Week six in Ireland was full of immersion into its rich history. Our trip on Monday was to the Guinness Storehouse. Founded in 1759 originally by Arthur Guinness in Dublin, the beers he brewed: Guinness turned out to become a symbol of the Irish people all around the world. On the storehouse tour, we started on the bottom level where we learned that the building was shaped like a giant ‘Guinness glass’ and could hold eleven times more pints than people in Ireland. This truly showed how the Irish took on the identity that came along with being associated with Guinness. On the next two levels, we were shown the different resources used to produce the Guinness as well as the various machines and methods used over the years. It was interesting to see how the brewing of beer changed as technology was changing along with it. On the next level of the tour, we each were given a mini shot glass of Guinness to taste out as our guide instructed us on how to taste each of the flavors that go into the beer. This overall experience gave me insight into Irish history from a different perspective.
Since this was my first time outside of the US, I got the opportunity to see what the Fourth of July was like while in another country. Coincidentally, it was also my first time not seeing fireworks on the fourth because here in Ireland it is just another day. On the fourth I found myself watching the European soccer championships and rooting for the Netherlands, on America’s birthday.
On Sunday morning we departed from UCD and headed for Belfast in Northern Ireland. Our first stop of the day was the Titanic Belfast, the site in which the notorious ocean liner the Titanic was originally crafted and set sail. Learning about the vast history of the ship before its sinking was quite interesting since it is often overlooked by its sinking. Another interesting part of the museum was the large wall displaying the names of all the survivors and all of the victims of the sinking of the ship. My favorite part of the whole museum was seeing how the scientists were able to use new methods to locate the lost ship in such a short amount of time. After the museum, we went a on taxi tour around Belfast. On the tour, we learned about the rich history the city holds of Protestants against Catholics and the bloody disputes that would occur for decades here. Seeing sites such as the Peace Wall, which was once used to separate the two groups from one another, and the cages protecting the back of people’s homes reminded me just how high tensions were in this area not so long ago. We wrapped up our trip on Monday by traveling the Giant’s Causeway, a giant collection of stones of all different shapes and structures that form an almost bridge-like structure that reaches out towards Scotland. While in Scotland they have the same types of stones reaching out towards the Causeway. This week was full of adventure and exploration as well as looking at Irreland’s history from different angles.
