Four Years Later: Returning to Ireland

by Michael O'Connor

It took me four years to find a reason to return to Ireland.  In truth, perhaps it wasn’t a reason I needed, for everyone who knows me is aware of how much I loved my time in Ireland, the people I met there, and the experience I had exploring my academic, social, and cultural interests of the island and its people.  So I suppose what I really needed was the justification to take the time and money to commit to such a trip.  Luckily, my youngest sister studied at NUI-Galway this past academic year, providing the perfect legitimate catalyst to make the trip across the pond.

My sister and I at Croagh Patrick

My trip was particularly powerful for three reasons.  First, to be able to experience Ireland through my sister’s eye and perspective.  Second, to be able to reconnect with old friends and to see how people have grown and changed during my four years away.  Third, to re-walk transformative moments in my own life, and to realize how that journey four years ago shaped me and helped lead me to where I currently am.

When returning to Ireland, it’s tempting to slip into complete nostalgia, to desire to experience everything that was.  What proved to be more life-giving, though at time challenging, was to allow myself to be led by my sister.  I had been to Galway a few times when I studied abroad and had a couple of favorite local places.  However, this was my sister’s city.  She had her pubs, her restaurants, her sites, all places that had special meaning for her, and I needed to allow myself to be open to that.  In doing so, I learned so much about my sister, and so much about Galway.  It was a bonding experience at a very authentic level, and I continuously thought about how lucky I was to share in this with my sister.

After seeing my sister’s Galway, it was time to travel around and visit folks.  First, I went up to Donegal to visit Sine Friel, one of the two Irish teachers in my Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) cohort, now teaching back in Ireland.  It was my first time in Donegal, and the beautiful scenery (Sine’s father would argue that it had more to offer than anywhere else in Ireland), the time spent with Sine and her family in conversation, and the ability to learn more about a new place and its people reminded me of one of my favorite components of studying abroad (meeting and building relationships with new people + viewing new scenery in this majestic world).  From there, I headed to Dublin.  And so much had changed, yet so much stayed the same!  Words can’t express what it was like to visit with Kevin and Lisa, while also being able to meet the new folks of the O’Connell House.  Perhaps one of the happiest moments was spending time with Lisa, her husband Paul, and their newborn son, Luke, who surely must be one of the most pleasant babies in the world.  It truly was a joy to see these new additions to Lisa’s family and to see the happiness that they brought her and the whole O’Connell House community.  Finally, I was able to connect with former ND and UCD professors – Declan Kiberd and P.J. Mathews – as well as Ciaran Deane, who I worked with at Field Day during my summer internship.  We discussed everything from our current academic interests to where our work was taking us to our family lives, and I remembered in those moments how fortunate I was to develop a holistic relationship with these men, for it seems increasingly rare to enter into such dynamics in professional/academic arenas.

 

        Me with Lisa, and baby Luke   

                                           

                                                

Kevin and me

My time in Ireland was marked by some re-visiting.  The very fact that I arrived almost to the day of my initial arrival four years ago in mid-January evoked emotion (though I flew Continental this time and not my beloved Aer Lingus).  I hiked Croagh Patrick again with my sister, this time with shoes on and without a subsequent hospital visit.  This hike, however, was marked with ice and snow, presenting a whole new set of challenges and a completely different, yet equally beautiful, viewing of the reek and surrounding area as we climbed and reached the summit.  I spent a morning cliffwalking at Howth, one of my favorite ways to reflect on my time in Ireland when I was studying abroad.  I walked past my old flat on Hatch Place where I lived with a tremendous group of folks during my summer internship.  And I spent time in St. Stephen’s Green and Merrion Square, my two favorite Dublin parks, remembering great conversations and moments with friends.  I even got to visit the concrete jungle that is UCD (though completely dismayed by the termination of the 10 bus route - now replaced by the no. 39a).

Aside from these visits to physical locations, I recounted several significant growth moments for me in Ireland.  It was here that I developed a greater appreciation for the integration of academics into other facets of my life – culturally, socially, and spiritually – as works like “Translations” by Brian Friel took on new meaning as I better understood, yet craved to understand better, concepts like identity, community, and language and the effects they have on individuals.  No longer were these concepts that stood in an academic vacuum, but I realized these were questions and issues central to my being and ones that I must incorporate into future study, experiences, and even work.  It was here that I learned more about the Alliance for Catholic Education through Fr. Sean McGraw, CSC, Luke Klopp, and Kevin Whelan, a program which I would enter after my senior year and teach for two years in Birmingham, AL, providing me with another transformative experience with a new population.  And perhaps most importantly, it was here that I experienced the transcendent goodness of people.  While there is so much evil and injustice in this world, and much of it not sufficiently exposed and confronted, it is inspiring to encounter the kindness and generosity of others across this planet. 

I can’t help but think of Kevin Whelan when I speak of this.  The man gives his all, and not just his knowledge, to every cohort that comes to Dublin.  He allows us to become one with his family, his academic interests, his personal interests (especially Wexford hurling!), and his time through conversation, advice, and simple listening.  He and the others I encountered in Dublin taught me the value of open, authentic love and care, and that these values can build bridges, form communities, and empower individuals to do incredible things.  I look at myself now, where I have been led on this incredible journey since, one that I am so thankful for, and I am incredibly grateful for what seven months in Ireland added to my life.  And now I look forward, curious to see where these foundational experiences and lessons will take me next, and also excited to see where the study abroad experience will take other ND Dubliners – past, present, and future.