Category: Ireland

I. Dingle Peninsula & Wild Atlantic Way

With the end of summer and unfavorable weather approaching, it’s important to get all the true sight-seeing done, hence why The Cliffs of Moher were my first trip, and Dingle Peninsula and Wild Atlantic Way were my second.

The road our bus took is technically called “Wild Atlantic Way” but this road is located on the Dingle Peninsula. The town of Dingle itself is excessively charming and an extremely active hub of tourism.

Dingle is located in yet another rural area of Ireland, so rural in fact, that one of the villages outside of Dingle speaks Irish as their first language. It is a tight-knit community, and the government does not allow any new residents to move there unless they can speak Irish fluently. Dingle originally was a commercial fishing town- which is a seriously dangerous profession. Luckily, their main source of income now is tourism, thanks to the legend of Fungie the Dolphin (who appeared off the coast one day in the late 1980’s, and remained a staple tourist attraction until his passing about three years ago), and the natural beauty of the mountainous and cliffside landscape.

Tourism has become such a pillar of the Dingle community that locals have gotten involved and made a reputation for themselves. One of the stops on our tour was at a local farmer’s property, where he was asking for €4 to hold a baby lamb! If you ask me, it’s absolutely the best €4 I’ve ever spent, and he’s definitely doing well for himself, considering the wad of cash he was sifting through when giving me change. It was a chaotic- we only had twenty minutes at this particular stop- but ultimately amazing experience. It’s something I never thought I’d do- I’m from the suburbs, and know nothing about farm life- which I think made the experience all the better!

There are also beautiful things to see farther away from the peninsula, but still within sights of Dingle. The area is also known for its mountainous regions:

II. The Rock of Cashel

Don’t let the name fool you- The “Rock” of Cashel is actually a monastery, with parts of these ruins dating back to the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries. It was officially founded in the 12th century, and is also known as St. Patrick’s Rock, due to the saint’s affiliation with the monastery (it is said that St. Patrick converted the King of Muster to Christianity at this site). In the 1600s, the monastery was attacked by English troops, and has been left in ruins ever since.

The ruins are extremely beautiful and carry a haunting quality. It’s almost an uncanny experience to be closed in by the remaining standing walls, just to look up and see sky rather than a vaulted ceiling. It is an iconic site for Irish history, and being there made me feel a bit more connected to the Irish culture that I’m learning more about every day.

III. Cobh

Cobh (pronounced “cove”) is a town on an island in Cork City’s harbor. It is best known for being the last port of call for the Titanic in 1912 (there are several memorials acknowledging the Titanic’s tragic maiden voyage). Its other main attraction is St. Colman’s Cathedral, which was completed in 1919.

The town is so colorful, which is so refreshing when comparing it to home. Everything is pretty uniform in the U.S- same style of home, same color scheme, etc- but houses here are fun and bright and have their own charm. Cobh itself isn’t a big tourist attraction, but I enjoyed my visit all the same. It made me feel a bit like a local, as if I was integrating into the culture. Life moves at a slower pace here, so it was really lovely to just stop and appreciate the things around me.

I have officially gotten through two weeks of class. I wanted to wait to wait until the end of this week to discuss my first impressions because only 3/5 of my classes started up last week. As of now, I’m attending 4 classes, since the 5th doesn’t start until the middle of the semester (something I’m not at all used to). But now that I’ve gotten into some kind of routine, I feel comfortable sharing my thoughts.

I can confidently say that I’ve experienced my first few culture shocks after starting classes last week. University College Cork (UCC) is an extremely large campus, with extremely confusing buildings, and an unbelievably large student body. There are so many students on campus at any given time of the day that it’s sometimes difficult to get to class because it’s so crowded. The classes themselves don’t start until 5 after the hour- which I didn’t realize until after my first day.

Even more surprising, however, is the lack of assignments throughout the course. Outside of class we are only given readings. This lack of assignments means that my final average for each class will be determined solely by one or two exam grades… which sounds pretty daunting before you realize that the pass/fail mark is 40% in Ireland. So, if I finish with a 60, or a 55, or even a 42, I’ll. Pass. The. Course. The benchmark for an A is 70%. It’s so incredibly different to the U.S that I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around it. And it’s made me reflect a lot on the emphasis we place on grades at every level of education back home.

So much of our identities are wrapped up in our GPAs falling .04 points, or the one failed exam out of the dozens of others we’ve already passed. At least, that’s how it usually goes for me. I never considered myself a perfectionist, but stepping away from the ruthless and competitive academic environment that the U.S has established has made me realize that maybe I do agonize too much over the little things. It’s unfortunate that so much of our future is determined by numbers and letters on an academic transcript. While I’m enjoying seeing and experiencing a more positive outlook of higher education right now, I know it is going to be an adjustment when I get back to the U.S.

So far, I am enjoying my classes. I love getting the opportunity to interact with Irish students and international students alike, as it brings a lot of different perspectives to each course. I’m looking forward to getting into a concrete routine as I continue to settle in and adjust to my schedule.