Wow. Where do I even start? This weekend provided a roller coaster of experiences entailing historical interaction, cultural shock, fascinating settings, and empathetic reasoning.
We began our weekend on Thursday with the celebration of Valentine’s Day at a girls’ chocolate and wine night at a friends and the Valentine’s Day Twitter party at DTwo. It was a fun way to begin my weekend!
Friday morning we hopped on yet another big green bus to travel to the north of Ireland. This trip consisted of heavy history, yet it was very inspiring and exciting. Although I was not really sure what to expect of this weekend, as I had been asked on multiple occasions why I was going and advised to be extremely cautious amidst the current peril of the region, I did not anticipate the emotions our experiences would inspire or the gratitude they would instill.
Here is a little history of the hardship in Northern Ireland. In the 1600s, the English kicked the Catholics off the bountiful northern land, shipped them to the west coast of Ireland to build walls, and replaced them with Scottish Protestants. After years of trouble involving religious tolerance, voting rights, and political prosecution, the population is nearly half Catholic and half Protestant now as a result of the large families the Catholics raised. Northern Ireland still struggles with religion and politics today, which is made clear by the numerous Irish and English flags throughout the region. The North of Ireland definitely gives a more English vibe with its uniformed houses and sporadic Victorian style buildings, and the signs of financial oppression are undeniably more prominent throughout this region in comparison with other areas of Ireland.
We began the weekend with a stop to Derry or Londonderry, and let me say, the religious tension, political rivalry, and financial strive were extremely evident. Derry is roughly 75% Catholic and 25% Protestant, which set the undertone for the emotional reactions to their stories. We had the opportunity to tour Derry on three authentic tours carried out by three men personally affected by the struggles in the Bogside Battle of 1969. Initially, we were taken around Derry to learn a general overview of the history and observe the walls of the city; Derry is the only completely walled city in Ireland. Afterwards, we toured the Free Derry Museum with a man whose brother was one of the 14 killed on Bloody Sunday and the 12 famous wall murals with a man imprisoned for his involvement in the Irish Republican Army (IRA: terrorist group fighting the British). These men explained to us the reality of the hardships. Although the north is technically “at peace since 1998”, they are still working to obtain justice for the 14 lives taken by the British on Bloody Sunday. It was extremely hard to imagine their strife when these events are still ongoing. In the majority of cities, people learn the city’s history by listening to guides explain stories of other generations. Derry showed me its history through firsthand accounts of the strife that took place, which was an extremely different but rather remarkable experience. I learned an immense amount from these tours; however, I am most excited to take forth the message of the guide that was imprisoned for his attempt at achieving peace. He left us saying, “There is no longer a need for armed conflict to achieve what people need to achieve.”
This peace dove/oak leaf mural is painted on a wall in Derry. The squares represent equality, the colors signify all races and denominations, and the oak leaf (symbol of the region) morphs into a dove, symbolizing peace.
The Derry Peace Bridge:
On Friday night, we had the opportunity to attend the Legen-Derry Pub Crawl after dinner at the infamous Ice Wharf. We made our way to The Strand, The Gweedore Bar, and Peadar O’Donnell’s Pub, where Molly gave us a personal Irish dancing show. Our tour guide Steve showed us a great night out in a very interesting city.
Dunluce Castle:
On Saturday, our trip was brightened with our stop at the gorgeous Dunluce Castle, where we all decided the remains of this castle would definitely be the most amazing venue to bring back our favorite childhood games of ghost in the graveyard and hide and seek. Afterwards, we headed to another natural wonder of Ireland: The Giants Causeway. Sixty million years ago, this coastline of nearly 40,000 columns was formed by volcanic crashing and burning. Irish folklore will tell you the Giant’s Causeway was the stomping ground of the Irish giant, Finn McCool, who lived on the coast nearly two thousand years ago. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. After hiking treacherous paths, we were able to explore the coastline, soak our feet in the ocean, and take in yet another beauty Ireland has to offer.
The Giants Causeway:
Luckily, my friends and I were amongst the thirty lucky students to stay in Vagabonds hostel Saturday night, which was so much better than Paddy’s Palace Hostel (“where the magic of Paddywagon happens” according to our student leader Steve). After checking into our hostel, we visited the Botanic Gardens and Ulster Museum before going to the Parlour Bar for £1 pizzas and delicious Fuzzy Navals with a big group of students. Our large tour group then began our night out in Belfast at the Queen’s University Speakeasy student bar, where I met two identical twins named Dave and Jamie. Despite the fact we were advised not to bring up or discuss any political or religious topics, Jamie shared with me his personal experiences growing up in the hardships. Ultimately, he told me how lucky I was to be from America, where I can practice my religion freely and not worry everyday about my house being broken into or about getting physically beaten for my beliefs. He is looking forward to moving to America after graduation because he detests the turmoil the northern generations continue to provoke. This experience really put into perspective for me the bounties of the American Dream and the blessings and security our freedom provides.
The Titanic’s Dry Dock:
On Sunday, we began our day (after a stop at Starbucks, of course!) partaking in a tour of the Titanic’s Dry Dock. As The Titanic is one of my favorite movies, it was no surprise that I loved this tour. It was cool to walk down to the bottom of the dock and get a feel for just how massive the actual ship was. My experience in Derry was then brought to an even bigger stage in Belfast, where the hardships are even more prominent, when we partook in the Black Taxi Tour through the roughest areas of Belfast’s history. As helicopters casually patrolled the areas, we once again saw the divisions between the Catholics and Protestants and the strong political undertones of the city. 80% of Belfast citizens live in segregated areas and attend segregated schools. All of the communities in Belfast are gated, and security cages on houses, known as “Belfast conservatories”, prevent things from being thrown as the homes. Mixed marriages are becoming more common, but this does not solve the problem of discrimination because even in the neutral areas of town, there are segregated schools, which allows even the non-religious to be merely labeled as either Protestant or Catholic. Even if one is an atheist, he or she must be labeled as either a Catholic or Protestant atheist. In the case of the mixed marriages, family members will visit each other’s houses in opposite areas, but they are not to go into each other’s pubs. In order to partake in Ireland’s favorite pastime, the citizens of Belfast must travel to the neutral city centre to drink together. Once again, the English and Irish flags were seen everywhere. Belfast is currently in the midst of a flag protest because the Union’s flag was just removed from City Hall as a result of the latest census when the city was found to be 48% Catholic. We toured the Shankl estate-murals, saw the “Mona Lisa of Belfast” in which a machine gun points at you regardless of your position, and made our way to my favorite part of the tour—The Peace Wall. The Peace Wall separates the Protestants and Catholics, and although the city still wants these walls to exist despite their name in order to prevent house attacks and unnecessary evil, the messages the wall depicted were amazing. Phrases such as “Say something beautiful or be quiet” and “make love not war” adorned this mile long, bright wall. It was extremely special to be able to sign the wall with the wise words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “Be the peace you wish to see in the world.” We spent the rest of the afternoon eating lunch at the Morning Star Pub and discovering more of the city centre before stopping at the Monasterboice High Crosses on our way back to campus. Despite the solemn ambiance of the majority of our weekend, I learned an immense amount in regards to Ireland’s history and am very grateful for the inspiration and appreciation they invoked.
The Belfast Peace Wall:
Yesterday was a wonderful day with the beginning of my Midwifery module. We were given the warmest welcome to a classroom of about 30 extremely nice and friendly Irish students. The light discussion-like atmosphere surrounding the heavy content of this module reminds me of our courses at Marquette and makes me miss all my nursing girls back home! Last night we went to the Woolshed Baa and Grill to watch the Munich-Arsenal soccer game before a great night out at The Temple Bar and Farrington’s for live music.
Today, I took advantage of the nice weather and ran around campus before my three hour Midwifery class. I am now going to make dinner with Emma and preparing to attend a Silent Disco tonight at Whelan’s before leaving for Rome tomorrow. I don’t know where the weeks go here! Talk to you soon! Xoxo
Lessons for the week:
1. If you are pregnant, look out for Melanie Haak after a Midwifery class. “I just want to give every pregnant woman a hug and tell her I am sorry.”
2. The green in the Irish flag symbolizes Catholics, orange represents Protestants, and the white implies peace.
3. Don’t bring up religion or politics in a pub in Northern Ireland.
4. “I want a coke.”-Mel. Emma responds, “You know what coke has? Sugar. You know where sugar comes from? Cows. Cows come from vegans.” So glad I learned this.
5. When you are car sick in a cab, listen to Molly Schuld and “pretend you’re the Hobbit on Raging Bull.”
6. Don’t judge Melanie for being Vegan when she is eating a Banana Nutella cookie.
7. In the wise words of Emma Murry, “any guy that sees you with your unbrushed teeth and fat lip and still wants to go to Copper’s with you deserves you at your best.”
8. After a shocking failure (literally!) to plug your hairdryer in, contact Emma for emotional support.
My Adventures Abroad 