Izzy's Ireland Travel Blog

  Being at the end of my trip I feel so lucky and grateful that I was able to come on this trip. I have fallen in love with the people, food, and culture of Dublin and do not want to let go. I have come to understand many aspects of Ireland's different culture from our class time and from exploring what Ireland has to offer. I was able to experience some of Ireland's norms when it comes to their community and social life. I got to experience pub culture, which showed me the fun side of Ireland. I also got to experience a local foods market and see a diverse and community side to Ireland. I got to learn so much more about Ireland's health care and how that compares to the U.S and a better understanding about universal healthcare. We also got to learn about how homeless and substance abusers navigate their world in Dublin, which broadened my understanding of how people survive here. Also one of my favorite parts was getting to learn some Irish history about some amazing and...

  The Chester Beatty Museum is a museum that hosts many ancient religious texts and relics that transport you into ancient religions. I enjoyed my trip here and was astounded by how many texts they had for each religion. They had texts and relics from Islam, Hindu, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, and many more. I come from a small town where there is not a lot of religious diversity and getting to immerse and experience new religions was amazing. I learned a lot about the Buddhist faith and what their core values are. I also got to see how each religion started and got popular at different times and in different areas, so we were able to see how that affected their text styles and artifacts. What I found most compelling though was seeing all the different religions that this seemed to honor and how that showed Ireland's commitment to educate those about other religions. As we know Ireland started and is still very catholic, but getting to see all the different religious texts open...

  Howth is a small, quaint fishing town outside of Dublin . It was only about a 30 min train ride away, and well worth the short trip. This town transports you outside of Dublin city life and shows you a different Irish culture. This town was filled with cute shops and homes that all seemed to be centered around fishing and the quaint culture of the town. When we first arrived we got to see the cutest seals floating in the water. We could tell that they were used to seeing tourists, by their readiness to accept food. I then walked down the edge of the ship port and got to see the coast and water. This scenery was beautiful and even off into the distance you could see a small island that we were told had many species of birds. After enjoying the scenery we got to eat lunch, which was one of my favorite parts. We walked into the cutest sea side restaurant that had the most warm and homey feel to it. Because we were in a seaside town I knew that I had to try the fish and chips. This w...

  We started our day in Belfast by getting a tour of the city and learning about the different demographics and important facts about Belfast. We first went to their parliament building, which was very beautiful and surrounded by trees. I have never been to the UK so I was very excited to learn more about how their government works being under the monarchy. I also think that while they are under the British monarchy rule, it felt different than being in England and still felt like the relationship they had was unique to Northern Ireland. I got to ask some questions about the royal family and the government in Belfast and it was able to give me a better view of how they work under British rule. The rest of our tour we got to walk and drive around different parts of the city. Something that was very interesting was we got to see the peace walls. The peace walls are walls that they had to put up in response to the only way to keep peace between the two neighborhoods. They now are al...

  Going into this tour I was unsure of what to expect from a woman's tour at a cemetery, but this tour exceeded any expectations I had and expanded my knowledge of important Irish women. Getting to hear about many descended women who had such important roles in past events was very empowering. We heard about women who started hospitals and gave so much for those around them. We also got to hear about some compassionate stories about brave women and heroic women. Getting to hear stories about some very strong women who made changes in the course of Ireland becoming a republic was my favorite part. In American history we never get to hear about women in history when it comes to war, but this tour we heard stories of determined women who changed the course of Ireland's fight for independence. Maud Gonne McBride is just one example of a woman who was an iconic Irish figure who worked with other women buried in the cemetery to help fight for the republic. The whole tone of the tour ...

  Getting to hike at Glendalough has been one of the highlights on my trip. To start we had the most beautiful day, with the sun shining and accompanying it was a nice cool breeze. This set the tone for the hike for it to be lovely and enjoyable. Along with the great weather, the views were some of the most stunning landscapes I have ever seen. On the ride there we passed rolling green hills with livestock roaming all around. Then getting out of the bus and seeing tall mountains and hills with bright green landscapes, was amazing. I grew up in what seems like the flattest place on earth, so getting to experience any type of mountain and or big hill is amazing for me. Once we got started into the hike to the lake and the water fall, I knew the scenery would not disappoint. We eventually made it out of the path surrounded by trees and walked out to an amazing view of the lake and surrounding mountains. This view was so beautiful and reminded me of the landscapes I saw while visiting ...

  Getting to visit Trinity College’s Nursing and Midwifery schools was a reframing and transformative experience that expanded my knowledge about the education system in Ireland. Previous to this, I had very little knowledge about how university and nursing school worked in European countries and I was excited to learn more. We first learned more about the demographic of Ireland pertaining to all aspects that make up one's identity. We also talked about Irish people's access to education and the statistics of Irish people who attended primary, secondary and higher education. We also learned more about Irelands health care system, which was very interesting. I still don't know enough about Americas Health care to really grasp which system benefits the public the most, but from what I see in Irelands healthcare, they have better access to health for all individuals in Ireland. Even just the small fact that ambulances are free greatly impacts the access that people in Irela...

       Going to northern Ireland is something I was looking forward to during this trip. Something that first surprised me when we started traveling there, was that we would not need to show our passports when crossing the border and or even be stopped by border control. I was told that when the country of Ireland split into the republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, they decided to keep a soft border. This surprised me because I am so used to having to do a lot when traveling from country to country, but this showed me the commitment that the two countries had to try and stay civilized and as one, even though they are ruled differently. The drive to northern Ireland was very scenic. There were rolling green hills with many livestock covering large plots of land. One of our stops once we entered northern Ireland was dunluce castle. The castle’s remains sit on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the water. This castle was built in medieval times and has a lot of histo...

  Going into this trip I was excited that we were going to visit an Irish farm and get the real Irish experience, and the causey farm did not disappoint. When we got to the farm we were immediately greeted with a sheep dog that seemed happy to see us. Then we went to make authentic Irish bread. What surprised me about this bread was that it was so simple. It had few and simple ingredients and a simple making and baking process. I have made bread before and usually there is a long waiting and baking period, but for this bread we were able to eat it that same day for lunch. Something that was also different, was that there was no yeast added to the bread. I think that the simplicity of this recipe can take us back to the past when their ancestors were in need of and found a way to make bread that’s good and in a simple way. After the bread making, we went to go see the bog. On our walk there our guide informed us about how bogs came to be and how this bog has been there for hundreds ...

  I visited the Island of Inisheer on my tour to the Cliffs of Moher. We took a ferry out to the island and spent around 2-3 hours there exploring. I had no idea what to expect from this trip, as I have never heard about this island, but I was excited to see what it had to offer. We decided to take a tour of the island by horse carriage, which I was also excited about. We heard from our tour guide on the bus that this island depends on tourism, but I didn't realize until I got to the island how true this was. As we started our tour around the island, I noticed that while the island had beautiful landscapes, it felt and looked empty and tired. We made our way through the town and made it to a sunken ship that has been on the shore for years. After this we continued through the town and we got to see some very few livestock still grazing on some lands. I asked our guide of the island, a man who was born and raised in Inisheer, about the livestock and what they provided for the people...

  With a free Sunday we decided to venture across town to a different area we have not been to yet for a Sunday market. This market is located and held in Herbert park every Sunday. We were unsure what this market held, but went with excitement and empty stomachs. We walked up to the park and immediately saw many tents and people walking around. Something that I first noticed at the market was the demographic. The demographic at the market was a mix of families with children or young adults. This was interesting to notice and to help me learn more about the different people in Dubin. Even after our day at the market we walked outside the park and found ourselves in a very residential area and nicer areas with family type homes. From seeing how many families were at this market and the area we were in, I could tell that we were in a nice neighborhood in Dublin and that can affect these families' health access. Along with walking through the market we stopped and looked at many ...

       Hi! My name is Izzy Miller and I am a junior biology major at TCU. I am studying abroad through a TCU program in Dublin, Ireland for about 17 days and I am super excited! I am writing this blog to reflect on my time here in Ireland. I have not been to Ireland before or any of the other British Isles, so I am unsure what to expect going into this trip. I am super excited to see a new health perspective in Ireland and their culture here. I am excited to learn about pub culture and their social norms. I am looking forward to comparing and contrasting the U.S health and social systems to Irelands. I think it will be interesting to understand how Ireland handles their social culture and norms and ways that it differs from the U.S. I am hoping to travel all over Ireland and explore places other than Dublin. I also hope to meet lots of Irish people and make connections with new people. I also hope to make new connections within the group traveling to Ireland and make...