Cliffs, Cork, and the Causeway

June 27, 2017

As a major city rich with historical and cultural significance, Dublin has no shortage of museums. I have only been able to explore a very small selection of them so far, but I have been very impressed. Probably my favorite museum so far, though, has been one that would be easy to overlook. It’s called the Little Museum, and when you visit, it’s not hard to figure out why. The guided tour, which is 29 minutes, spans only two rooms (and not particularly large rooms, at that). Despite its small size, there’s plenty to see. The museum is focused entirely on Dublin, past and present, and its collection consists solely of donations. It’s full of pictures, artifacts, and all sorts of odds and ends from Dublin’s history, many of which being the sort of things you wouldn’t expect to find in a museum, from typewriters and payphones to bugles and slot machines.
Although it’s been very exciting to explore Dublin, some of my favorite parts of this trip have been the field trips and excursions I’ve gotten to take to various other locations. When we were staying in Ring in Co. Waterford, we took day trips to several nearby towns and cities, including Cork, the second largest city in Ireland, where we toured University College Cork and browsed in the city’s famed English Market. We also went to smaller towns such as Lismore, where we visited an ancient church called St. Carthage’s Cathedral, which dates back to the 12th century, and Ardmore, a seaside town where we walked along cliffs and visited St. Declan’s monastery. The best trips by far, though, have been the trips that we arranged independently this past weekend. This weekend was a free weekend with nothing scheduled, so several other students and I coordinated with our professors and arranged to take tours to other parts of the country that we wouldn’t otherwise have gotten to go to. On Saturday, ten of us went to the Cliffs of Moher. These breathtaking cliffs, located on Ireland’s west coast approximately three hours from Dublin, are one of the biggest tourist attractions in Ireland, and many popular TV shows and movies have filmed there, including Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. We were fortunate enough to have pleasant (if chilly) weather, and the views were stunning. On Sunday, a small group of us opted to travel up north to Belfast and along the coast of Northern Ireland. I found Belfast to be a fascinating city, and while I was there I learned about how it has been historically plagued by violence and tension as a result of political and religious division and how self-imposed segregation still exists between Protestants and Catholics. I took a black taxi political tour of the city, which led me into Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods and enabled me hear from locals on both sides of conflict, as well as visiting the Peace Wall, which divides the two groups—it opened my eyes to a part of the world I’d never been exposed to. We also continued with a visit to Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site. Giant’s Causeway is rather mystifying, a beautiful spot by the sea in which hexagonal stones have been piled up in mounds and strangely symmetrical columns. I feel very fortunate to have been able to visit two incredible natural wonders in the span of just two days. Our final group excursion will be next weekend, when we travel to the western city of Galway. From what I’ve heard, this weekend outing has been one of the highlights of the dialogue in years past, so I can’t wait.

Written By

Brendan Lewis

I’ve always loved traveling and exploring other cultures, so I knew I wanted to study abroad at some point during my time as a college student. When deciding on a program, I wanted to find an opportunity that would allow me to earn credit toward my major, English. I chose Ireland as my destination especially because of its rich literary tradition, which had great appeal for me as an avid reader and writer. I am thrilled to have the chance to study some of the English language’s greatest works of literature, both classic and contemporary, at the sites where they were written, as well as delving into other fascinating areas like film and culture. I’m particularly excited for the chance to get to meet and connect with local authors and filmmakers. I hope to come away from the program with a newfound knowledge of and appreciation for Irish literature, film, and culture, all while also having honed my reading and writing skills, as well as sightseeing, experiencing the culture hands-on, and having a lot of fun.