Arcadia Ireland

Before we head into the colder winter months and the stress of final exams and papers, we as Arcadia decided to venture up north to explore the wonderful city of Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, a place that is rather unique to visit as a study abroad student in the sense of its complex and particular history.

On a bright Friday morning, we departed from Dublin with students from all our programs across the country to make the short journey across the border into Northern Ireland.
Our first stop was a tour with the fantastic Dr Dominic Bryan who took us all over the city to see the notable sites and neighborhoods, while giving the students with an in depth and insightful look into the history and dynamics of the city and Northern Ireland as a whole, along with providing perspectives on both the present and future of Northern Irish life and society.

As a part of these tour, our students were able to see the murals and peace walls of the city, as well as the famous harbor where the Titanic and her sister ships were built and the location of filming for the hit tv show Game of Thrones

Saturday began with a trip to the Giant’s Causeway, located along the northern coastline of Northern Ireland. The Causeway is a magnificent sight of hundreds of interlocking basalt rock in the form of tall columns that face in the direction of the mighty Atlantic Ocean. It gives the students the opportunity to learn about the geographical and geological history of the island of Ireland as well as Irish Celtic mythology as the Causeway and the province of Ulster hold a large amount of significance in ancient Celtic culture and traditional Irish storytelling.
The students were also able to take a breath-taking trail walk along the cliffs, which is one of the few places where you can see both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland from the same viewing point.

Inspired by learning through Dr Dominic Bryan about the popularity of ice hockey in Northern Ireland as one of the few sports that remains unaffected by sectarism, many of our students attended a Belfast Giants
ice hockey game in the SSE Arena on Saturday evening. The students enjoyed the electric atmosphere of the stadium as the home team had a hard fought but decisive victory over Fife Flyers, the visiting team from Scotland.
This also provided the students with an intriguing insight into European sporting and fan culture and how it differs from the USA in that respect.

Sunday morning was another early start as we made our way across the city to the Ulster Museum and the Belfast Botanical Gardens.
The Ulster Museum is home to several types of exhibitions spread over several floors that cover British, Irish and Northern Irish history including an excellent exhibition on the murals in Belfast, science and natural history and Irish art.
It also features some of the props used in the tv show Derry Girls, which was a strong point of excitement among the students.
We were also very lucky with the weather that gave the students the opportunity to explore the beautiful botanical gardens

The trip to Belfast and Northern Ireland is always a highlight of the semester for our students and this Fall semester’s trip was no different. It constantly stands out as not just an interesting travel experience, but an opportunity for learning and discovery as the students get a fascinating insight into a very unique place to visit.