As you might have calculated, we returned to the U.S. on that Saturday that the world saw those crazy pictures at O’Hare after the President’s announcement to shut down the U.S.  [Nothing like hearing from him that “no one from Europe” will be allowed back to the U.S. and taking 2 hours from 1:30 a.m.-3:30 … Continue reading Ireland Reflections 2020–Final Thoughts →

For our last day on the trip, we headed for Stormont – home to the Northern Ireland Assembly for our morning excursion. As Morgan Henson noted, “the Parliament building in Belfast was a truly interesting experience. After going through what some might call a gauntlet of stories about The Troubles all week, we finally arrived … Continue reading Ireland Reflections 2020–Last Day! →

After some longer days of travel, the group took a welcomed short trip to Cultúrlann – the Irish Language Center – in Belfast. For 3L Margaret Spring, this “was one of the most rewarding experiences of our trip.” She recalled the visit “reminded me that no matter how much a culture tries to be erased, … Continue reading Ireland Reflections 2020–Back to Belfast →

While Tuesday gave us a pretty clear view of the Troubles from the perspective of the Catholic community, Wednesday was the opposite and brought us face to face with the pain of the Protestants in Northern Ireland. A quick two-hour bus ride out of Belfast led us to the office of the South East Fermanagh … Continue reading Ireland Reflections 2020–Border Tours & Femanagh →

Happy Monday to all–this continues the Ireland blog posts which I’ll have for the rest of this week! The visit to Derry was so filled with content that I divided this into two posts.  The morning (as outlined in the last post) was a walking tour of the neighborhoods and visiting the museum.  After a … Continue reading Ireland Reflections 2020–Derry Girls (and Boys) Part 2 →

There’s been a bunch of emails circulating about sharing poems or other inspirational sayings to get us through this pandemic.  And, while I have not had any inclination to write something more intellectual, I did get inspired to write a poem!  So, for your Saturday reading pleasure, I offer the following: It’s a F***cking Quarantine By Andrea … Continue reading It’s a F**cking Quarantine! →

On Tuesday morning of our trip (after a full day in Belfast), we hopped on the bus and headed to Derry… or Londonderry, depending with whom you are talking. (And for a very funny take on the situation in Derry during the Troubles,  see Derry Girls.) From the name(s) themselves, it was clear that this … Continue reading Ireland Reflections 2020–Derry Girls (and Boys) Part 1 →

We were greeted for our first morning in Belfast by both our tour guide and some traditional Irish weather. Our quite rainy walking tour took us through many locations deeply connected to the time of the Troubles. It was during this walking tour we were quickly confronted with the very real and lasting impact of … Continue reading Ireland Reflections 2020–Belfast and the Peace Walls →