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This photo was taken during our excursion to Kerry. We were lucky enough to have great weather during our drive along the Dingle Peninsula, regarded as one of the most beautiful places in the world. For me, the drive along Dingle Peninsula really solidified that it was worth it to study abroad.

This is a photo captured at the Cliffs of Moher in Galway, Ireland with my six other close friends I made while abroad. It is significant to my international experience because it was our last weekend trip we took while abroad. We had only been able to take three trips where our whole friend group […]

“St. Patrick’s day is about drinking, duh,” that is the response I got when asking my Irish housemates what this holiday was celebrating. One of their friends chimed in saying that St. Patrick was some guy that helped with some religious stuff. With that detailed description of St. Patrick I stopped my questioning and joined […]

I took this photo in Derry, a town in Northern Ireland which is still under British rule. Ireland has been effected by political troubles linked to a conflict between Irish nationalists who want their own free state (the Republic of Ireland) and British loyalists who want to remain under British rule (Northern Ireland). This conflict has […]

While in Ireland I had the privilege to visit a place called Inishmore, otherwise known as one of the Aran Islands. It is a remote island located near Galway, Ireland and while there I toured a medieval stone fort perched on the edge of a 100 meter high cliff. I took this photo while lying on […]

On May 22, 2015, Ireland became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote.  There are so many stories to tell about this event. The date for the voting was announced in January or February. Initial polls showed a 74% approval rating for legalizing same sex marriage. If I remember […]

It was spring break. After spending two and a half months in Galway, Ireland, I set off to Berlin. I spent four days in the city before I stopped and looked more closely at the metallic stones I glanced dotting the street as I rushed to and from the tourist spots. I was stunned as […]

What a CRAZY month. I really enjoy writing these travel posts but things have literally never been more busy, and unfortunately stressful. There’s been some shit going down within the program, but it’s finally getting resolved, and I’m doing this to remember some good moments throughout this month, so here’s a condensed version.

As my time in Galway, Ireland was drawing to a close I heard from my younger brother. He told me that he had read in some history book about Castle O’Fogartaigh, the ancient seat of clan Fogerty during the height of their power. This sparked a memory I had of perusing the bookshelves of a […]

I never thought I’d have trouble re-adjusting to my life back in the U.S. after being in Galway, Ireland for 5 months, but I was definitely wrong. As soon as I got back I started working with my Mom at a phone book company and immediately started seeing social differences. I thought everyone in the […]

(In Irish, there is no specific word for “hello.” Instead, one greets another person by saying “Dia duit” or “God be with you.” The second person responds by saying “Dia is Muire duit” or “God and Mary be with you.”) While walking through the city of Cork, I noticed this statue of the Virgin Mary […]

This photograph was taken mid afternoon of Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands of the coast of Galway, Ireland. We were standing in Dun Aengus, a prehistoric fort built right up to a cliff edge with a sudden and severe drop into the ocean. This photo, taken from that cliff edge, demonstrates the unsettling […]

After heading back from exploring an abandoned castle on the Corrib River (in the outskirts of Galway, Ireland), I came across this forgotten shed in someone’s backyard. It really struck me that something so plain and unremarkable could transform into something so beautiful. I loved how the gate had become so tangled with the overgrowth […]