDLP employees carried on a conversation with a DUP politician in which both lamented water charges and housing taxes and criticized Sinn Fein policies. What I found most interesting was the SDLP employee’s explanation of the difference between his party’s vision of a united Ireland and that of Sinn Fein: the SDLP would seek to maintain the integrity of Northern Ireland – and continue power-sharing between nationalists and unionists therein – within a united Ireland. Later in the evening, we followed the SDLP employee around a neighborhood as he made a final effort to get out the vote before the polls closed. As it turned out, the SDLP candidate ended up 30 votes shy of a seat in the Assembly. Overall, the DUP and Sinn Fein increased their representation in the Assembly at the expense of the UUP and SDLP, respectively. Of course, it remains to be seen whether the DUP and Sinn Fein will be able to reach agreement on the formation of a power-sharing executive within the March 26th deadline set by the British government.

I learned a good deal about Northern Ireland politics on election day and quite enjoyed the rest of the Mitchell trip in Belfast as well. It was great to spend time with my Mitchell friends and I especially liked the beautiful day we spent hiking at the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and Giant’s Causeway and sampling whiskey at the Old Bushmills Distillery. I also discovered The John Hewitt, a traditional pub on Donegal Street in Belfast with fantastic live music and, in my opinion, one of the world’s best beers (no doubt along with Guinness) – Innis and Gunn, which I had not been able to find anywhere else since first trying it in Edinburgh almost two years ago!

As someone who enjoys exploring the outdoors, one thing I like about both Belfast and Derry is their proximity to scenic hiking. In Belfast I ventured up the Cave Hill (near the Belfast Castle) for a beautiful sunset view of the city. Near Derry, I’ve explored some of the coastal mountains of County Donegal (at Horn Head and the Knockalla Mountain) with the Magee Hillwalking Club and am still hoping to make it to the top of the mountains just outside the city. A week before the Belfast trip, two other Mitchell Scholars (Kara and Victoria) and I hiked from the Castlerock train station to the Downhill Demesne to take in the spectacular coastal vista from the Mussenden Temple, a romantic rotunda situated several feet from the edge of a seaside cliff.

I’ve also continued coaching for Playing for Peace (now called PeacePlayers International) and managed to make it to Zermatt, Switzerland in February for a wonderful weekend of Alpine skiing with a friend from Seeds of Peace. Second semester coursework hasn’t been too onerous thus far, but I expect things to pick up as deadlines begin to appear on the horizon and as I get into thesis research. I find it hard to believe that my next journal entry will be my last from Derry; hopefully I will have many more interesting experiences and exciting adventures to report!

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March 2007 Reflection

Posted on March 1, 2007 by kburke07

This semester, I cannot say that my lack of traveling is due to classes or thesis work. All I can say is that Ireland, particularly Galway, is addicting. Once you visit, you want to return; once you live here, you don’t want to leave. However, my time in Galway is well-spent and far from being lazy. I now spend many Saturday afternoons wandering up the coast towards Salthill, rain or shine. Fortunately we have been blessed with gorgeous weather, and I don’t find myself running to the nearest coffee shop for cover as frequently. Plus I have spotted a few ethnic food shops around town that I have been meaning to browse. Now that I know the town so well, it is surprising the diversity of shops that are here, just tucked away, waiting to be discovered.

In January I visited the “tidiest town” in Ireland: Westport, County Mayo. If anyone is looking for a cute, picturesque Irish town, I highly recommend it. A classmate lives there and showed me his local spots. I climbed part way up Croagh Patrick (not enough time to climb to the summit), and filmed hermit crabs along the shoreline (I’ve never seen them in nature before). Returning home was a mini-adventure as I ended up further away from Galway than from where I had started! I had over-slept my bus stop and had to catch two extra connections. As the moral of the story, this delay gave me little stress since I am more relaxed these days than ever before (likely the Irish influence).

A good college friend (Jesse) visited me in Galway at the beginning of this month. Although I had to forego the Mitchell mid-year reunion, I had a great time showing him around the Galway area. It was really nice to catch up with an old friend that I was used to seeing every day. Again, it was like seeing Ireland with fresh eyes. He noted that I was really happy with Ireland, similar yet different than where I did my undergraduate degree, and that I had definitely picked up a few Irish traditions myself. I cooked him roast potatoes and we experienced the fresh oysters-with-Guinness tradition, a menu item that I had been meaning to try. Delicious.

I have become an Irish rugby fan ever since the Six Nations matches began this year. It was incredible to watch Ireland give a dominating performance against England at Croke Park. After learning about Croke Park, including its association with the GAA and meaning in Irish history, it was a proud day to be cheering for the Irish.

I haven’t decided if I am going to be wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day… supposedly more of an American tradition than an Irish one. But I will be cheering on the Irish rugby players with hundreds of others in a packed pub. It is not only a Six Nations final, but it is St. Paddy’s Day. Kara and Adar are visiting this month and I have promised to visit Dublin and Limerick Mitchells in the near future. Add a road trip around the Irish countryside with friends from home, potential trips to London and Stockholm, and the start of my minor thesis, you’ll have a fairly accurate description of my next few months! I cannot thank the Alliance enough for the opportunities that I have had so far in Ireland and at the university. And I know I have almost six more months of my program and Ireland left to go!

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March 2007 Reflection

Posted on March 1, 2007 by kcook07

March has snuck up on me as I become more involved in my life in Ireland. My scholarly life is blossoming as I work on the dreaded dissertation, and Dr. Kiberd has told me that I’m on track as far as deadlines go. He also informed me that my interpretation of Daniel Corkery is shocking (I said that Corkery alluded to sodomy in a short story, which is apparently not the general interpretation of his work) and also impressively bold. I am preparing for a conference on Deleuze that I am helping to organize at UCD. Scholars of postmodern literature will be coming from all over Ireland, and it’s really exciting to be part of the preparations. I have never helped with a scholarly conference before this experience, and I hope that the conference will be a huge success.

This past month has been busy, as I have traveled twice to Northern Ireland. I especially enjoyed going to Derry, because Victoria and I got to go to the first Irish production of Beauty and the Beast. I saw a preview of it on RTE, and so it was exciting to get to go to the musical and see it in person. We also went hiking with Aaron, and we got to see two campuses of the University of Ulster. This trip showed us that universities in Northern Ireland look very similar to ones in the Republic. A few days later, I attended the Belfast trip, which was certainly an educational experience. I know very little about Northern Ireland, and most of the literature I study was written before there was a Northern Ireland, so I was surprised to find out about the complicated political climate in the North. I was able to accompany UUP candidate Michael Copeland, as he canvassed on election day, and I got to see the assembly chambers at Stormont. These were experiences that many people in the Republic of Ireland will never get to have, and some of my Irish friends were curious to learn about the political culture in Belfast, and my interpretation of it. I especially enjoyed the play To Be Sure, particularly getting to meet the writer/director, who was interested in hearing about my tutelage under Frank McGuinness. I am also hoping to see Salome this month at the Gate, because it is an Oscar Wilde play that I am using in an essay for my course.

I will be traveling to Morocco next week with a class from Northern Oklahoma College, who are studying the political climate in Spain and Morocco. Hopefully, we will also get to ride a camel, and go to Casablanca. These are my two small goals for Morocco. I also want to avoid riding the ferry in the Mediterranean, although I think I will inevitably have to take the ferry. I am leery of seasickness because I fell victim to the salmonella poisoning outbreak that was only supposed to hit the US—unfortunately, my grandmother shipped some peanut butter to me before the jars were recalled. What’s worse is that the nausea did not start until the Bushmills distillery tour during the Belfast trip, and I did not know what the culprit was until my poor grandmother called to tell me that she had sent me a suspicious jar of peanut butter. It has taught me that no matter where you are, if you insist on eating American food, you will always be an American.

The highlight, though, of my Ireland experience so far has been traveling to beautiful places like Galway, the Aran Islands, the Giant’s Causeway, and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. The breathtaking views I have seen at these places have made me love Ireland, which I so often dismiss as being just a cloudy, gray, tiny place. Instead, Ireland is full of brilliant colors and untamed space—all the idealism that goes into the concept of the “Emerald Isle” has a real foundation. I would never get the same idea of the sublime and inconceivable if I had not come to Ireland, where a small space becomes an endless expanse.

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March 2007 Reflection

Posted on March 1, 2007 by dpreysman07

My second semester started about a month ago, and my classes are phenomenal. I’m taking a slew of courses from practicing journalists who are among the best in their fields.My Publication Design course is taught by a graduate of DCU’s journalism MA, who designed one of Ireland’s better-known magazines (Village) and then went on to design the first website for the Irish Times. It’s been about six years since I really did any page design (back in high school) and it’s been great to get back into it. I’ve been learning how to use InDesign and we started on Photoshop last week.

In Television, I’m being taught by another graduate of our program, who worked for the BBC in Belfast and then for Ireland’s biggest broadcaster, RTE. From the first day of class, we were thrown right into things and had to do on-camera news reporting. Since then, we’ve been working on interviewing techniques and writing for broadcast. I’ve learned a bit about operating a camera, but what I’m really looking forward to is learning how to edit video clips, which we’ll be doing in a few weeks time.

I’ve also got a course in Feature Writing, which is probably my favorite of the bunch. Just as with the Television course, we were thrown in headfirst in Feature Writing. We did in-class writing, profiling other students and writing about places on campus, in addition to long-term assignments that include reviews, profiles, interviews, and feature stories. I have a profile coming up that I’m writing about the Ian Paisley, who is set to become Northern Ireland’s new first minister. One of my other classes is on Media Law, which has been really exciting for me since I spent all of last year working at Warner Bros in media legal issues. The course is taught by a Dublin barrister with a wry sense of humor. So far, we’ve spent most of our time discussing the general structure of the Irish legal system – how judges are appointed, how cases progress through the system, and what journalists have and do not have access to. Later on, we’ll be discussing libel and some of the specific issues that journalists have to deal with.

I’ve got a few other courses, but the most interesting is Newsday. Every Monday, we arrive in class at 9 a.m. where some people are assigned to be editors, while others are assigned to do layout or editing. We brainstorm ideas and each person gets a story to do by 2 p.m. Once the stories come in, they have to be edited and put on the pages, and by the end of the day, we are supposed to produce a 6- to 8-page newspaper. It’s an incredibly fast-paced environment and has gotten me into a wide range of stories. I wrote last week about the gambling industry in Ireland, which is experiencing huge growth after the government made winnings tax-free last year. It’s also forced me to learn how to write quickly, which is definitely a skill I could use.

Apart from my classes, I’m still working on the oral history project with some of my peers and we’re hoping to produce three half-hour programs that are akin to This American Life. The programs will feature a series of stories about particular themes in Finglas, the part of Dublin that we’re reporting on.

Since about mid-February, I’ve been working on my thesis, which will be a series of feature articles about the Catholic Church in Ireland. There are so many changes going on in religious life here and, for an American audience, many of those changes are surprising. For one thing, 90% of schools are still owned by either the Church or by religious orders. In the past, nuns and priests ran the schools, but as the number of people entering religious orders has fallen, religious groups are having to find new ways to preserve what they describe as “the ethos” of their schools. Moreover, religious orders, which once owned huge portions of Ireland are selling off significant parcels of land, which has brought it’s own basket of issues.

I’ve been doing interviews with people for the last few weeks to generate specific story ideas, and I’m at the point now where I will start trying to produce some of the stories for my thesis before assignments from my classes start flooding in.

In early March, all the Mitchells took a trip up to Belfast to observe and learn about the election that was happening on March 7. It was a great experience, but I came back exhausted from the constant activities and events. We spent Friday hiking along the northern coast and had a blast at the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge as well as the Giant’s Causeway.

In the coming months, I’m going to be applying for summer jobs in Dublin and Belfast as well as working on my thesis. So far, my second semester has been even better than the first and from what I can tell, the next few should be even better, with St Patrick’s Day coming up and the stories I’ll be reporting on for my thesis and my classes. Most of all, I’m excited for the summer when I’ll be working full-time at a newspaper in Dublin or up in Belfast and putting to use all of the skills I’m developing in my classes.

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March 2007 Reflection

Posted on March 1, 2007 by acohen07

There is no shortage of cliff walks and hill hikes in Ireland. One of my recent adventures took me to Blessington, in the Wicklow mountains, where I trudged across sloping golden hillsides covered with tufts of coarse grass and the rare solitary tree. Each time I approached what seemed would be the last hilltop, anticipating a spectacular panoramic view, yet another hill emerged on the horizon. I hiked on and on through a drenching storm and strong gales. Eventually the expansive views of the hills were overtaken by dense clouds and torrents of rain so that all I could see were my immediate surroundings. And for me, it’s in that type of moment – when you’ve come a long way and you’re by yourself and you’re drenched and you can’t see farther than a few meters – that so much can become so clear. I’m in Ireland, I thought.

Yes, I’m in Ireland. This realization seems a little late, I know – six months into my year here – but I have finally found my step over here, finally settled into a rhythm. I’m challenged and excited by my studies. I play music with folks at Trinity and I bask in music sessions at a favorite local pub. There are usually a few dinner gatherings at my place each week. I’ve traveled to Sweden and Denmark, hosted visitors from the States and the UK, and I’m continuing to participate in the Finglas oral history project. I went on a nice long retreat with the Trinity yoga society. And despite my apprehension and a few false starts, I’ve finally started cycling.

Growing up in New Hampshire, I certainly knew how to ride a bike. And Peterborough has its obstacles: lots of trees, a mountain, some lakes…but they all stay relatively still. In Dublin, of course, nothing stays still. After the first few harrowing outings, I learned how to share the lane with buses (not get wedged into the curb) and avoid darting cabs. Now it’s exhilarating, even liberating, to hop on my bike and get where I need to go so quickly. Some friends and I are planning a cycling/camping adventure in Wales.

In addition to yoga and capoeira, I’ve been taking advantage of other Dublin offerings. I was lucky enough to get into a Theater of the Oppressed (TO) workshop, something I have been trying to do for a while. Devised by Augusto Boal, TO engages the creative energies of drama exercises to facilitate dialogue and collaborative learning. We wound our way down the well-worn floorboards of a spacious artists’ collective and filled a tiny room where, for a full day, we explored the dynamics of oppression through role-playing games crafted to enable social and political analysis. TO is closely related to the work of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, a pioneer in the area of critical pedagogy and popular education. The workshop was especially exciting for me since I am beginning to focus aspects of my dissertation research on Freire’s work.

At the end of this month I’ll travel to The Hague and Amsterdam as part of my program’s Ethics in International Affairs module. We will visit the International Criminal Court and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Living in Dublin makes traveling easy, but I’m always excited to get back to the cobblestones, library nooks, and bus lanes I’m beginning to know so well.

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March 2007 Reflection

Posted on March 1, 2007 by ssexton07

I am now in my final semester of classes and fortunately they are much more interesting and relevant this term. I am taking courses on international policy, development and even a class on public international law. I have also begun to work on my thesis. I will be focusing on the rise of “new” left leaders in Latin America and their impact on development. Also this term, my boyfriend will come visit me. We look forward to spending St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland. Here in Limerick there will be a parade and apparently a great deal of celebrating.

I recently returned from the Mitchell Scholars meeting in Belfast. It turned out to be an amazing experience. I was finally able to see the Giant’s Causeway. Before I went to Ireland and by looking through travel books this was the one place I wanted to see. I have to say it actually lived up to my expectations. On the trip I also discovered I have a fear of heights, or maybe psychic abilities as I had a premonition I would fall to my death off of the Carrick a Rede rope bridge. My nerves were then calmed by a trip to the Bushmills Distillery. It was fascinating to see how the whiskey was made and at the end of the tour I had the privilege of sampling the different blends. I am now a “Qualified Irish Whiskey Taster” according to the certificate they gave me.

Belfast left a lasting impression on me, one I’ve been thinking over intensely for the last few days. We were there to observe the elections. I had the opportunity to go door to door with Gerry Kelly, a Sinn Fein candidate. Walking through the neighborhood and seeing the frightening murals of Belfast made me realize how much identity, tradition, and pride can pervade culture, politics, and day to day life. It was also very interesting to learn of the connections between poverty and sectarianism and violence.

Later on the bus ride back from Belfast, we were pulled over on the side of the highway by a Northern Irish immigration officer. On the way up we had not been stopped so I thought it was interesting that he was treating it as a border check. Why would they need documentation? I thought that had been sorted out through peace agreements. Also, why would they care if we were leaving their territory? Luckily, I had brought my passport and immigration card along with me. But as I watched the officer check each passenger on the bus it became clear that he was targeting a family with young children that were Asian. He made them get off the bus and took them into his van. As much as I have read about and discussed immigration issues and have interacted with illegal immigrants in the US, this was the first time I had witnessed people being taken into custody. This scene made me think about the issue of migration on a global scale. While we have our own issues with immigration in the United States, Europe is experiencing an influx of people too. Throughout my year I have learned about how Ireland is now a destination country and no longer a land of emigrants. I wonder if Ireland, with such a long history of emigration and mistreatment in arrival destinations, will be influenced by its past as they absorb more and more people into their country. Perhaps the discrimination that Irish people once faced will help shape policies and minds in order to create an environment that treats newcomers as humans that deserve the same respect as everyone else. The things I observed in Belfast will stay with me, especially as I continue my studies in Peace and Development Studies.

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January 2007 Reflection

Posted on January 1, 2007 by dpreysman07

It’s been almost a month since I finished classes, but it feels like a lot longer. The last few weeks of classes were intense, and I had several assignments due in rapid succession, including a newspaper critique and a radio story I’d been working on for more than a month. At the end of the term, we had more to do and less time to do it than at any point in the semester. That made for a stressful few weeks, but it was a great learning experience. Just before classes finished, I did a story about education spending in Ireland, for which I spoke with a half dozen sources and wrote an in-depth analysis piece in about half a day.

I’m still learning tons about Irish life. Many things in Ireland are similar to the United States, but there are also a lot of differences that I’ve only learned about through my own reporting and stories I’ve done.

A few days after classes finished in mid-December, my brother came to Dublin to travel around Ireland. We stayed in Dublin for a couple days, and then we went to Belfast, where we took a tour of city hall and then a bus tour of Belfast. We lucked out with the guide on our bus, who had a wry sense of humor and joked about the incongruencies of life in Northern Ireland. I wish we had stayed two days there, but we already had plans to travel to Galway, where we spent the next two days.

After a week in Ireland, we joined the rest of my family in Paris, where we walked around the city and visited different markets. I spent New Years on the Champs Elysées, and the scene was incredible – masses of people drinking champagne and setting off fireworks on the sidewalks and in the streets.

I came back to Dublin early in January with a month before second semester, which starts in February. I have more free time now than at any point since I came to Ireland, and I’ve been trying to take advantage of it – volunteering at a local radio station, hiking on weekends, reading, trying out restaurants in town and going to the movies with friends. On a recent Sunday, I went with a few friends on a hike in the Wicklow Mountains. After climbing over a forested hill, we tramped through a marsh of heather to a hilltop with views of the Irish Sea and several coastal towns south of Dublin.

I’ve also been working with some of the students in my program to produce a series of radio documentaries on an area of Dublin called Finglas. It’s a working class part of town that has changed more than almost any part of Dublin in the last several decades. In the 1950s, it was just a rural village, but Dublin City Council started sending people there from the inner city and slowly Finglas grew. We’re doing a series of oral histories, which we hope will capture the experiences of people coming to and leaving from Finglas over the years.

The last few weeks have been great, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Dublin better. Although I’m enjoying the time off, I’m looking forward to the start of my second semester. It’ll mean that the Mitchell Scholars will resume regular Friday night dinners and that I’ll be back on the intense learning curve that I got used to last term. Hopefully, I’ll still manage to go hiking every once in a while and discover new cafés and bookstores downtown.

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January 2007 Reflection

Posted on January 1, 2007 by acohen07

With four classes behind me and exciting adventures in various stages of planning, I now proceed with my second term in the International Peace Studies program. The richness and dynamism of the program have generated far too many research interests to pursue but I am gradually sifting through it all and beginning to develop an idea of where I will focus my research.

Life in Dublin has been stimulating and inspiring. The city feels vibrant and new, buzzing with all things modern. Yet one can always sense its saturation with history and culture. And like any city, Dublin faces its own challenges. One such challenge concerns the complex of issues surrounding immigration and racism. Addressing these issues, Finglas for Diversity and Dublin’s community radio station, Near FM will sponsor an oral history project, ultimately broadcasting five radio shows. Thanks to Daniel Preysman, I have the opportunity to be involved as an interviewer and am looking forward to collaborating with him on the project.

Tutoring is going very well. Day trips have been lots of fun. Weekly dinners at my place continue. So life has been busy. And I think it might get busier yet. I will start working part time at Cornucopia, the vegetarian’s paradise in Dublin, cooking and serving (and eating) a few nights a week. I hope to take up Capoeira (the Afro-Brazilian martial art) again after a two year hiatus, and am also mulling over tempting invitations by members of the Ultimate Frisbee and Basketball teams.

While there is certainly plenty to do in Dublin, my friends and I often plan spectacular adventures over tea in my room, drafting our routes across the gigantic world map on the wall. Who knows where we’ll end up.

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