An Irish Experience - Sarah Mann: Food Science

In May I was given the opportunity to travel to Ireland for a Horticulture course called "Gardens and Landscapes of Ireland." It was truly an experience I will never forget. We started in Dublin and worked our way counterclockwise around the southern part of the country visiting Ennis, Killarney, and Killkenny along the way. During our journeys, we stopped at major landmarks and historical sites including, but not limited to, Knowth, the Botanical Gardens, the Moher Cliffs, and my absolute favorite… the Dingle Peninsula. The sights were completely breathtaking; I could not get enough. Even the scenery driving across the country was gorgeous. Our tour guide, Murt, had so much knowledge to share with us. He shared the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of Ireland. He did not hold anything back, which caused us to learn from a neutral zone allowing us to see the stories from different standpoints.

The entire atmosphere of Ireland is so much better than I can put into words. The people were so friendly and extremely welcoming. They wanted to learn about us, and our country just as much as we wanted to know about theirs. The nightlife with the music and the dancing was exactly what you would expect. Their culture is so rich and every person had so much knowledge about the history of their country. I would say this is one of the major things I took away from this trip. It made me want to learn more about my ancestors and my culture. As well as the desire to learn more about my roots, Ireland gave me the realization that no matter how big the world is, no matter how far apart people are, no matter how different the culture is, there are always those similarities that people share and can relate to each other with.

All in all, this trip was absolutely amazing. I would not trade it for anything, and if given the opportunity, I would definitely do it again in a heartbeat. I would highly recommend this trip for anyone that has an interest in the Irish culture because the best way to learn about it is to experience it for yourself and talk to the people. You are bound to come back to America with more knowledge than you thought you ever would, and an experience you will never forget. That is, if you even come back to America.