Over my recent spring break, I was part of Stonehill College’s travel seminar in Ireland. This was for an Irish Literature course, and the travel component was a 10-day trip around Ireland! Going into it, I had no idea what to expect. I had never been to Ireland, and was only very slightly familiar with Dublin, as my parents had been a few times for concerts (avid U2 fans). But reflecting on the trip, I am SO glad I chose to do this because it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Whether you’re curious about taking advantage of Stonehill’s travel seminar program, or just interested in learning about Ireland, hopefully my thorough recap of the experience will be useful to you!
The trip started off interestingly with a 6-hour overnight flight. We departed Boston at 6pm for a 5am arrival in Dublin. I never want to forget the excitement everyone had as we walked down the jetway onto the plane. We were all smiling and laughing, so excited for what lay ahead. However, the overnight flight did not treat us well. Many of us, myself included, hardly caught a blink of sleep. So we rolled up to our hotel absolutely exhausted. What made matters worse, we weren’t able to get into our rooms until 9 a.m.! So there we were, 20 girls falling asleep here and there around the hotel lobby. Although we were all struggling, looking back I find that image so funny. The poor hotel receptionists. Something else memorable about that chaotic introduction was that it snowed that morning for the first time since 2018! We all joked that we had brought the Boston weather to Ireland with us. It was an interesting introduction to the country for sure. But it built the experience!
Dublin
We were in Dublin for four days. We got to see so many sites through the seminar. That first day, we visited the beautiful Dublin Castle and had dinner at The Brazen Head, one of the oldest pubs in Ireland, dating back to 1198! On the second day, we visited Croke Park, which is the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association. We got to see where players have their locker rooms, the lounge where players hang out after games, as well as the inside of the stadium itself. What was especially interesting but solemn about Croke Park was that it was the site of attacks on the first Bloody Sunday in 1920. We also visited the National Museum of Ireland and the National Galley of Ireland! On the third day, we went to a suburb of Dublin, called Sandycove, which was so beautiful. There, we visited the Joyce Tower Museum where Irish poet, James Joyce, spent six nights, and where he based the beginning of his famous work, Ulysses. The view from atop the tower was stunning, you could look out on the town and on the ocean where you could see Wales in the distance! On the fourth day, we visited Trinity College and its Old Library, where the Book of Kells is located. We also had a very unique and special experience that day, visiting the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland in her home! We were given this opportunity through her connection as a Stonehill alum. It was so surreal and amazing to get to know her in her home. I discovered I had a particularly special connection to her by finding out we grew up in the same hometown!
Overall, I really liked Dublin. It was unlike any other city I’ve been to. I enjoyed many double decker bus rides, eating traditional Irish foods, like smoked salmon, and the vibrance of the city.
Newgrange
We left Dublin to continue our journey in Belfast, but made a stop in the Boyne Valley to visit Newgrange, a megalithic tomb passage. This was so fascinating, it was a tomb built around 3,200 B.C., making it older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Giza. The tomb’s entrance is aligned with the Winter Solstice, which is the only time the interior is fully illuminated by the sun’s light. It was just inconceivable how this tomb could have been built to have that alignment. The landscape was beautiful too. It was our first glimpse of the Irish countryside. I kept thinking it looked exactly what I picture Ireland to look like. We saw very green grassy hills, lots of farms in the distance, and so many sheep on the hills.
Belfast
Next, we arrived in Belfast. There, we had a guided tour of the city, specifically of Falls and Shankill. We were guided by two different political prisoners, one in the nationalist republican Falls Road area, and another in the unionist loyal Shankill Road area. It was certainly an eye opening experience, especially being guided by political prisoners. I’m grateful that the course exposed us to these experiences in Ireland, because it was a very raw way of learning about the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Giant’s Causeway (Bushmills, UK)
I would say my favorite site of the trip was Giant’s Causeway, an incredible and rare geological formation of basalt columns. The columns are nearly all hexagonal shaped and formed this way by cracking in a unique pattern after ancient volcanic eruptions. I hadn’t realized how many of these columns there were, the causeway was massive! We lucked out with a beautiful sunny sky too. Every picture I took here was beautiful. Visiting Giant’s Causeway is a must if you’re ever in Ireland.
Derry/Londonderry
Our next stop was Derry/Londonderry, another place highly affected by the Troubles. This was another eye opening part of the trip. We had a guided tour through Derry, where we learned all about the city’s troubled history and about the second Bloody Sunday massacre, which happened here in 1972. It was definitely a bit daunting, but again, a learning experience I’m very glad to have had. Derry/Londonderry was also interesting to me because I had two separate connections to the city. My family has origins here, and my hometown of Londonderry, NH was founded by immigrants from here.
Sligo
Sligo was another location directly related to the literature aspect of the course because it was the most important place of inspiration for the poet W.B. Yeats. Here, we visited the Glencar Waterfalls, which inspired one poem in particular, “The Stolen Child.” We also visited Drumcliffe Church, where Yeats is buried, and toured Sligo. Sligo gave us a beautiful look at more of the Irish countryside. The town is surrounded on three sides by mountains, which are so green. The landscape here looked so saturated, the colors were so bright. Every picture I took looked edited, it was so gorgeous! I can definitely understand why its beauty inspired so many of Yeats’ works.
Galway
Last but certainly not least…Galway! I think Galway was my favorite location we stayed in. My friends and I had so much fun here. My biggest takeaway of Galway is how lively it was! Our hotel was very close to Shop Street, which, as the name suggests, is filled with shops. My friends and I spend a lot of time there (and money, oops). It was definitely touristy, but so fun! My favorite part of Galway was how much live music there was. There were live performers up and down Shop Street, and live music coming from the many pubs and restaurants in the area. My friends and I ate at one restaurant, literally called The Galway Girl (OK Ed Sheeran), and it was awesome. The upstairs was a pub with live music, and the downstairs was the restaurant where we ate and could listen. Definitely check it out if you’re ever in Galway.
Cliffs of Moher (County Clare, Ireland)
Last but certainly not least, the beautiful Cliffs of Moher! The cliffs were absolutely captivating. I was also absolutely geeking about seeing the Harry Potter cave here (filmed in the Half-Blood Prince). I hadn’t realized how easily I would see it! The cliffs were absolutely breathtaking, and a must see if you ever get the chance.
Overall, this was an experience I am so grateful to have had. I learned and saw so much in such a short amount of time, and made so many amazing memories. The sights were so beautiful, the people were so friendly, and the energy was so fun. If you go to Stonehill, I hope my recap gives you a solid idea of what the Ireland travel seminar is like, and maybe influences you to take advantage of the next one! I 100% recommend it.