As we are nearing the end of our two-week course, my class is
spending more time focusing on various cultural aspects within Dublin.
Yesterday, remember, we went on a literary pub crawl. Today, the class
spent time with the city planners of Dublin, discussing their plans for
the city. After that, we went to Kilmainham Gaol (Jail).
The City Planners
Our day today started rather late, with an interesting meeting with the city planners of Dublin. The meeting consisted of two members of the Dublin City Council. It was a unique experience, because my class had the chance to hear from city-workers on how the city is ever-changing and evolving. Unfortunately, the meeting was not a particularly picturesque one; however, I did have a class assignment that I plan on sharing with you!
Old Ireland vs. New Ireland
Throughout the meeting, I was most interested in how the city planners mentioned the presence of different cultures. Historically, Dublin (and really all of Ireland) is a city of emigrants; but in more recent years, Dublin has become a city of immigrants. As a result of the influx of immigrants, Dublin has had to change. Now, instead of being solely defined by its Irish roots and culture, Dublin caters to a diverse range of cultures, including the Chinese culture, the Italian culture, and even American culture.
The Old Ireland was defined by the vast numbers of people who were leaving the country, but in modern Dublin, the city is being defined by the people coming into the city. The city council planners talked a great deal about how they are now trying to be all-inclusive to the various cultural presences. One of the best examples they gave was of the yearly Chinese New-Year’s celebration. I thought it was really interesting to learn that the heart of Dublin is not solely concerned with their culture. Instead, the city council members are trying to be welcoming.
When they are trying to market Ireland to outsiders, I can see how it can be challenging. For instance, since the shift has been from emigrants to immigrants, the marketing of Ireland has had to change. Obviously, since the focus is on being all-inclusive and inviting, the city-planners cannot too heavily highlight the Irish roots; however, the Irish culture is still very present in the country. The planners need to find the ideal balance between being wholly Irish and being culturally-diverse.
Kilmainham Gaol
The last thing on our agenda for the day was to visit the Kilmainham Jail. While the jail has not been a functioning jail for years, it has been turned into a museum. Throughout the years and various Irish revolutions, the jail held important historical prisoners. The jail was also changed, and revamped throughout its extensive history.
The Kilmainham Jail was quite an experience for me, because I have never been inside a jail. It was definitely eye-opening, because I got to see the awful conditions of the early jail cells. Furthermore, I got to hear the various stories of prisoners. It was a chilling experience, just to be in the same area as not only previous revolutionary figures, but also criminals. As I said, I had never been inside a prison, so I got my first glimpse into what prison life is like.
Throughout the whole tour, I was particularly struck by the story of Grace Gifford. She married Joseph Plunkett, the night before he was to be executed in 1916. Eventually, years later, Grace would end up in that prison, as a prisoner. She painted a beautiful mural in her cell, as shown below. It was a striking life-story, simply because she never stopped fighting for what she loved and believed in.
While the visit to the Kilmainham Gaol was not filled with laughter, it was definitely an impactful visit for me. I really enjoyed the narration and prisoner stories that our guide provided for us.
Well, that is all for today. Tomorrow, my class will be focused on culture and sports. Hopefully, there will be a bunch of pictures for you to see, especially of me trying to play rugby! Cheers!
--
Read along with Shannon at https://shannonsdublintrip.wordpress.com/
Learn more about the U of A Faculty-Led: Education Abroad: Ireland at https://studyabroad.uark.edu/eduireland
The City Planners
Our day today started rather late, with an interesting meeting with the city planners of Dublin. The meeting consisted of two members of the Dublin City Council. It was a unique experience, because my class had the chance to hear from city-workers on how the city is ever-changing and evolving. Unfortunately, the meeting was not a particularly picturesque one; however, I did have a class assignment that I plan on sharing with you!
Old Ireland vs. New Ireland
Throughout the meeting, I was most interested in how the city planners mentioned the presence of different cultures. Historically, Dublin (and really all of Ireland) is a city of emigrants; but in more recent years, Dublin has become a city of immigrants. As a result of the influx of immigrants, Dublin has had to change. Now, instead of being solely defined by its Irish roots and culture, Dublin caters to a diverse range of cultures, including the Chinese culture, the Italian culture, and even American culture.
The Old Ireland was defined by the vast numbers of people who were leaving the country, but in modern Dublin, the city is being defined by the people coming into the city. The city council planners talked a great deal about how they are now trying to be all-inclusive to the various cultural presences. One of the best examples they gave was of the yearly Chinese New-Year’s celebration. I thought it was really interesting to learn that the heart of Dublin is not solely concerned with their culture. Instead, the city council members are trying to be welcoming.
When they are trying to market Ireland to outsiders, I can see how it can be challenging. For instance, since the shift has been from emigrants to immigrants, the marketing of Ireland has had to change. Obviously, since the focus is on being all-inclusive and inviting, the city-planners cannot too heavily highlight the Irish roots; however, the Irish culture is still very present in the country. The planners need to find the ideal balance between being wholly Irish and being culturally-diverse.
Kilmainham Gaol
The last thing on our agenda for the day was to visit the Kilmainham Jail. While the jail has not been a functioning jail for years, it has been turned into a museum. Throughout the years and various Irish revolutions, the jail held important historical prisoners. The jail was also changed, and revamped throughout its extensive history.
The Kilmainham Jail was quite an experience for me, because I have never been inside a jail. It was definitely eye-opening, because I got to see the awful conditions of the early jail cells. Furthermore, I got to hear the various stories of prisoners. It was a chilling experience, just to be in the same area as not only previous revolutionary figures, but also criminals. As I said, I had never been inside a prison, so I got my first glimpse into what prison life is like.
Throughout the whole tour, I was particularly struck by the story of Grace Gifford. She married Joseph Plunkett, the night before he was to be executed in 1916. Eventually, years later, Grace would end up in that prison, as a prisoner. She painted a beautiful mural in her cell, as shown below. It was a striking life-story, simply because she never stopped fighting for what she loved and believed in.
While the visit to the Kilmainham Gaol was not filled with laughter, it was definitely an impactful visit for me. I really enjoyed the narration and prisoner stories that our guide provided for us.
Well, that is all for today. Tomorrow, my class will be focused on culture and sports. Hopefully, there will be a bunch of pictures for you to see, especially of me trying to play rugby! Cheers!
--
Read along with Shannon at https://shannonsdublintrip.wordpress.com/
Learn more about the U of A Faculty-Led: Education Abroad: Ireland at https://studyabroad.uark.edu/eduireland
