Ireland 2025

Ireland Study Abroad Summary
Post-summer session 2025

Written by: Dr. Mary-Ellen Rada

This past Summer, 11 students and 4 community members along with Dr. Rada and Professor Bogdan travelled to the “Emerald Isle” of Ireland.  Since our red-eye flight brought us too early to check in at our hotel, we took a bus tour around Dublin and stopped at Phoenix Park and reveled in their beautiful gardens.  We walked through O’Connell Street, the main street in Dublin with a stop at the General Post Office (GPO) memorable for the reading of the “Proclamation for Independence” by Padraig Pearce on Easter Sunday, 1916.  Our group then ventured to Trinity College, a sister college of Oxford and Cambridge housing the Old Library and the Book of Kells experience.  These are considered a “must see” on the itinerary of all visitors to Dublin. Located in the heart of Dublin City, a walk through the cobbled stones of Trinity College Dublin brings us back to the 18th century, when the magnificent Old Library building was constructed. Inside is housed the Book of Kells – a 9th-century gospel manuscript famous throughout the world.  The library is usually filled with 200,000 of the library’s oldest books and is one of the most impressive libraries in the world.  A renovation is underway for fire prevention, so the collection is reduced but still a grand visual of what is usually there including exhibitions of an original Easter Rising of 1916 Proclamation, and a harp supposedly attributed to Brian Boru, a famous hero of Ireland who fought the Viking invasions.  But it is most likely a representation and is one of the oldest known harps of its kind.  We all shared a wonderful first night’s dinner together with good food at one of Dublin’s finest places and got to know each other better.

On our second day, we visited Dublinia, a Viking Exhibition.  Since the Vikings are an integral part of Ireland’s past, it was interesting to see exhibits of how they lived, what they ate, their tools, ships, etc.  The next stop was MoLI, the Museum of Literature Ireland.  Ireland is known for it’s many famous poets and authors who, through their writings, kept the history of Ireland alive.  The stories brought forth an understanding of the struggle for independence from Britain and how their experiences shaped their future.  From there we made our way to the Museum of Ireland-Archeology.  The students viewed exhibits from paleolithic to modern times, combs, buckles, broches, jewelry, tools and weapons.  Prehistoric Ireland inhabitants were well known for their metal working skills.  A unique exhibit included the “Bog Bodies” and a “Long Boat” all preserved because of the acidic environment of the many bogs around Ireland.

On our third day, we travelled to Knowth and New Grange, 5000-year-old passage tombs, 600 years older than the Egyptian Pyramids and 1000 years older than Stone Henge.  New Grange and Knowth are perfectly aligned with the winter solstice demonstrating the astronomical skills these ancient people had.  Everyone went inside New Grange for an artificial demonstration of that special event.  From the top of Knowth, we could see the magnificent views of the entire Boyne River Valley known throughout history for its many battles.  Professor Bogdan and students wiggled their toes in the grass on the top of this historical site.  A memory for a lifetime.

Furthering our journey, we landed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.  This was an interesting transition between countries, and we all had obtained our newly required ETA Visas for entry.  The next morning, we went with a guide on a trek through the city center of Belfast and it’s many monuments.  Donnel, our guide, made a point of showing the relationship many US presidents had with Northern Ireland as well as a monument to the Titanic.  We visited the Harlan and Wolff area where it and its sister ships, Olympic and Britannic, were built. 

We travelled to the Peace Wall dividing the Catholic and Protestant quarters and Donnel lectured on the historical significance of the passionate divide that still exists to some degree today.  This is an emotion-filled site whose energy is palpable to even the harden hearts of many who sign their thoughts on this auspicious divider of ideologies.  Donnel also pointed out places where Punk rockers brought both groups, Catholics and Protestants, together through the music they both enjoyed. We ended our excursion at the Ulster Museum, one of the largest collections in Europe including a Vermeer masterpiece.  Unfortunately, the Botanical Gardens Victorian Glasshouse was under repair at the time we were there so we could not go into that structure.  Instead we lingered outside the McClay Library sculpture of Queen’s University of Belfast.  Then Donnel shared how he was an extra in the “Game of Thrones” which excited the students quite a bit.  He had a number of picturesque shots of the filming with him in his role.

After a good night’s sleep, we travelled by bus to Giant’s Causeway, a volcanic eruption remnant of hexagonal basalt crystals 60 million years old.  The legends associated with it go back through time to the mythical Finn McCool.  The vantage points to the North Atlantic Ocean were breath taking.  Many students made the climb up through the many pathways and took amazing pictures of the Wild Atlantic Way.

The route to Sligo proved spectacularly beautiful as we made our way by bus through the countryside.  Our wonderful bus driver gave us an extra little side trip to correlate with our   experience with Donnel by taking us to the “Dark Hedges” where part of the Game of Thrones was filmed.  A little special treat for the group.

We arrived in Sligo and all shared dinner that night and discovered a festival was going on in town.  A group of younger folks and I went into town and thoroughly enjoyed a concert by Sligo’s original but now famous-all-over-Ireland band, Clada.  It was so great to watch everyone dance and jig to Irish renditions of reggae, rock, and punk, etc.  The next day we visited Sligo Abbey and were lectured on the history of this ancient building and the health issues that Sligo inhabitants encountered throughout time involving the Abbey like Cholera and the potato famine.  Our guide was a professional singer and wound up singing a traditional Irish ballad that was remarkable. Another special treat.

The next stop was Drumcliff Church hearing more about the ancient Irish folk and visiting W. B Yeats grave.  Students were so inspired, some of them considered changing their major to Literature.  I had met our guides the year before and they remembered our group from then.  They proceeded to offer a little concert of Irish flute and song.  Yet another treat.  I knew of a local waterfall, Glencar Waterfall, on a lakefront with a small hike which I thought the students would enjoy.  This was a place referenced by W. B. Yeats in his poem “The Stolen Child.”  This was followed by a short trip to a local “beach” not far away.  The beach was a surfer beach, Sandhill Beach, which the students enjoyed even though it rained a bit.  A nice treat to compare our beaches, mostly sandy, to theirs, which are very rocky.  Several students had the pleasure of going with Professor Bogden to dip their toes in the Atlantic on its “other” side.

The morning brought us back on the bus and off through the Connemara National Park to Roundstone Village, an extremely picturesque village located on the western arm of Bertraghboy Bay in Connemara, Co. Galway,  and Malaky Kearns, Bodhran maker.  He lectured the students on the drum, how it’s made and played, how it was restricted during British rule as well as life lessons from a seasoned Irishman.  Moving along, our next stop was at Glengowla Mines and a sheepdog exhibition.  They learned all about this 6000-year-old tradition of animal behavior.  The dog and sheep were captivating.  These were many of the students’ favorite experiences. Ending in Galway we checked into our hotel early enough to venture into town for dinner. 

From previous trips, students requested more free time in Galway and so this was the plan.  A free day to completely immerse themselves in the local culture.  Though Galway is a college town, it was before the beginning of the semester and therefore the town was filled with mostly tourists.  However, the local townspeople work in the town, and the local musicians and actors regularly perform on the street corners.  It is a perfect time for the students to see, hear, taste and meet the true Irish folk of Galway.  A few of our group along with the coach driver ventured out to play golf which was a nice conclusion after seeing all the “Open” signs from the recently concluded British Golf Open in Northern Ireland won by Scottie Scheffler with a four-shot lead.  Locally, they were extremely proud of their countryman.

After that free day in Galway, we left to travel through the Burren, paleolithic limestone, sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone remnants left on the scraped earth for miles after the last ice age recession.  This led us to the Cliffs of Moher.  But we were a little early, so our driver took us to the village of Doolin on the coast for some picturesque views of the cliffs from a different perspective as well as the beautiful Aran Islands.  After spending enough time there, we travelled back to the Cliffs for our entrance time.  It was 70 degrees and absolutely no wind at the Cliffs.  A first for me.  The views were just as amazing as promised by every travel brochure.

After our time at the Cliffs, we traversed across Ireland towards Dublin stopping at the Irish National Stud Farm and Japanese Gardens.  The stallions were magnificent and some of the retired ones came to the fence for a sweet visit.  The students also saw a rare Connemara pony mare and her foal.  They learned all about how the stallions are determined and bred and the gestational aspects of the breeding ponies.  Many pictures were taken in the beautiful Japanese Garden, one of the largest examples outside of Japan.

We arrived back in Dublin safely and in time to choose places for dinner.  The next morning, our last, we traveled by public transit to Kilmainham Gaol.  Kilmainham Gaol is a former prison in Kilmainham, Dublin. It is now a museum run by the Office of Public Works, an agency of the Government of Ireland. Many Irish revolutionaries, including the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising, were imprisoned and executed in the prison by the orders of the UK Government.  Kilmainham Gaol opened in 1796 as the new County Gaol for Dublin. While most of the prisoners were common criminals, it also held political prisoners involved in Ireland’s struggle for independence. Included amongst those held here were Robert Emmet, Anne Devlin, the Fenians, Charles Stewart Parnell, Countess Markievicz and the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising, 14 of whom were executed by firing squads in the Stonebreaker’s yard. The Gaol was closed in 1924 but was preserved as a national monument in the 1960s and restored by the Kilmainham Gaol Restoration Committee. It was handed over to the State in 1986 and today is run by the Office of Public Works.  To aid in the financial obligations to maintain this historic site, several movies were made in the goal to add to the visitor’s fees. 

The students learned of the many years of “Troubles” as they are called in Ireland as they vied for their independence from the UK.  Men, women, and even children were kept in horrid conditions, some who were starving during the potato famine were arrested for begging for food.  The youngest was a child 2-years-old with his mother and also a 3-year-old little boy, an unaccompanied minor, who were arrested by the British police and served time for begging for food.

We went across the street to the beautiful formal gardens associated with the Irish Museum of Modern Art grounds next to the Royal Kilmainham Hospital.  It was as if we stepped into an “Alice in Wonderland” garden.  After some picture taking, we went back to the center of town to the Chester Beatty Exhibit.  This exhibit sits next to the lawns associated with Dublin Castle.  The exhibit is a very large collection of antique artifacts such as papyri from as far back as biblical times in the Judeo-Christian era, writings by early profits of Islamic traditions, and beautiful robes and books from old Asian and Buddhist cultures. 

This was our last requirement for the trip and arrangements were confirmed for our group dinner and show in traditional Irish flare that evening.  The show at Taylor’s Three Rock included performances by Susan McFadden from Celtic Women and Rob Vickers from Les Misérables, both of whom performed solos from their roles.  There were retired Irish step dancers from “Riverdance” as well.  It was a grand finish to a perfect trip. We were blessed with so many serendipitous moments due in part to previous trips and remembering those wonderful local people and guides.  Network connections that will last a lifetime.

This group was the best group of students I have taken overseas, and it was my sixth trip.  With the excellent help of Professor Bogden, the trip was a huge success.  The students were engaged and wanted to experience and learn everything possible.  There were no behavior issues, and everyone got along perfectly.  They were well prepared for the exhibits and sites we visited by doing a good deal of pre-trip assignments which introduced them to the various places they would visit and why.  They wrote two papers based on the places we were going to, participated in discussions about aspects of Irish tradition and history before we left, kept journals throughout the journey with required “Wow” moments and daily prompts for retrospection of what the students saw and experienced that day, and then completed a final exam upon return home.  All-in-all, the adventure was worth every bit of the 3 credits and so much more.  Lessons of a lifetime.

They learned leadership skills in learning how to travel intercontinentally, how to manage foreign money, how to maneuver through cities, towns, and villages in Ireland, what the Irish struggle for independence looked and felt like, the geologic and geographic history of the country, and so much more. They went to places even the Irish people don’t get to travel to in their own country. And they learned to appreciate their home country much more.

We would like to personally thank the OCC Foundation for their assistance in making this trip affordable and possible for these students.  They would never have been able to experience this endeavor without their help.