While my time at Maynooth University is close to being over, my opinions here are not. Before I list my favorite and least favorite things, I want people to keep in mind everyone has different opinions. I really do have so much appreciation and love for this country, and I would not change a thing about my abroad experience. However, abroad is not all sunshine and rainbows as it’s made out to be.
The Good:
- The proximity to Dublin
- The nature and greenery the town has to offer
- Walking trails on campus (including the farm along one of them)
- The Innercity rail
- Ely’s coffee
- Dunne’s stores- a micro scale target alternative
- The friendliness of the inhabitants
- South Campus (pictured below)
- It’s very safe, even at night
- Having an actual college campus and library
- The sheer amount of dogs
- Fitzgerald’s roost bar and tavern
- Brady’s bar and tavern
- All the cute little coffee and brunch spots
- Most of the time it is peaceful and quiet, no city noise
The Bad:
- The lack of vitamin D
- lack of engagement and participants in classes
- It feels like a ghost town Thursday-Sunday
- the wi-fi
- The one street of stores and shops being the entire city
- The Innercity rail
- the spiders
- the weather
- The food (unless it’s fish and chips)
A Special Section for Public Transportation:
- My biggest frustration with Maynooth stems from the lack of a reliable public transportation system. The best form is hands down the train (Innercity rail) because it actually comes on time. However, it does not go into the section of Dublin where most things are located. The train can get you close to the city, but not where the hotspots and attractions of Dublin are. The 115 bus would be the quickest and cheapest way to get to Dublin, however, it only comes when it feels like it. There is no way of knowing if it is actually coming on time, or if at all. I find it astonishing because so many people in Dublin rely on public transportation to get home or to work, what happens when it just simply doesn’t come? The alternative is the C4 bus, but it takes triple the amount of time. It’s faster to wait 40 minutes for the 115. Maynooth is lovely but there is not much to see or experience here besides campus. Dublin seems so close, yet getting there is a nightmare. On top of that, Dublin is where you have to travel in order to get to anywhere else inside the country or get to the airport. Taxis are crazy expensive to Maynooth so unless you split it with friends you’re spending $75-$80 each way. Maynooth is great, but it sometimes feels like you’re stuck because of how difficult getting around Ireland is.
DU Abroad 