Tuesday's Observations

After completing our first week of classes and a field trip to Newgrange, we hit the books again today for the first time since last Thursday. In Contemporary Irish Society we discussed the Holy Catholic Church of Ireland and its struggle against the English Protestant Church in the early 1900s. We talked about how many Irish are raised Catholic: born in a Catholic hospital, to Catholic parents, attend Catholic schools, marry in the Catholic Church, have children named by a priest, and be buried by Catholic rites. The class turned into a discussion about the importance of religion in our society. I can honestly say I can't ever remember having a discussion in school about religion or faith like today's class.

On our way back to the apartment from class, we passed NuBar, the student hangout, eatery, and bar on campus. It's typical to walk by and see groups of students sitting, eating, and just hanging out. Since we arrived almost two weeks ago, the other students on campus have been taking exams (their course schedule is different from ours, and varies slightly from a typical American university). It amazes me that, even during exam week, we'll walk by NuBar and the students will be drinking pints at noon. It just goes to show how drinking is a regular part of life in this country, and with the students here.

In Mass Media in Ireland, we talked about the what makes an event/story newsworthy. Our professor kept talking about an in-class writing assignment for next week called a media statement. Halfway through our three-hour class someone finally asked if he meant a press release. Turns out they're one-in-the-same!

Another trip to Tescos tonight, to stock up on more food for this week. I'm starting to get used to making the group trip on Tuesday nights after class, walking 20 minutes to the store, and backpacking my groceries for the walk back to campus. We leave for Galway on Friday afternoon for the entire weekend. We'll also be making visits to the Cliffs of Moher, a family farm in North Clare, the Burren mountains, and the Fanore Surf beach. Two of my friends from BU who are studying in London this semester will be in Dublin this weekend as well, so it will be great to catch up with them too!