The Five Things I Learned in Ireland

Before we left for Ireland, our professor Katherine asked us to reflect on and discuss our pre-conceived notions of Ireland, its people, and its culture.  There were some jokes and stereotypes mentioned (leprechauns, four leaf clovers, rainbows and pots of gold), as well as more serious answers, such as the involvement of the Catholic church, and the country’s history of revolution and rebellion, as well as some points about music and art.  During this study tour, I found many of my expectations were both challenged and confirmed. But I also learned a lot of things I hadn’t known before. To keep this short and sweet, here’s five of my biggest lessons learned in Dublin and Ireland.

1. Ireland is a lot more conservative than I thought it was.

Being relatively familiar with Ireland, its history, and its people, I knew that on many issues, the Irish tend to be pretty conservative, thanks in part to the role the Catholic Church plays in the country. But this idea was vague and conceptual, an idea based on guessing more than clear facts. But when I learned the facts, I was shocked at how slow-going Ireland is when it comes to social matters. The Irish Constitution prohibited divorce until the mid 1990s. After a woman got married, she was not allowed to hold a job in many professions until 1977. And even today, Ireland lags behinds a multitude of other EU countries in LGBT protection and legislation.

2.  The technology industry is booming in Dublin.

Because of its low corporate tax rates, tons of tech companies have set up European headquarters in Dublin. Facebook, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn, Apple, Adobe, and even Airbnb are all working and operating out of Ireland’s bustling capital city. These giants are joined by other smaller organizations, like Wayra, a co-working space for tech start-ups that we visited. Getting a glimpse inside the offices of Facebook and Wayra helped me learn a lot about the current tech/business culture taking place in Dublin right now.

3.  It’s not Gaelic, it’s Irish – and it’s a lot more common than you expect.

Ireland has two official languages – English and Irish. Obviously, English is more common, and it’s the first and native language of most of the country’s population. However, I was surprised to learn that Irish is much more of a living language than I anticipated. Almost everything in Dublin is written in both English and Irish – street signs, bus screens, information, etc. This was not at all what I was expecting, as I thought that almost no one in Ireland spoke Irish anymore. And how many people who speak Irish don’t also speak English? But our tour guide on Monday told me that there are still sizable communities in places like Galway, Donegal, and County Kerry. These are all located along the western coast, and are dense with fluent speakers of Irish.

Oh, and about the Gaelic/Irish distinction. Gaelige is the Irish word for the Irish language. If you’re speaking English, you should call it Irish. Furthermore, Gaelic is a branch of the Celtic language family, which includes not only Irish, but Scottish Gaelic as well. The more you know!

4. They don’t call it the Emerald Isle for no reason.

As you read this, picture the Irish country side. Even if you have never been there, you have some idea of what it looks like. Are you imagining rolling hills? Sprawling fields? Small farms dotting the landscape, accompanied by herds upon herds of sheep? Is your picture green? If you are, you’re dead on. In the middle of the week, we took a break from Dublin to have a tour of the Irish country. As we drove through and toured Glendalough and the Wicklow gap, my conception of what Ireland really looked like was confirmed with every turn. Let me tell you, it’s beautiful. And very, very green. Apparently this greenness comes from warm Gulf Stream waters that flow across the Atlantic to the Irish shores, giving it a rather warm climate for its latitude. It’s abundance of rain and warm temperatures is great for vegetation, which flourishes bright and green.

5. Guinness might be good for you, but it isn’t good for me.

One of Guinness’ old slogans was “Guinness is good for you.” The medical truth in that statement is questionable at the very least, but that doesn’t stop Guinness from being one of the most popular beers in the world. As such a popular beer, it comes as no surprise that the old brewery has been turned into a museum, and a really cool one at that. Talking portraits, interactive galleries, and immersive demonstrations really add to the whole “Guinness experience,” and it gives you an amazing sense of history about both the brew and its home country. Unfortunately, I think Guinness tastes like an ash tray, and I regret to say that my free pint (which I poured myself), did go to waste. My apologies, Arthur.

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