Last weekend, we took a trip into Northern Ireland. This trip was one of the parts of the program that I had been looking forward to the most. In particular, I was really excited to see the Giant’s Causeway, since I heard how beautiful and unique that landmark is. We had a guide bring us up to the Giant’s Causeway and explain the mythology surrounding it, which says that it used to stretch all the way to Scotland, but a giant knocked it under the water to prevent passage between the islands, as well as the geological cause for its formation, which had to do with volcanic rock coming up to the surface and cooling, causing the rock to form into the iconic pillars found there today. It was such a unique and beautiful site and was one of the highlights of the past month here for me. On our return to the bus, we walked up over the cliffs overlooking the Giant’s Causeway and were able to see some unforgettable views and take some of the best pictures of the trip!
We also visited the Glenshane Country Farm, where we got to watch and participate in a demonstration of herding sheep with the sheep dogs. I didn’t know what to expect, but the whole experience was super interesting. I had no idea how much goes into training the sheep dogs, but they were so smart and the communication from the shepherd to the dogs is so sophisticated. It was extremely cool to see that communication working in real time as they controlled the herd of sheep. The shepherd trained each dog with its own commands, so he can individually give them their commands and control the sheep precisely. We also had an opportunity to hold lambs and get pictures with them, which was so cute and a great way to cap off our visit at the farm.
Since we were in Northern Ireland, we made sure to learn a lot about the Troubles and the political turmoil that plagued the country as recently as 30 years ago. In both Belfast and Derry, the two cities that we stayed in during the trip, we got tours of the city explaining some of the difficult history that they had to deal with. Our tour guides were people who came up in this era, so it was even more impactful hearing from them about their personal experience and knowing that the insecurity and unrest was something they had to deal with first-hand. I had next to no knowledge about this before coming to Ireland, so I am glad we got to learn about the Troubles, since they are such an important part of Ireland’s history and inform the way that people from the north live and think.
