Around the Cities of Ireland

After traveling Ireland, I have concluded that Ireland is the smallest big country. In other words, the country is physically very small (about the size of Indiana, USA), but it has a big feel because of the distinct counties and cities.

Over the course of my internship experience, I had the opportunity to visit various cities throughout Ireland. Below are my observations from the cities I traveled:

Dublin - Dublin is a rather large city that reminds me of New York City (NYC). The buildings are tall and close together; however, there are no sky scrappers like there are in NYC. Secondly, public transportation is HUGE in Dublin. Every street has several bus stations and taxi pick-up/drop-off locations. Not only are busses and taxis readily available but so are trains. Dublin has several train stations, including Connolly, Pearse, and Tara, that all lead back to the train station in Maynooth. Much like NYC, Dublin is a hot spot for tourists and a melting pot of diversity. When walking the streets of Dublin, I was able to hear people speaking French, Irish, Polish, English, Chinese, German, Spanish, Mandarin, Italian, and what sounded like Russian. While in Dublin I went shopping in Penney's, toured the Kilmainham Gaol, poured Guinness at the Guinness Brewery, learned about distilling whiskey at the Teeling Distillery, listened to traditional Irish folk music, and ate at local pubs. Unlike Cork, Dublin was a little difficult to navigate because the signage was limited and hard to find. It took me a couple trips to Dublin to realize that the street signs were located on the sides of buildings at each intersection. Once I figured out where the signs were, I had a much easier time navigating the large city of Dublin.

Cork - Cork is a picturesque city located on the River Lee. The city reminded me of a cross between Wilmington and Cape Cod because it is a port city and the area leans more towards the preppy side. In other words, most people dressed very nice, spoke English primarily, and looked the same (limited diversity). Cork was filled with high end shopping and boutiques. There were very few tourist attractions and tourist shops located directly in the city of Cork. The building we made mostly of brick or painted stucco (like small towns in Florida). Cork was also easier to navigate than Dublin because it is quite a bit smaller and was really just two main roads, Oliver Plunkett Street and North Main Street. The best way to see the city of Cork and sample the flavor of its life, is to walk. There is clear signage that helped me navigate the seaport. I enjoyed exploring the hilly streets and meeting local people that take great pride in being from Cork, Dublin's third city after Dublin and Belfast. While in Cork, I stayed at the River Lee Hotel, shopped in the market square, saw the English Market, watched Rugby, tour the University College Cork (UCC), snapped tons of photos, dined at local pubs and cafes, walked the city, awed at the beauty of the cathedrals, did a Paddywagon tour around the Ring of Kerry, and talked with the residents of Cork.

Maynooth - Maynooth is a small town that the locals describe as a "one horse town." This reference fits Maynooth perfectly because it literally is two streets and takes approximately 30 minutes to walk around the entire city. Most people in Maynooth

speak English though some speak Irish in addition to English. Unlike the Maynooth University (MU) campus, there is clear signage around the city. The signs are blue and easy to locate on every street/intersection. Additionally, the signs read the street names in Irish and then again in English making it easy for locals and university students to travel the town. The most popular places in Maynoth are Dunnes Store, the Irish equivalent of Target in the United States, and The Roost, a local pub, bar, and nightclub. Maynooth is my least favorite city I have seen in Ireland because there is not much to do in the town besides go Dunnes Store or the Roost; However, it was very exciting to see the Russell Library and St. Patrick's Church located in St. Patrick's College (the building I am staying in for two weeks while interning at MU). I loved seeing the beauty and learning the history of the old monastery buildings and the church. I also enjoyed visiting the Russell Library because I have never been in a library of that caliber. The books dated back many centuries and were available in various languages. My favorite book was the Book of Hours because I learned all about the Book of Hours during my History of Graphic Design class at High Point University. During the class we discussed how modern graphic design is derived from the Book of Hours and actually seeing the Book of Hours gave new meaning to my graphic design degree. The gold and blue colors in the Book of Hours was magnificent and I could almost feel their importance and luxury.

Kilkenny - Kilkenny is a quaint town that is known for its castle, river, churches, and cathedrals, specifically St. Canice’s Cathedral and the Black Abbey Dominican priory. The town is comprised of historical buildings, brightly colored homes, cobblestone walkways, and hundreds of boutique shops. The people of Kilkenny are friendly for the most part but I found them to be the most difficult to communicate with because their accents were thick and they spoke broken English. Additionally, Kilkenny had less diversity than Dublin but more diversity than Cork. It was evident that Kilkenny was a hot tourist spot because of the several tourist information centers, city tours (via bus, horse and carriage, and small street train), and popular attractions. I had the opportunity to explore the Kilkenny Castle and learn about the history of the city. Standing next to the castle was such an eye opening experience because I felt so small compared to its vastness. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to grow up in a castle with many nooks and crannies.

#HigherEducation #StudyAbroad #Ireland #Maynooth