Tag Archives: Queens University Belfast

“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

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

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

Posted in Class of 2013, Queen's University Belfast | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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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Coming to the End/Beginning

In my last couple of blogs I reflected on politics and identity in Northern Ireland.  My thoughts on those subjects are developing, but as the end of my time in Northern Ireland draws near,  I’ll pivot toward personal reflections on … Continue reading

Posted in Class of 2012, Queen's University Belfast | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Contradicting Myself

Almost halfway through.   One would think that at this point in my Mitchell year I would have a firm grasp on identity processes and divisions in Belfast.  The opposite is true. On this very blog, I wrote that the … Continue reading

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Base of the Fifth Metatarsal

Today I write to you about the base of the Fifth Metatarsal. No, unfortunately not an exotic European mountain range, but the location of a broken bone in my foot! A week before Christmas, while taking out the trash, I … Continue reading

Posted in Class of 2012, Queen's University Belfast, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Spring Fever in Belfast and Abroad

“Yeah, you guessed it. I fell. Cut up my right arm, bruised my left, and was once again left limping away (this time physically and not emotionally) from another attempt at a sort of spiritual moment we were sharing. And that was before I even got to the river rocks…” Continue reading

Posted in Class of 2011, Queen's University Belfast | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

June 2010 Reflection

I found him sitting down, occupying the seat I had once occupied: On a couch, off to the side of the room. But this time it was different: there were two of us on the couch, watching the party. As … Continue reading

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June 2010 Reflection

These last few weeks when I bike or jog through the Botanic Garden I am overwhelmed by the sweet smell of the rose patch. I slow down a bit to appreciate the well-cultivated aisles bursting with tulips, foxglove and foliage. … Continue reading

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June 2010 Reflection

Adam, you are transforming into a full-blooded Irishman. To me this Facebook message from my friend, Barry, meant one thing: success. My goal for this year was to really absorb as much of Ireland & its culture as possible. With … Continue reading

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March 2010 Reflection

The fourth week I was in Galway I did not know what to do with myself. The second I had been livid. The eighth I was impressed. And now, I am pondering a crusade. In college philosophy class Shelly Kagan … Continue reading

Posted in Class of 2009, National University of Ireland Galway, Queen's University Belfast | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on March 2010 Reflection

March 2010 Reflection

When I first got to Belfast I took a wander through the city. I find it’s always the best way to get to know a place, take a walk or a jog, get a little lost, find your way home. … Continue reading

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