Troubled Man in the Land of Troubles: Summer 2023 Abroad in Ireland

For our one free weekend, a trusty comrade -- William Schauberger -- and yours truly decided to make the hour-and-a-half-long-trek to a noted tourist destination -- Kilkenny. (On an unrelated note, all apologies for the weak South Park pun acting as the title.) The trek started out on a heated note, but only if the train was not aware of the existence of air conditioning. The first night was rather laid-back in nature and tone, with a customary swill of three pints at the hotel bar, but Saturday was all action for the fellow comrade and I.  To start off the bright new day in Kilkenny, William and I went to the site of the former Smithwick brewery -- known for its trademark red ale -- and toured the facility with a wonderful tour guide, Molly, who at 19 years old, was incredibly intelligible and engaging with the history of the brewery and the Smithwick family (side note: I hope all the best for Molly, who certainly has a bright future.) It was intriguing for Molly to dictate how th...

Is there any better way to experience the culture of Dublin than to be temporarily in a prison? Well, if so, then I have fully encapsulated the Dublin experience (kind of). Our class visit to the Kilmainham Gaol was an important history lesson that allowed for us as students to understand just how brutal some case studies in English aggression over Irish settlers was in a prison setting. The introductory stories of some of Kilmainham's prisoners were unsettling and heartbreaking. While I forget the name of the three-year-old who was imprisoned for begging on the street, it was almost par for the English course that the three-year-old boy was imprisoned for a roughly two-week period for an action that wouldn't be considered a crime in today's age. The story about Easter Rising revolutionary Joseph Plunkett marrying his beloved fiancé Grace Gifford brought an air of vulnerability to the otherwise bleak, gory prison grounds -- that is, if you were to completely ignore the fact...

Upon entering the vast city of Dublin, I was unsure on how to undergo my first solo trip as a human being free from the presence of my parents or friends through the transportation process. It wasn't until I saw the lengthy line in the customs terminal in Dublin Airport that I finally understood the allure that the Republic of Ireland had on foreigners; whether just up for a visit, studying abroad, or even looking for a new permanent home, Ireland and its clear benefits for all of its permanent and temporary inhabitants provides something close to home for everyone. However, as our initial walking tour of the city of Dublin suggested, not all was homely or inviting for Irish people throughout the island's history. Lorcan Collins is, to say the utter least, an interesting and passionate man for his celebrated causes who clearly prophesizes to the fullest what he believes in: "socialist republicanism". While I would profoundly disagree with some of his viewpoints and po...