In my last blog post, I talked about my trip to Paris over Valentine’s Day weekend, but what I didn’t mention was that when I got back to University College Cork, it was the middle of RAG week. No, not the dreaded “gift” we ladies all get once a month, but Raise and Give Week—a weeklong series of fundraising events.
Odd as it may sound, Irish students look forward to RAG week all year long because it is also a massive, weeklong, never ending (DAY and night) party. All week long while volunteers walk around collecting money, there are a series of events and activities like the Nearly Naked Mile, Color Run, Food Eating Competitions, you name it. Not to mention that the two campus bars turn into daytime nightclubs while Cork’s actual nightclubs throw open their doors and hold a variety of student nights with special drink deals each night that week starting on Sunday night. For the majority of the student body, the goal of RAG week (other than raising money for local charities) is to go out every single night. And RAG week isn’t only a tradition at my college in Cork, it is celebrated at universities all across Ireland.
Another part of Ireland’s lively and fun-loving culture, the Irish certainly know how to fundraise and it is an experience only those who study abroad there during the Spring semester get to experience. It is definitely an experience I will never forget!