Week 5 in Ireland was packed with activities and lots of learning! The weekend began with us going to Northern Ireland. I knew that the British rule of Northern Ireland was controversial to Irish people, but I had no idea how serious it was. One difficult thing about this week was having to celebrate the 4th of July in another country. The 4th is a holiday that is celebrated all weekend long where I’m from, so it was disappointing to miss out on all of the festivities that were going on back at home. However, we still found time to celebrate the holiday on Friday.
We began the day in Belfast at the Titanic Museum. The Museum contained many cool artifacts and stories about the Titanic. One thing that was very cool at the museum was a wall that contained the names of every survivor and victim of the Titanic disaster. It was also cool to see replicas of what the rooms in the Titanic looked Like. Then, we headed into the city for a black taxi tour. This tour told us all about the political controversy that surrounded the city. I learned that Belfast is divided into Catholic and Protestant areas. The protestants support British rule of Northern Ireland, whereas the Catholics deny British rule. The conflict is so serious that there had to be a huge wall dividing the city, and people used to kill people belonging to the opposing religion.
On Sunday, we began the day on the Northern Coast by crossing the rope bridge at Causeway. The bridge was very high up, but it was very fun to walk across. The views were also beautiful. We then went to Giant’s Causeway, where our guide told us is where the East Coast of the United States would have been before the continents split up, so in a way we were close to home. The folklore of a Giant living at the causeway was very cool to hear about. The cliffs were also cool to hike up and look around from. Next, we went to a sheep farm to learn about sheepdogs and how they are used to herd sheep. It was amazing to see how useful the dogs are to herd sheep, and I felt as if the dogs could have been more intelligent than me. Each dog knew several commands and were trained in Irish and English. After seeing how the dogs are used to herd sheep, we got to see baby sheep and even hold them.
On Monday, we went to Derry (also known as Londonderry) to learn more about the politics in Northern Ireland. It was interesting to learn how the Irish sympathize with Palestine, a country that has also been resisting British rule. We took a walking tour of the city and walked along the wall that surrounded the city to keep people out during invasions. We ended the day at the Museum of Free Derry, which gave us even more insight into the political divide.
My internship has been going very well, and I’m continuing to learn many useful skills! I’m excited for what the last few weeks will bring!
I also missed being home for the Fourth of July and missing out on the festivities. At least we got to go to Belfast and Derry! Love the photos!