Champlain College Dublin

Climbing Ireland's highest mountain!

2012-02-13T16:47:00.000Z

We decided that it’d be good to escape the hustle and bustle of the city in order to relieve the stresses of our every day lives. Spontaneously we decided that it would be a good idea to hike the highest mountain in Ireland, Carrauntoohil.

Two days later we enjoyed a quiet and pleasant journey on the highly efficient train system, Iarnród Éireann. Our adventure took us to the city of Killarney in the South-West of the country. From there we took a taxi to Cronin’s Yard and began our trek.

We had an hour long walk through a tranquil and splendid valley spotted with many sheep as well as two clear blue bodies of water.

As our trail took us closer to the foot of the mountain, we began to notice a dark streak nestled into the luscious green grass on the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain we finally realized why this trail was named the, ‘Devil’s Ladder’. It was steep. Very steep. It was littered with boulders, over which some had water flowing down where it had not frozen.

We discussed whether to continue due to the icy conditions of the trail but we decided that we had traveled quite far to get there to simply just turn away.

Plus, Stephen said we would never make it to the top.

We began our ascent, albeit apprehensively. We quickly found that as long as we avoided the ice and flowing water it was a rather easy climb. After about fifteen or twenty minutes we reached the top of the ladder to a beautiful view of the valley that we had crossed.

Visibility was very poor at the top of the ladder. Neither of us could see more than forty feet in front of us. If it were not for the piles of rocks that had been formed as way points we could have gotten very lost. It was another thirty minutes through rapidly deteriorating conditions to the summit. It became colder and drastically windier.

Eventually we began to see frost and snow as we neared the summit. Here, was a large metal cross as well as a small stone structure of some form. We each got our picture taken with the cross, and then began our descent.

As we found our way down the Devil’s Ladder we both began to highly regret not checking the weather; it had began to rain. Unfortunately, at our elevation the rain was frozen. The climb down the ladder was drastically harder as not only was everything wet, but we were forced to see where we would land if we were to slip.

After we both safely got down the ladder, we still had another hour long walk through the rain and mud to get back to Cronin’s Yard. By the end of the walk, we were both wet, tired, miserable, and done with mountain climbing for quite some time. However, despite the conditions it was a great hike and we would recommend this adventure to any willing hiker as we did thoroughly enjoy hiking Carrauntoohil.

Photo: Daniel Doonan

Andrew Shaubach and Daniel Doonan - Champlain College class of 2013

In tune with Dublin

2012-02-13T16:42:00.004Z

Hi everyone!

A couple of weeks ago I joined the Dublin Choral Foundation. I heard about the experience through Caroline Elbay, a faculty member at Champlain College Dublin. The choir meets Tuesday and Thursday nights on Clarence Street just off Grafton Street in central Dublin. They usually learn about two pieces of music a week, so you learn a lot and it’s really fun! A lot of the members are college or grad students so there’s an opportunity to meet people from Dublin.

There are about 25 people in the choir right now and everyone is really nice and approachable. They perform at a lot of events and it even involves travelling. Usually not every person does every event and right now we're practicing a lot of madrigal songs for Easter. To join you'd need to know how to read basic music because the pieces are learned as a group and you need to know which part you are, in order to learn the song. The events coming up in February are Sunday the 19th singing a few Mozart pieces in Milltown followed by Sunday the 26th at St Kevin’s Church on Harrington Street.

If you want to learn more about the Choir or set up an audition you can go to http://dublinchoralfoundation.ie/ or if you gave any questions, you can just ask me!

-Shannon McMahon,

Crimial Justice Major, Champlain College class of 2013

Getting out and Exploring Dublin

2012-02-09T10:07:00.000Z

It has officially been one month and I expected to have transitioned into the Dublin lifestyle a little more than I have. By this point I expected: the jetlag to be over, to have caught any of the common colds going around the area and have recuperated, to have found a place to call “mine,” and to have made some new friends outside of Champlain.

To a degree, this has happened. It took a few days to get on a normal sleep schedule, but that was the worst I heard someone experience. The cold: it’s gone around and only a precious few are still fighting it. A place to call mine is definitely Bewley’s on Grafton Street. I love going up to the James Joyce Balcony and if you get there at the right time, it’s a perfect place to read a book. Bewley’s is a very popular café that used to be a tea room years ago that hosted writers like James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Patrick Kavanagh, and Sean O’Casey. If you do go, get one of their desserts. The tiramisu and carrot cake are to die for! If you never get the chance to visit yourself, you can have a sneak peak and a virtual tour here.

Some students have joined gyms as a way to “claim” a place, or go for runs in Phoenix Park. Another place I like to go is to sit in St. Stephen’s Green and read. Others in the past have joined church groups or started volunteering for programs like Fighting Words. Meetup.com is a great tool to find club and groups, but if there is something you’re interested in doing, the staff and faculty at Champlain will help you find a place to go.

But it has been hard to make new friends. It’s been hard when it rains to be motivated to get out of the apartments. I feel I get in a mindset where I think It’s okay. I have a whole semester to explore Dublin. This is false and already a month has gone by. Luckily, Champlain has been wicked helpful in providing students with activities to prevent exactly this. As talked about in previous posts, many of the classes have gone on fieldtrips to museums around town, like the Hugh Lane Gallery, the Garden of Remembrance, and the National History Museum. A lot of the classes try to utilize what is available at Trinity College, having gone there to look at the library collection, and the geological museum. Last weekend there was a trip to the Stag’s Head for a weekly comedy show. For a few hours we got free entertainment and ice cream and were in the company of other Dubliners.

There was a day trip to the Hills of Tara, which even though I wasn’t enrolled in the class, I was allowed to go. Almost all of the trips are open to any student, and like the Hills of Tara trip, many professors bring some of their other students from different colleges. It was a great chance to meet some other American and French study abroad students. Along the same idea, Stephen McMahon, the Writing in the City professor, is establishing a scrabble tournament with his students at Rathmines College as yet another tool to get Champlainers out of the apartments and to meet others.

If worse comes to worse and you find yourself in the apartment a lot, stay in the city center after class and ask a faculty member a place they’d recommend going, even if it’s just a stroll through the Iveagh Gardens for some fresh air.

Images courtesy of visitdublin.com (Bewleys), Stephen McMahon (WRT class in front of the statue in the Garden of Remembrance), and Emma Crockett (Iveagh Gardens- I didn’t have my camera when we went).

Abbie Clark

Professional Writing Major, Champlain College, Class of 2013

Europe: Broken or in Transition?

2012-02-03T17:06:00.002Z

Poster Student2

Champlain Craic: Spring 2012 Issue 03

2012-02-03T16:20:00.000Z

More upcoming events in this week's Champlain Craic.

Enjoy,
Claire Gannon

Craic S12 03

Faculty…Craic…What??

2012-02-03T10:50:00.000Z

There is much to consider about where you Study Abroad. How much will this cost? Are their classes that cater to your needs? What about the language barrier? What can I do/see there?

Thanks to the previous blog post, you already know how to budget your hard earned cash. Champlain also sets up several events for the sole purpose of gauging interest and creating new courses and opportunities. If you are thinking about studying abroad or spending time in Dublin, the first thing you need to know is where to find the craic in this city. You should also know that craic is the Irish word for fun.

So what CAN you do for craic here in Ireland? Believe it or not, asking the faculty is about the best way to find all the great things to do and see, and those to avoid. Rather than listening to lectures every day, classes here are taught in a very hands on way, with field trips and excursions at least a few times a week. This allows us to see and experience what we are learning about instead of simply hearing about it. Below are a number of the places the Champlain Dublin faculty and staff have taken their students in the past three weeks alone:

ORIENTATION

Town of Bray, Bray hills (where a part of Braveheart was filmed)
The Dandelion Restaurant and Club

ART 330: CEOL NA hEIREANN – Cultural Immersion through Music

Samba Music Centre

ART 220: IRISH CULTURE THROUGH THE FINE ARTS

The Hugh Lane Art Museum
Irish Georgian Society Museum

HIS 316: THE EARLY HISTORY OF IRELAND

Hills of Tara (passageways, tombs, and ancient meeting places Oh My!)

WRT 335: WRITING THE UNIVERSAL CITY: DUBLIN

Irish Film Institute
National Photographic Archive

ENG 335: THE DUBLIN LITERARY EXPERIENCE

Trinity College (The backdrop for parts of Harry Potter and Star Wars)
Walking Literary Tour (Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Sweeny’s)

Visiting Oscar Wilde on the Dublin Literary walking tour. Photo: courtesy of Dayna Comeau

SCI 155: ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH SCIENCE
Trinity College Museums

Individual Trips include: Town of Howth, Carrauntoohil Mountain (It’s the tallest mountain in Ireland) and Dublin Zoo

Lilly and Claire also kindly publish a newsletter called the Champlain Craic on a weekly basis to give us new ideas for trips, things to do over the weekend, cheap eats, life tips, and much more.

Another large advantage of Champlain’s Dublin Abroad is in the faculty themselves. Mostly comprised of local Irish, they are more than happy to introduce us to the beauty and culture of Dublin, including encouraging local music and film, a lesson in Irish step dancing, and joining a philosophy debate club. Given our small numbers, this only draws our students and faculty closer, and certainly makes for more interesting lectures (have you ever seen a professor demonstrate a dance step in class?)

Still think Dublin isn’t all its cracked up to be? Keep following for more Craic to come!

-Nicole Tetrault, Marketing Major, Champlain College Class of 2013

Dublin on a budget

2012-02-01T16:20:00.001Z

As a student abroad you are constantly juggling trying to make your money last longer. There are so many things to do and so many places to visit. Most of the students enrolling with Champlain College Dublin have one or more trips to mainland Europe in mind even before setting foot in Ireland. Quite a few students are determined to also explore the island on their own beyond the two college-led weekend tours to the west coast and Northern Ireland.

Even if you don't have the budget to use Dublin as a gateway to Europe, you can still have an amazing adventure. There is plenty of culture just a mere skip away from the student apartments and the Academic Centre. Many of our courses include fieldtrips taking you around various parts of Dublin and sometimes on day long trips outside of the city.

But how do you enjoy your brand new home city on your own watching the pennies? Do you risk losing out of the study abroad experience by having limited funds? Absolutely not!

The secret to exploring any new place is to do your research. Even if the research only stretches itself to asking for advice this will give you an advantage. The staff and faculty members of Champlain Dublin are more then happy to help giving you their best tips. We also have a collection of guidebooks which can be borrowed. The internal Campus page on Angel (Academic Software program) is filled with links to places of interests in and around the city.

The real study abroad experience that will stay with you forever is all about going local. Visit your local pub with just a couple of friends to maximise the chances to chats with the local crowd. Here you can read about previous student's experiences about almost 'being adopted' by the locals in the Tom Kennedy's Pub. Remember that you can always just have a cup of tea or soda in a pub if you prefer this to a pint of Guinness.

Dún Laoghaire East pier. Photo: Lilly Johnsson

If you are not use to living in a big city it can be nice to get away for a while, even for just half a day. Why don't you come and visit my home town of Dún Laoghaire!

Take the local train, DART, to the seaside town of Dún Laoghaire (pronounced Dunleary), south of Dublin. You can walk along the marina, stroll out on the pier and try the famous 'Teddy's Icecream'. Every Sunday throughout the year there is also an outdoor market in the People's Park. The park comes alive with market vendors bringing a colourful collection of food and crafts. The market is popular with locals and tourists alike. At this time of year, the hot cider is a must!

Explore. Immerse. Engage.

-Lilly Johnsson
Assistant Director, Champlain College Dublin

Fieldtrip Friday: A Visit to the Past – The Stone Age Tombs

2012-02-01T11:30:00.000Z

After the first couple of weeks of classes, we finally got to take the classroom on the road and see first-hand the subject matter we have been learning about. While PowerPoint is better than old textbook pictures, and museum trips can teach you a lot, having the chance to stand high on the top of an ancient burial tomb where kings once stood, is an opportunity not to be missed.

For our first “reserved Friday,” our Early Irish History class ventured out to the countryside north of Dublin to the Hills of Tara to explore. Our professor also invited a group of study-abroad students from another school, so right away the trip was a social event. The bus ride to Tara was especially exciting when we finally saw sheep in the fields for the first time since arriving in Ireland. Once we got there, we were greeted with beautiful views, cold wind, and muddy grass. The narrow sheep gates and small opening in the stone wall forced us to enter single file. After saying hello to the statue of St. Patrick and passing through the church grounds, we headed into the fields to look at the Ráith na Ríog (Fort of the Kings) where the Kings of Tara once sat. The site itself is a series of circular mounds surrounded by a large ditch and bank, but hearing the history makes it seem incredible.

We were then given the opportunity to test our luck with the legend of the standing stone. Story has it that if you are destined to be king, the stone will whisper to you when you hug it. It was on this same spot that the king would be crowned. Sadly, no one in our group is destined to be king!

By this point, everyone was happy to just be wearing a hood! It was so cold that our hands and toes were numb, so we hiked back over the muddy ground to warm up with some coffee or hot chocolate before heading to our next location.

The original plan was to go to Loughcrew, also known as the Hill of the Witch, a Neolithic passage tomb dating to 3000 BC. However, due to the weather conditions, we changed our course to go see the site of the Stone Age Passage Tomb at Newgrange in the Boyne Valley. The tomb is known for the illumination of its passage and chamber by the winter solstice sun. Since we didn’t have a reservation, we weren’t able to go in to the actual tomb, but we were allowed to walk through the museum and the small replica of the tomb, as well as watch a video about the history of the site. There were some interesting artefacts on display and I would definitely like to go inside the real tomb if I get the opportunity.

Both locations were amazing sites, full of ancient history that I would recommend putting on your “Places to See” list if in Ireland. And if I could offer you any advice, it would be wear waterproof boots, warm socks, gloves, and a hat! This was a field trip to remember and I look forward to future trips that are being planned!

Dayna Comeau- Dublin Spring 2012

Dublin Faculty Ciarán Buckley hosts International Round Table

2012-02-01T10:03:00.001Z

Do the French really eat frogs legs?

What is Budejovicky Budvar?

Where is 'James' Gate'?

If you want to know this and more

join us at the

International Round Table

Thursdays
12:30

Jazzman's Cafe Champlain College, Burlington VT

under the European Union flag

Ciaran Buckley is spending the Spring semester of 2012 in Burlington, VT teaching CORE and Business. Ciaran is Irish-born but has spent much of his life living in Germany and working as a German lawyer. From 2007 to 2009 Ciaran was a senior visiting member of faculty at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, lecturing on International Business, Globalization, EU Government & Politics. He returned to Ireland in the summer of 2009 to practice law and started teaching for Champlain College Dublin in the Fall of 2009. At the Dublin Campus, Ciarán teaches MGT 335 - Ireland, the Celtic Tiger and the European Union and INT 330 - International Relations (cbuckley@champlain.edu)

Hireland and links to Champlain College Dublin

2012-01-27T15:00:00.001Z

When John Desmond arrived in Dublin for his Spring 2012 semester abroad, I don't think he counted on being photographed for a national newspaper within his first 2 weeks in Ireland. But there he is, staring out of the pages of the Irish Sun newspaper alongside Lucy Masterson, Dublin faculty member and co-founder of Hireland.

Hireland is a non-profit, non-government and volunteer group attempting to kickstart the Irish job market. Hireland is using 500,000 Euro in donated media advertising to encourage companies to hire more skilled staff through collective entrepreneurship and positive thinking. The idea grew from a conversation Lucy had with some friends around the kitchen table....friends who were concerned that too many skilled people were leaving Ireland owing to the recession. Lucy brought the idea to her MKT 340 - Social and Non-Profit Marketing class at Champlain College Dublin, and the ideas grew from there. Both the Spring 2011 and Fall 2011 students were heavily involved in design, planning, and marketing of the idea. You can read more about their journey at the Champlain College website.

Champlain College internship student John Desmond (standing), with (l to r) Michael Killeen, Champlain College faculty member Lucy Masterson, and Kingsley Aikins.

Hireland launched officially on January 16, and in 10 short days they already have pledges from companies planning to create 1409 jobs in Ireland.

For more information please visit http://www.hireland.ie/ or read the articles linked below.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/new-website-aims-to-have-5000-job-pledges-by-june-2990213.html

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0117/1224310362750.html

- Stephen Robinson, Director Champlain College Dublin

Spending Wisely

2012-01-26T14:15:00.000Z

We have officially been here two weeks and already my wallet is feeling pretty empty. In November, Champlain hosted a budgeting workshop specifically for those studying abroad, but many of the students, myself included, didn’t take it seriously. You’re probably thinking, “I’m good with money, and at school I barely spend anything except on the weekends.” Even people who came back said, “I didn’t bring nearly as much as I should.” Word of advice: Listen to the workshop or good luck when you get here.

Champlain College goes through a ton of effort to make sure the students know how much to bring over, but even if you think you brought enough, unless you budget wisely, you probably didn’t. I had been saving money since the summer to go abroad, but once I got here I didn’t nearly have as much as I had hoped. The USD does not go as far as I, or anyone really, would like. Currently the exchange rate is $1.30 for every one euro, but this fluctuates all the time.

After a week I felt like my money had disappeared. I hadn’t booked flights yet, and even though I went to a couple bars, every place has great deals where you can get something for under 5 euro. Although drinking is part of the Irish culture, it is done in a very social way, and the best part is, if you’re like me, it is sociable acceptable to order a cup of tea at a bar instead of alcohol. Most places are around 5 euro. That includes draft selections at bars, and most cafés have sandwich and tea/coffee deals for 5 euro.

Where most of my money has gone is food. During orientation we were told some great places to get groceries, places that are the equivalent to Price Chopper back home. These are Dunnes, Tesco, and Lidl. You can buy groceries for a few days, or if you don’t mind having no variation of meals, you can walk out paying under 20 euro. Now these places are found all over the city and two are right up the street from the apartments. There are also food markets every Saturday, which tend to be a bit more pricy but they are organic or locally made. Off Dublin’s Church Street equivalent, Henry Street, there is Moore St., a road where fruits, vegetables, and fish are sold throughout the week and you can get some really good bargains there. You can get 10 apples for 2 euro, and 3 peppers for 1 euro. I haven’t looked at the fish prices, but I’m sure they’re low prices as well.

Another thing Champlain College Dublin recommended was buying your books here. For an independent study I shipped a bunch of books over priority mail and it cost $60.00, and although, I’m glad I have my books there are bookstores everywhere. I could’ve saved my money and just purchased them here. A great place to find them for cheap is Chapters on Parnell St. A couple of the professors recommended the store. Half of it is a secondhand shop so you can find your class books for cheap, but if they don’t have it, there are a couple stores near campus that Champlain also recommended. I purchased two of my textbooks for about 8 euro, so again the bargain are there if you ask around.

Now travel: Everyone wants to get off the island, whether it’s a weekend getaway or a week vacation and with airline prices going up I’ve done a lot of big flight purchases, but the great thing is, at least one of the professors has most likely been to where you’re thinking of traveling. They can give you advice on what to see that’s not a tourist trap, and they’ll even sit down with you and help you find the cheapest route possible if you ask. If it’s a day trip out of Dublin, they’ll help you figure out which train to take. Generally, if you’re going to any town surrounding Dublin it would cost less than 10 euro. Staff and faculty can point you in a direction where you’ll see some of the amazing landscapes of Ireland and get you away from tourist destinations.

Two weeks into the semester Champlain Dublin hosts a budgeting workshop, which is a lifesaver. It last about an hour, but you come away with the necessary tools to live and study abroad for cheap. Last year some of the students had used the workshop to their advantage and came home with money left over. In the workshop we discussed cheap places around town that have deals on food, and some of the best ways to travel around the country. You can take the train for around 4 euro and go to neighboring seaside towns, like Howth, or you can take a bus to County Cork which would cost 11 euro with the student discount. The best tool was the actually spreadsheet. Champlain Dublin has devised a spreadsheet that includes the appropriate equations to do weekly calculations in USD and euros. You can tailor the spreadsheet to your needs, entering your budget and how much you hope to spend each week. But don’t forget to account for emergencies, or if the exchange rate goes up. There’s a separate page for travel costs, and then a final page that will tell you how if you are over and under budget. I highly recommend going because studying abroad is easy and affordable as long as you are conscious of how you spend your money.

With all this budget sheet in mind, I highly recommend creating your own budget spreadsheet, for more specific weekly spending. Champlain’s are great and you are given an example of how to track your money weekly, but if you want to continue it every week, use theirs to make sure you’re on track, but create your own to track your spending. Ask for receipts because they don’t usually give them to you, and start recording all your purchases. Organize it so you have categories like: groceries, school supplies, home goods, toiletries, and travel.

A final consideration is what will you be doing when you get back to the States. Do you have an apartment? Car insurance? If you budget wisely, like many of the students who have attended Champlain College Dublin, you can come back with some money left over to give you some leeway when you go back home.

Abigail Clark - Champlain College Class of 2013

Champlain Craic: Spring 2012 Issue 02

2012-01-26T12:00:00.000Z

Champlain Craic: January 27 - February 2

Claire Gannon
Head Resident, Champlain College Dublin

Craic S12 02

The first few days - a student perspective

2012-01-24T10:40:00.001Z

Many of you are probably rolling your eyes, thinking the same thing: name games, icebreakers, and lots of rules. If you are one of those people, you must not have experienced the orientation weekend that my classmates and I experienced in our first week studying abroad in Dublin.

Of course we discussed safety precautions and rules of abroad, but we also hit the pavement for a group scavenger hunt, which familiarized us with Dublin and some of the must-sees of the city (did I mention the winners receive 100 euro for a dinner out?). The same evening we also got to know a handful of our professors in a casual, though in my opinion, more effective manner than we are used to in the U.S. We met at Dandelion, a rather swanky restaurant, to mingle and enjoy dinner together, discussing academics, personal hobbies, travel destinations, and much more. This allowed us to see the personal side of our professors before entering the classroom, and learn how people socialize within the Irish culture for most of the evening.

The following day we were still suffering from a bit of jet lag, but were excited because we were going to the seaside town of Bray, about 45 minutes and 4 Euros from Dublin. We spent the afternoon hiking up to Bray’s Head, or else walking the beautiful stone beach and enjoying a nice latte from one of the local cafes.

I didn’t expect to find such diverse surroundings so close to Dublin, but this little town was a breath of fresh air for a Vermonter just thrown into city life. Small little shops, great local restaurants, and friendly faces led us into an evening at the Porterhouse, a must-visit restaurant if you are ever in the area.

The next day a short tour of the city centre of Dublin brought another surprise, namely the integration of both modern and historical sights to see and experience. I didn’t expect such great weather for our first week in the Emerald Isles (knock on wood!)

We are now in our third day of academics and it seems we are already at home in the apartments and our classes. These three days have seemed mere minutes. With a list of to-dos that include traveling to the coasts, caves, hiking mountains, and exploring ancient tombs, it is turning out to be my most exciting academic semester yet!
Nikki Tetreault - Champlain College class of 2013

Champlain Craic: Spring 2012 Issue 01

2012-01-20T13:20:00.000Z

Champlain Craic: January 20 - January 27

Claire Gannon
Head Resident, Champlain College Dublin

Craic S12 01

Welcome, Spring 2012 Students

2012-01-17T12:27:00.000Z

We're very excited to welcome our eighth group of students, I can hardly believe we're already into our first week of classes with our new group!

The first few days our 35 students were here, they were given time to acclimatize to a new city... and time zone. On Thursday we met for the official start of our orientation program. We spent the morning discussing safety and navigating Dublin, and then sent the students on our Dublin Scavenger Hunt (complete with a delightful prize for the winning team) to encourage them to explore the city and find some popular landmarks. That evening the students had their first meeting with Dublin faculty when we all met for dinner at Dandelion on Stephen's Green.

Spring 2012 students in our first orientation meeting.

We were up bright and early on Friday for more orientation presentations. After lunch, however, we went south to the seaside town of Bray. Our orientation trip to Bray shows the students just how easy it is to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and escape to the seaside with easy access to hiking trails. The students took advantage of the sunny afternoon and hiked to the top of Bray Head, a 240 meter high peak just on the coast. As the sun set (at about 4:30pm, which is still quite early) we met up at the Porterhouse for our evening meal.

Saturday was another morning of information for the students, but the afternoon was spent on a walking tour of Dublin. The students, led by guides from Pat Liddy's Walking Tours, learned the history of Trinity College Dublin, Merrion Square, Stephen's Green and Grafton Street and were introduced to the beautiful architecture of Georgian Dublin.

Heading into Trinity College Dublin on the walking tour.

Finally, on Sunday, the students had a day off to finish settling in and get some rest before starting classes on Monday morning.

Be sure to check in on our blog to keep up with the happenings this semester at Champlain College Dublin.

Claire Gannon

Head Resident, Champlain College Dublin

Great things must end.....

2011-12-16T16:28:00.002Z

The final exams have been submitted (but not yet graded....eeek!) and the students are starting to leave Dublin after what has been another fantastic semester at our Champlain College outpost in Ireland.

Looking back at the blog posts and thinking back about the semester, the students done some amazing things, had some great travels, learned a lot inside and outside the classroom, and expanded their horizons probably further than they realized they would. They've made new friends, American and Irish, and learned a lot about themselves and their place in the world.

And the staff in Dublin are sad to see them go. We had a fantastic group of students this semester, and they made our jobs relatively easy. We'll be welcoming a new group come January, but for now I'd just like to thank everyone involved with Champlain College Dublin and Champlain College Burlington for making this experience so great.

I'll close with a few photos from our final party of the term, held immediately after we raised over 480 Euro for Barnardo's charity by singing Christmas Carols on Grafton Street.

Quillan, Tom, Laurel, Laura, and Ryan warming up after the caroling.

Lindsay, Allison, and Brittany

John, David, Oliver, and Stephen

And of coruse some of the faculty turned up as well, Gavin Duffy, Darren Kelly, Caoimhghin Ó'Croidheáin, and Jacinta Kendrick

All the best, Stephen

Christmas Caroling for Barnardos Children's Charity

2011-12-12T16:25:00.004Z

When I heard about the opportunity to go Christmas caroling on Grafton Street (one of the busiest shopping areas in Dublin), I was eager to sign up! I love Christmas songs, and really needed something to get me in the Christmas spirit. Since going away to school at the Burlington campus I have noticed that Christmas comes and goes without me even noticing it! I usually am so busy worrying about finals that I have to cram in a month’s worth of decorating cookies, belting Christmas songs, and navigating for bargains around crowded malls in the few days between the last day of classes and Christmas Day. Folks in Dublin however, take Christmas very seriously. Busy shopping areas such as Grafton Street, Henry Street, and Temple Bar have been glowing every night since December 1^st. While the cheery lights have helped, it’s still very difficult to be so far away from my family during such a family oriented time of year. Caroling was a great way to get into the holiday mood, and our good time even helped raise money for a great cause.

When I signed up for the trip that would take place on December 8^th I learned that the money we raised would be donated to a local charity called Barnardos Children's Charity. Before going on the trip John Wills, a representative from the charity, spoke at the academic center and explained all the wonderful things that the organization does. Barnardos offers tutoring services, breakfast clubs, friendship groups, and counseling services for children, teens, and parents. Barnardos has also plays a key role in lobbying for children’s rights in Ireland. The organization has been pushing for children’s rights to be added to the Irish Constitution. Learning about all of the wonderful work Barnardos does made me even more excited to go out carol for a great cause!

On the evening of Thursday December 8^th, after class got out at 5:30, the volunteer carolers (which turned out to be nearly everyone in the program, even many of the professors), met in the basement to rehearse. We were each given either a Santa hat or reindeer antlers and red glowing nose to wear, and those holding the donation buckets were given lime green Barnardos shirts. As for the songs, we were each given a song book to follow along in. After a shaky practice we donned our antlers, Santa caps, and bundled up for our big debut on Grafton Street.

We arrived at the bustling shopping area and nervously attempted our first Christmas carol. While we may not have been the most in tune singing group, we were enthusiastic! After a few songs we got comfortably belting it out. We migrated to several locations on the street, and even sang along the way. All of the white donation buckets were extremely heavy by the end of the two hours. I had so much fun singing, even if we weren’t as good as the Trinity choir down the street from us. We raised money for a wonderful cause and had a blast doing it!

After caroling we went to the Tavern on the Green for our end of the year party. While eating pub bites we couldn’t stop talking about how much fun we had, let alone stop singing. During the party it really hit me that it’s the end of the semester. In just over a week I’ll be home! The semester flew by. I have accomplished so much in just four months. I have become much more independent and adventurous. If someone told me a year ago I’d see Paris, Rome, Madrid, and Dublin, all within four months, I wouldn’t have believed them. It has taught me that if want to go somewhere then go! It was difficult to sacrifice my summer for work over the beach, but I don’t regret it for a minute.

While saying goodbye to Dublin is emotional, I am ready to go. I am beginning to miss the Burlington campus, snow and all. The question I am faced with is how exactly to say goodbye? Do I have one last pint of Guinness? Do I visit the charming seaside town of Bray one last time? Or, do I take a day and explore an area of the city I haven’t yet? Hopefully, I will have time to do all of those things before I depart.

Laurel O'Meara

Champlain College Dublin Student Blogger

Champlain College Class of 2013

Editor's Note: We'd like to thank Dublin Faculty member Caroline Elbay for organizing our fundraiser for Barnardos and inviting John Wills to speak to our students. Thanks to her (and our students and faculty who gave a few hours on a freezing cold night) we raised over €470 for Barnardos Children's Charity.

Marketing in Dublin

2011-12-08T11:53:00.001Z

My name is Tom Lyga and I am a Junior in the Marketing and Advertising major at Champlain College. Studying in Dublin has been the time of my life. Lately I have been going away every weekend to different cities and countries in Europe. In the past few weeks I have been to Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Munich, and I am leaving for Barcelona in a few days. It has been an amazing time, as Dublin is a great city too. We have a lot of fun here, but obviously we still have to attend school throughout the week. I mean, that is why we are here isn’t it?

The staff at the school is what makes it great. We learn a lot and have fun during the weeks on campus. I am currently taking two marketing classes that fit perfectly into my curriculum. The first is called Internet-Based Marketing (MKT 250). If you think Elaine Young stresses Twitter and other digital mediums in the Exploring Marketing class, just wait until you meet the Dublin professor, Keith Feighery. He works at a digital marketing firm in Dublin and comes in once a week to teach our class. We learn everything that you need to build a digital marketing strategy for a business that you create in the beginning of the semester. The business that I created was a food truck in Burlington called ‘Queen City Breakfast’. We delved deeply into Facebook and Twitter, then moved onto things like email marketing, YouTube, Flickr, PPC, SEO, and WordPress. He is a great professor and really knows his stuff. The best thing about the class is that it carries over into the other marketing class that we have in Dublin.

Non-Profit and Social Marketing (MKT 340) is easily becoming one of my favorite classes that I have taken at Champlain College. It is taught by a woman named Lucy Masterson, who has been working in marketing in Ireland for many years. She is able to connect with all of the students very easily and is really fun to have in class. As I said before, the two classes coincide very well. Everything that we learn in the Internet-Based Marketing class is used in the Non-Profit class. Right now we are working on developing a marketing strategy for a non-profit that Lucy and some colleagues have started called Hireland.ie. It is an initiative from her and her partners, as well as the students of Champlain College, to create 10,000 jobs in Ireland before St. Patricks Day. We work on the blog, create content for the YouTube page, and give insight on the Facebook and Twitter posts. We really do a lot of diverse work for the Hireland.ie initiative, and the academic experience has been amazing. Check out our blog at hireland.wordpress.com, and our Facebook page.

Thanks for reading and I hope everyone is having a great end of semester!

Tom Lyga

Champlain College Dublin Student

Champlain College Class of 2013

Emotions Exist Here, Too

2011-12-01T11:20:00.000Z

In a word of warning, this post likely will not be as light-hearted as my previous ones have been. It is that time of year when, as the semester winds down, the workload and resulting stress wind up. Even as I write this, I am struggling to concentrate, knowing I have the dreaded end-of-semester Triple-P’s—Projects, Papers, and Presentations—staring me in the face. Suddenly, it’s not all fun and games anymore.

I won’t mince words here; studying abroad for four months is a difficult endeavor. You leave your home, your family, your closest friends, your pets, your car, your favorite foods. After awhile, you even start to miss your annoying little brother. You have to keep a sharp eye on your money, your time, your health, and your work, all the while still trying to enjoy the new and beautiful country in which you are living. Sometimes, you just want to be back in Burlington, where the semester’s end was just a hair simpler.

In our very first group meeting—so long ago, the first weekend after we arrived in Dublin—they warned us to be mindful of our mental health. I remember silently looking to my left, then to my right, wondering whom of us would go insane. As I met a few gazes from other students doing the same, I realized it may not be that simple. Mental health encompasses so much more than we often give it credit for; it’s not simply black-and-white. The everyday stresses of a student’s schedule can have quite an effect, and it is very important to be mindful and observant of how we are reacting to these things.

I have outlined a few exercises that have proved very beneficial to limiting my stress and emotions any time I start to feel frustrated:

1. Work – Sometimes the most frustrating part of a lengthy paper or project is determining in what direction you are supposed to go. Take detailed notes of your assignments, so you know exactly what is expected. If you don’t completely understand an assignment or process, ask your professor for some extra clarification. Map all of your homework out on a calendar, so you can see what is due when. For me, this concrete visual representation of what needs to be done, each in relation to everything else, helps me lay out a plan of attack that helps keep me on track. If you get frustrated or unmotivated, take a little breather; go for a walk, take a shower, eat something, then go back to it later.

2. Money – I have already written a fair amount about budgeting, but I really can’t stress it enough. Keep up with your weekly budget, make adjustments if you have to, and compare it frequently to your monthly and total budgets to make sure you’re on the right track. If you have online-banking, it is even easier to check with your bank and keep track of hidden fees—such as ATM charges—or suspicious activity.

3. Homesickness – Chat with someone back home once in awhile. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend excessive use of Skype, Facebook, or anything else that could distract you from your cultural immersion, but there are so many fantastic resources in this digital age for connecting people. I think it is completely necessary once in awhile to connect with your family and friends back home. Just talking to a familiar face can be very comforting.

4. Sleep – Sleep is always a difficult thing for any student, but it is one of the most necessary things of which to be mindful, particularly while abroad. Going out every night and still trying to pack in a full day of classes and homework will only add to your stress. Take a break once in awhile; go to bed early, get a full night’s sleep, then wake up early and knock a few things off the assignment list before your roommates wake up, while it’s still quiet. Your mind works better immediately after a long night’s sleep and a good breakfast, so take advantage of it!

5. Everything – Just talk to someone. You would be surprised how much difference this can make. No matter what is going on, there is someone in the same boat, who understands what you’re going through. Just sit down and let everything out, organize your frenzied thoughts and talk them over. If you have a friend with you whom you already trust, you’re all set; if not, this kind of honesty is a great way to build strong friendships.

Everyone reacts to new and different situations in his or her own way. Some are able to adapt incredibly quickly and smoothly, while others find it nearly impossible to find a new flow. Most of us are caught somewhere in the middle, often fluctuating between the two extremes, and we can never tell at which point we will find ourselves next. Even so, there are many ways to keep yourself sane, and still enjoy the fact that you are having one of the most rewarding experiences of your entire life.

Micah Washburn

Champlain College Dublin Student Blogger

Reasons not to leave Dublin....

2011-11-30T15:45:00.001Z

One of the free magazines in Dublin, Totally Dublin, recently published an article called '200 reasons not to leave Dublin'. Emmigration is at an all time high as the jobs have dried up, but the authors wanted to point out some of the reasons to stay....sort of a guide to the things that are unique about living in Dublin.

I've gone through and selected a few that I thought were appropriate....

1. Temperate climate - It might be too wet all the time, but it's never too hot or too cold, really. Your skin can't take the sun anyway.

13. Vikings - Dublin was founded by angy Norsemen who needed somewhere to park their boats for the winter so they could rest up for another summer of stealing gold and burning monasteries. That's way cooler than pilgrims.

24. The Word 'Grand' - Whatever it is, it doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to be barely of sufficient quality to be fit for purpose. It'll be grand.

36. Salmon - There are now salmon in three rivers in Dublin, the Liffey, the Dodder and the Tolka. There are no salmon in any other capital city in the EU.

42. National Leprechaun Museum - The only way to make leprechauns acceptable was to reclaim them from the Americans, which we have done by setting up a museum of folklore and fun on Jervis Street with a room full of giant furniture.

52. Tipping - Conveniently, tipping is at least nominally optional in pretty much every scenario in this country. That means you can just decide not to do it.

114. Dalkey Island - With habitation going back to the Stone Age through hermit monks to medieval markets, Vikings, a Marello Tower and eventually to a herd of wild goats, Dalkey Island is full of history and a great excuse for a boat trip.

Stephen

My Home Sweet Home

2011-11-18T13:05:00.000Z

On August 28th I had only been in Dublin for only 6 days, and it had been the most rambunctious couple of days. So that Sunday morning, as I headed out to visit the Dublin Church of Christ, I assumed I was in for a simple moment of small chit chat and light conversation. After the inspiring service about ‘Joy’, the church leader’s wife, Jeannette Hynes, approached me and insisted I come to the baby shower that afternoon. When I remarked about my limited traveling knowledge she excitedly invited me over to her house and offered me a ride over to the party. My cheery acceptance was all it took for me to bind to my new Irish family.

What a wonderful Sunday of deep-hearted conversation, huge mugs of tea and digestives (which I found out are cookies!), a home cooked meal and a baby shower of giggles, delicious cakes and lots of pictures. Since that warm evening, I have attended every possible Sunday service and Wednesday afternoon gathering.

It didn’t take long for my relationship with the church to flourish. I’ve been poured many more hot cups of tea, invited to three baby showers, treated to scores of family dinners and quite a few sleepovers, adopted by the group of boisterous “philipinos”, taught the infamous Hynes’ scone recipe, and I have even been able to volunteer in the children’s ministry.

On one particular Sunday, we met with the sister church in Northern Ireland, Belfast and I was given a lift there-and-back from a family of four. While I was handing out snacks to the two children, the older brother Nathan noticed I had scribbled down a note that ‘chips’ were called ‘crisps’. Next thing I knew I was receiving a full out "Dublinese" lesson from a nine-year-old boy and his younger sister, Eve. The car ride was ablaze with laughter as I tried to fumble out the correct pronunciations of ‘boook’ (stove), ‘kip’ (a dumpy place), ‘bud’ (a friend), ‘chipper’ (fast food) and the like. The same two children have only grown closer to my heart as they engage me in the most animated banter, proudly draw me pictures of the three of us, declare that I “never should leave them” and worriedly wonder where I have gone on the Sundays I disappear on my adventures outside of Ireland.

As a group of us sipped tea with scones at Jeannette’s kitchen table one night, they set the date for my going away party and started to make plans for my last few days in Ireland as well as my proper sending off the day of my departure. I cannot believe how much the people in the Dublin Church of Christ have given to me as just a passerby. Although I don’t think my heart will allow me to stay away for too long.

Andrea Holt

Champlain College Dublin Student

Emerson College Class of 2013

Dublin Academics

2011-11-18T12:14:00.001Z

Aside from the smell of a new city and of course theIrish accents, I would say one of the biggest differences I’ve experienced hereis in the way classes are set up. Back in Burlington we are thrown into amonotonous routine, very rarely adventuring outside of the classroom. While itis understandable that Burlington does not necessarily have the resources toallow for students to partake in classes around the city, it is nice to get achange of scenery every once in a while. Champlain College Dublin does a greatjob of doing just this; intertwining outside activities with the everydaylesson schedule.

Here on Dublin’s campus, most of us are lucky enough tohave back to back classes only once a week. Now some might not enjoy having thesame class for two and a half hours with a fifteen minute break in between, but I’mprone to believe that this is very beneficial. First of all, by having back toback classes, we still have the material we just learned fresh in our brains.We have a way better chance of remembering our class discussions and lecturesby only waiting fifteen minutes between sessions, rather than waiting two or three days like we wouldin Burlington. The block scheduling of Champlain College Dublin also makes iteasier to get work done. Instead of stressing over writing a paper or studyingfor an exam that is in two days, we know that we have exactly one week tocomplete our assignments. By having the same class only once week, it allowsfor us to focus on other classes and to enjoy our time around the city.

The best part about classes here is that we areconstantly doing things outside of the academic center. Last week, for example,my music professor took us céilí dancing in Monkstown. We spent a classdiscussing the history of céilí dancing and where it is still done today andthen a week later we were able to go about a half hour outside the city toexperience it for ourselves. So far, three out of my five classes here havetaken us outside of the classroom to actually be a part of the Irish lifestyle.I have gone to samba classes, a concert, an international forum, Irish Parliament,céilí dancing, and so much more. In Burlington we don’t really have these kindsof opportunities. It would be nice to take a trip to a computer forensics lab,or a police station, or a game developing company, but it’s not very practicalfor our Burlington campus to have classes of 20 or more students adventuringinto the city. Since Champlain College Dublin is so small and is located in amajor European city, we have more opportunities to explore during class time. What isbeing taught here can be directly related to something in Dublin, so visitingParliament for history class or going to the beach for science class gives usan even greater learning experience.

Since Dublin’s campus is smaller than Burlington’s, Iknew I would not be offered the same classes as I would be offered back home. Iam used to having classes dedicated to my major, but by being here I amlearning a significant amount about life itself. Dublin’s classes have allowedfor me to become interested in other countries, politics, social interactions,culture, and so much more. These are things I never would have taken a likingto had I not come abroad. There really is no better way to learn about theIrish than to actually take classes about Irish history, music or art. It’s myopinion that learning about myself, the people around me, the new culture, andthe different atmosphere is far more beneficial and more important than justlearning about a specific major. Even if I may not be doing much related tocomputer forensics, I am still acquiring way more than I ever would inBurlington. The qualities and knowledge I now have because of this trip arethings Burlington never could have given me.

While the learning styles here in Dublin are differentthan what I am used to, I have learned to appreciate my education. I alwaysunderstood that I had to go to school whether I liked it or not, but it wasn’tuntil I came to Dublin that I realized how lucky I am to receive such aneducation. Most people aren’t fortunate enough to experience this greatcountry, but I have and it was through my teachings here that I was able torealize that. I will be going home with more than I could ever imagine. I willreturn to America more confident, more articulate, and completely culturallyenlightened. These aspects are not things you can learn in only a classroomsetting, but by immersing yourself in a totally different cultural and learningenvironment; in short, studying abroad.

Cat Stamm

Champlain College Dublin Student Blogger

ChamplainCollege Class of 2013

Money, Money, Money

2011-11-16T10:30:00.000Z

The following was originally written for The Current Beat, Champlain College's online zine.

Budgeting your money is one of the hardest things to do, especially when you’re abroad. As a current third year student at Champlain, I know this idea may be intimidating, but this article could contain some very important suggestions I wish I had known before I arrived in another country. The excitement of being in a new place can deter you from thinking about money. When I first stepped off the plane in Dublin, it was not the first thing I had in mind. I had a rough idea of how much money I had in U.S. dollars but wasn’t thinking in Euros, which is important when you are going to be living for four months in country that relies on that as their currency. This was probably my biggest mistake because when I started purchasing things in the Dublin area because I wasn’t converting the Euros spent into dollars. So my chai tea was costing me €2.70 but who knew that was actually $3.75. When you leave home with your budget, convert it to Euros so you can think in terms of both currencies and not just in your native currency like I did.

Euros

Exchange rates can be tricky, but it’s helpful to understand them before you arrive in a foreign country. The rates constantly fluctuate, so staying up to date on the value of the US dollar is important. For example, when I first arrived, the value of the dollar was very low so things were more expensive for me in Euros, but a few weeks ago this value went up so I could spend more Euros for fewer US dollars. If you keep track weekly, you may see the value go up and this is when you should go take your money out of the ATM, so it will work out in your favour. One website that is very helpful when trying to track the exchange rates around the world is www.xe.com . Before you start spending all your money, think of how much this is costing you “actually” in your own countries currency.

No matter the amount you bring you still can have a great experience abroad. Don’t think that you have to bring a certain amount to enjoy yourself. Enjoying yourself does depend on how you allocate that money. If you blow through all your money in the beginning of the trip, the rest of the time won’t be very fun because of the constant worry. It’s all about planning. I have come to realize that it is hard to plan how much you’re going to spend ahead of time. It may be helpful to look up the price of things before you arrive so you have some idea. A good website me and my roommates found was www.numbeo.com. The site gives you a general idea of how much things may cost in cities and countries all over the world so you can budget your money accordingly.

Food is a necessary expensive when living abroad, but there are many ways you can live and eat cheap. I’m a person who tends to eat out when I can, but coming here I knew financially that would not be the wisest decision. I decided I would be cooking often and after a few weeks I realized I spent way less on food then I had imagined because when you can cook it’s a lot easier and cheaper to buy a frozen pizza for €3 rather than buying one out for €10. Items in the grocery store are also a lot more reasonably priced here so expect to get a good amount of food at the store for a great value. Two stores that I may suggest visiting in the Dublin area are the 2euro store and the 99cent store. Once you locate these stores you can get anything from items for your apartment to a candy and snacks all for less than €2. My final piece of advice to you about food is: if you want to go on a number of great trips and go out to the pub often you should learn to cook (even if its pasta every night). It is a skill that will save you a significant amount of money in the long run.

Trips are another big expense that much of your money goes toward. They are also one of those things that you’re not sure how much it will cost until you book them. Make sure you do research in advance to help you see what prices may be. I know it can be difficult when you’re not actually booking the trips that early, but if you have an idea of the price that will make it easier for you to budget for how much you want to set aside for trips. Some traveling expenses you may not think about initially will end up coming up of course. For instance, the first trip I went on outside of Ireland my flight was very early in the morning which meant I had to take a cab with three of my friends. €28 later we made it to the airport, but that was a traveling expense I didn’t expect or plan for. Some other things you may want to consider: Expenses of the places you want to see while you’re in that country or city- museums etc. Shopping you may do there, if you like to buy souvenirs for your friends and family. Or you may even leave the Eurozone (countries that only use Euros) in your travels so you will have to think about that country’s exchange rate as well.

I know reading this may seem overwhelming right now or you may think it’s a waste of your time but once you actually start travelling abroad and realize you’re running out of money and have less than you thought for your last two months here then you are going to wish you did budget from the start. It may be tedious, but to save you the headache plan before you come. That way you don’t really have to worry about it while you’re trying to enjoy your time abroad. Unexpected expenses will also always come up so it’s hard to plan for every detail but my last words to you are just be prepared because a $6,000 budget can turn into a $2,000 budget very quickly.

Don’t worry too much though because if you're studying in Dublin, three weeks into the semester Champlain will run a budgeting workshop. I recommend taking full advantage of because that’s what got me personally on the right track. At that point you will roughly know what you’re spending every week so it will give you an idea of how much you will be spending for the rest of your semester.

Here are a few more helpful tips that others at the Dublin campus thought you would like to know before you studying abroad:

Be creative with your food that way you can stretch your meals and money making them both last longer.

::Nick Kedzierski

Don’t bring all your money with you when you go out at night, only what you want to spend

::Kylie Dryzga

Try to plan out any trip as soon as you can, don’t just assume you will plan it later because that just never happens

::Will O’Neil

Researching countries before you go there is helpful because when you’re budgeting you can factor in the cost of living in or traveling to those places.

::Allison Harrow

Take large amounts of money out the ATM at once that way you don't have to deal with the fluctuating exchange rates and fees if you use your card often.

::Jeff Ferro

Brittany Hollman

Champlain College Class of 2013

Alternative Dublin

2011-11-15T14:21:00.000Z

In Jacinta Kendricks course, Cultural Immersion through the Fine Arts, Champlain College Dublin students get to spend a lot of time out and about exploring the myriad of cultural institutions on their doorstep in central Dublin. These include a selection of diverse art galleries, churches as well as the Georgian House Museum.

A few weeks ago the students had the pleasure of exploring two photography exhibitions at adjacent galleries in Temple Bar. The first one was entitled "Small Lives" at the National Photographic Archive. This included scenes from Irish childhood between 1880 and 1970 and offered wonderful glimpses of an Ireland long past to contemplate. It showed the children not just in the context of their own lives but also against the backdrop of Irish History.

The second exhibition was very interesting and thought provoking. It was entitled "Making Space" by the photographer Noel Bowler. This collection of work explored the expansion and development of Islam into contemporary Ireland. Taken over three years Bowler records the reuse of spaces for the purpose of prayer for diverse Muslim groups across Ireland. Although still a relatively small group it was interesting to discover that Islam is now the second largest religion practised in Ireland after Christianity.

Many of the students have cameras so as an assignment Jacinta asked the students to create their own Photo Journal on the broad theme of "Alternative Dublin". Within this general theme the students could focus on their area of interest. The students embraced the idea and made a great efforts to cast a new eye on the city surroundings from a visual perspective. The results were diverse and interesting to view and the accompanying text puts each picture into its context for the viewer.

See two of examples of the students' work below

Worm's Eye View

Edges

Why Dublin?

2011-11-10T13:57:00.000Z

One question that keeps springing up from those I meet around the city is "Why Dublin?" Every time I have trouble answering the question, and have spent a lot of time considering what has led me to Dublin of all places. That fact that Champlain College Burlington has such a developed study abroad program is one of the main factors in my decision to apply to the college, as well as the beautiful campus and excellent middle school education program. I liked how the Dublin campus is a Champlain College campus, not a third party school. This made the application process a breeze and transferring credits a non-issue. I knew that no matter what class I took, it would fit into the Champlain curriculum. I quickly developed a good relationship with the study abroad office, and found myself stopping in anytime I had a question or concern. Rather than working out details through emails, I just had to cross the street.

Now that I had gotten into Champlain College and had met with the study abroad office, it was decision time. Montreal or Dublin? I had never been to either, and knew little to nothing about both places. I attended an information session about both campuses where students from both programs talked about their experiences and answered questions. All the students spoke passionately about where they had traveled, but ultimately I had my heart set on Dublin. I quickly found out that my intuition was right, and the Dublin campus offered my fall semester junior year education requirement, Service Learning. This meant that I wouldn’t be behind with major classes, something that would be inevitable if I had chosen to go to elsewhere. Once my classes were selected, my passport updated, and my dorm room emptied for the summer break I realized that I actually new little to nothing about Dublin, or Ireland for that matter.

I pictured Ireland to be rolling green hills dotted with wooly sheep herded by bearded old men in tweed caps. I pictured the city of Dublin to be like Burlington, not like Boston. While the country side is inhabited by more sheep than people, the city of Dublin is extremely urbanized and modern. McDonald’s, Dominoes, Subway, and Burger King are everywhere. While the historical buildings remain intact, modern ones have sprung up in between them, creating a wonderful fusion of old and new.

While my reasoning for picking Dublin may not make sense, it’s because I wanted to go somewhere different. I wanted to go somewhere so far away that I couldn’t bail out and drive home for the weekend. I knew I wanted to go to Champlain in Burlington, I knew I wanted to study abroad, and I loved their study abroad program. The program fit in perfectly with my major, and I had enough money saved up to go. Everything fell into place so perfectly that I would like to say it was fate. I have already learned so much about myself from this experience that I can’t imagine not going.

One area that I have gained a lot in is professional practice. I knew that I was going to be taking the Service Learning class, my junior year fall semester education requirement, but I did not expect to get to teach in an Irish school. I was told that to work in an Irish school, especially as a foreigner, I would need a background check done that would take months. I was overjoyed when I found out that we would get placements and would get to observe an Irish classroom.

My placement at the Mater Dei Primary school has been amazing. I was nervous on my first day, but now feel at home in the building, although I only go once a week. The third class (equivalent to third grade in the States), is well behaved, respectful, and so eager to learn. Their teacher Geraldine has more than welcomed us into her classroom; she has let us take the lead.

Sarah Irish, an elementary education student at Champlain, and I have had the pleasure of teaching the class for two hours the last two weeks, and we plan on doing so for the rest of the semester. We have had the opportunity to create lesson plans together, to create worksheets to supplement those lessons, and to even create engaging activities to do with the students.

I never expected to step foot in an Irish classroom, let alone get the opportunity to teach an Irish class on a weekly basis. I have learned invaluable lessons about another education system that have changed the way I think about education. Collaborating, making lesson plans, and teaching international students has boosted my confidence as a professional and has strengthened my desire to be an educator.

Laurel O'Meara
Champlain College Dublin Student Blogger
Champlain College Class of 2013

Pornography Is A Moral Vice?

2011-11-09T12:43:00.000Z

Last week for our Celtic Tiger class our professor, Ciaran Buckley, took us on another one of his riveting escapades. Whether it’s getting posh for a dinner at the Bellagio or drinking Budvar’s at the Market Bar, a night out with Ciaran is one to remember. For the latest and greatest trip, of what I’m now referring to as ‘The Buckley Adventures’, our professor took us to Trinity College to attend a debate. This debate was held by the University Philosophical Society discussing the topic of “Pornography is a Moral Vice”.

We started our night by meeting at the gate of Trinity College. We were then greeted by our tour guide for the night, Fiachra Verbruggen. Fiachra is an honorary board member of the University Philosophical Society (The Phil for short) and gave us a brief history about what The Phil is.

The Phil was established in the 17th century as a paper-reading society for the discourse of philosophy, mathematics, and other polite literature. It started of being mostly graduate students and has since evolved into Trinity College’s premier student society that focus on the art of oratory. They meet every Thursday in the Chamber of the Graduates’ Memorial Building.

Once our brief history lesson was over, we made our way to the Memorial Building to attend the debate. Now going into this, I was expecting to sit down in a big auditorium in front of a stage with several podiums facing each other, ready to battle. The typical “Crossfire” TV setting we see on CNN. This could not be farther from what actually happened. Before we even entered the building, a huge line was eagerly waiting to get into the debate. Courtesy of our good friend Fiachra, we had VIP access with reserved seats. The room the debate was hosted in was athe size of a typical classroom, with circle of chairs surrounding a big table in the middle. The room was packed and buzzing with conversation.

Once we were all settled in, it was time for the debate to start. The council members knocked on the door and entered while everyone stood up and clapped. They began a kind of traditional back and forth banter with one another, where they discussed the society’s current affairs. This was their official Phil meeting. Then they all got up and left once they finished going over their dealings. We then heard another knock, and clapping from the standing crowd as the society members re-entered with the guest speakers. Without any hesitation, the debate began.

Nine people spoke, half opposing the topic “Pornography is a moral vice” and the other half endorsing the idea. It was quite an experience. It was a real parliamentary debate, where speakers had no filter, boundaries, or regards for cussing. Any kind of explicit, naughty, and dirty comment you can think of was screamed throughout the debate. Each speaker brought their own unique element to their speech, often times being very comical. Half the time was spent laughing at some of the inappropriate comments these speakers shameless belched. Even with the inappropriate comments, all the speakers were very well spoken in their arguments and used intellectual language to express their views.

After the debate was over, The Phil invited everyone next door to their reception for drinks and snacks. This was nice because you got free beer and some chips with dip if you were lucky. Our good friend Fiachra then proceeded to take us out on the town, Trinity College style. He showed us their on-campus bar and took us to another one of their local bars. At this bar we found all the other members of The Phil, and engaged in pleasant conversations. All in all, it was a great time attending the debate. Next week we will once again embark on another one of “The Buckley Adventures” as we go back to The Phil for our chance to speak on the topic “Assisted Suicides”.

John Lau

Champlain College Class of 2013

Taking Some 'Me' Time

2011-11-08T14:49:00.002Z

I’ve had some great times with my friends here in Ireland. We’ve gone to the zoo, museums, and of course a pub or two. The time I’ve been with other people here really has been fun. That said, some of the best time I’ve spent here in Dublin was not with my friends. It wasn’t even with other people. My most cherished time has been alone, sitting in the corner of the James Joyce balcony at Bewley’s sipping a latte and watching the people on Grafton street below.

Bewley’s is a great place. Between its rich history, delicious coffee, traditional Irish breakfast (the best in the city), and fantastic smelling pastries, it is way up there on my list of places to see. Why do I go alone? Simply put, I can experience a Dublin that I can’t experience otherwise. It’s lovely to enjoy coffee and conversation with a friend, but when I’m alone I can just sit, watch, and think.

Bewley's on a Rainy Night in Dublin

The very first time I took my “me” time, I sat on the balcony and had the sudden realization, “Holy cow, I’m in Dublin!” I looked down to the passersby and simply appreciated where I was and what I was doing at that moment. Since then, I’ve been going back every week on Thursday afternoons. Usually I bring a notebook and just scribble down my thoughts. There’s something so romantic about sitting and just watching the world go by with a fantastic cup of coffee and a slice of chocolate tart. For that moment, you have nothing to do, nowhere to be, and no one to answer to.

My advice to future travellers is this: Go out and do something alone. Take your own time and just experience a place by yourself. Be safe about it, but stretch outside of your comfort zone. It can be unnerving to be on your own in a foreign country, but it is time that I promise you will love.

Rachel Weisburgh
Champlain College Class of 2013

Champlain Craic: Fall 2011 Vol 06

2011-11-03T16:31:00.001Z

Craic F11 06

A More Professional Approach...

2011-11-03T08:57:00.002Z

I have realized lately that I haven’t spoken much of my major, or what my time here means for my academic and professional career—for that matter, did I ever even properly introduce myself? Perhaps I’ve been too caught up with the wonder and excitement of spending so much time in a new place. Indeed, so far I have painted this semester abroad as a fun-filled extended vacation. Don’t get me wrong; it is all that and more, but it is also still school.

Formal introduction: My name is Micah Washburn. Male. Virgo. I like food, cars, photography, and cozy nights at ho--

Wait, strike that last part. Wrong blog, sorry.

Anyway, I am a third-year student of Graphic Design and Digital Media. Dublin was kind of a strange choice, honestly; most Champlain media students who choose to study abroad select the Montreal campus for the city’s renowned for digital media and communication. While Montreal is a fantastic city and certainly a hub of modern technology, for me Europe is where it all began. From Gutenberg’s printing presses to some of the most spectacular architecture in the world, to every notable art movement in history, Europe is the origin of the design world. The majority of modern typefaces were developed here, and of course the automobile industry, where mechanics and aesthetics find harmonious fusion, has no more notable center of influence than Germany and Italy. But I’m not going to ramble about the details and obsessive opinions none of you really care about.

Christchurch Cathedral

One of the first things I set out to do upon my arrival here in Dublin was find a grocery store. Let’s just say it’s a feat to keep my stomach satisfied for more than a couple of hours, and the half-frozen Ravioli on the flight eight hours earlier wasn’t quite going to cut it for me. So off I went, excited to see what delicacies awaited me. There are a few grocery stores just up the street from the apartments, and the first thing I noticed about all of them was the appearance of the facades. They were all similarly arranged; large windows topped with a brightly-colored header panel welcomed passersby with a warm friendliness, as the large, single-word logo smiled down from above. I know it’s kind of weird that I’m raving about the architecture of the grocery store around the corner, but bear with me here. What I discovered once I went inside was not so much variation in the actual food, but rather the packaging. That’s it; I’m sure I just lost half of you reading this blog, but as a designer, this was a huge deal for me. Making a product visually appealing enough to stick out among every other product on the shelf, yet only provide the necessary, quickly-read information is a difficult task. Some of these labels I was looking at I had never seen before, but the packages looked so good I wanted to grab them off the shelf then and there, just to try them! And the soda bottles—what was this witchcraft that allowed the bottles to fit so snugly and conservatively on their shelves? Could it be—yes, that’s it! The bottles were taller, slimmer, and somehow squarer. I can’t quite explain that one, since they were still cylinders, but they exuded a distinct scent of a careful design strategy with usability and efficiency in mind.

Now, that’s just a snippet from my first hours in this city. Since then, I have explored scores of other influences on my career. The art school around the corner, the mixed media and creative studios up the hill, the countless art galleries and museums throughout the city, billboard advertisements, buildings, sculptures, signs, magazines, newspapers, the clothes people wear, and yes, even the cars driving around the bustling streets all serve as case studies of European design. My mind figuratively (sorry, pet peeve) swims on a daily basis with the sheer amount of stuff that sticks out at me. A simple walk through Dublin can reveal as much graphic information as a lecture class; all you need to do is turn your head every once in awhile.

River Liffey

Okay, so maybe I did just point out what Dublin has done for my interests and passions, and how it has contributed to my major, after all. Still, I know I am not the only graphic design student, food-lover, petrol-head, or photo geek who considered studying in a fresh, new environment with entirely new opportunities and culture. I can guarantee—honestly, I’ve been here long enough now to be able to say this—that there is something for everyone in this city. What’s more, Dublin is the perfect jumping-off point; the possibilities are endless, and there’s no need to stay cooped up in your apartment, neighborhood, city, or even country. It will never be easier for you to take a weekend and visit yet another entirely different country. Again, it is all up to you to follow your interests and make the most of your semester.

Sand Lady

I think it’s time for me to stop being a walking—make that rambling—billboard for Champlain’s Study Abroad program, but seriously, I am excited and grateful for this experience, and I know many others can benefit from the same opportunity. Trust me, the paperwork isn’t that bad, and it is well worth the effort.

Micah Washburn

Champlain College Dublin Student Blogger

Champlain College Class of 2013.

A Week of Craic

2011-11-01T09:32:00.002Z

Of the 2months I have been in Dublin, last week was the busiest week I’ve had yet. OnTuesday, four fellow students and I went to a Michael Franti and Spearheadshow. We wasted no time after our night class and hopped on the bus to headover to The Academy on Middle Abbey Street. I was expecting there to be a hugeline outside with many people crowding the venue, but to my surprise it wasfairly empty. We got through the doors in no time at all and stood aroundwaiting for the show to start. Before we knew it, Michael Franti appeared onstage!

Forthose who don’t know, Michael Franti and Spearhead is a well-known band fromCalifornia and luckily for us, he was ending his European tour in Dublin. Theshow was incredible and he brought so much energy to the crowd. We stood rightin front and even got a chance to touch him. As the show went on, we madefriends with the Irish people around us who helped us get even closer to him.Toward the end of the show, two of my roommates were chosen to go on stage.Alex got to play guitar and Sarah got to sing with Michael. It was beyondamazing and we couldn’t even believe it was happening. We all agreed that itwas one of the best nights we’ve had here in Dublin and it’s definitelysomething we will never forget.

The nextday, a bunch of my classmates and I went to the National Concert Hall for ourCultural Immersion through Music class. We got a chance to see VladimirJablokov’s Classical Twist. To be honest, all I knew about him was that heplays violin and I knew what that would mean – a night of boring, classicalmusic. My little brother has been in orchestra ever since he was a kid, so Iknow how unentertaining listening to an orchestra can be. I was dreading thenight and really wished I didn’t have to go. I should have known, though, that our professor Caroline, would have better taste than that.

We had a meet and greet with Vladimir and he seemed likea really down to earth guy. He told us that he takes classical music and mashesit up with well-known songs like Eleanor Rigby and Free Bird. I was a littleimpressed by him telling us that, but I just wanted to hear it before I decidedif I liked his style or not. After a few minutes the show finally started and Iwas immediately captivated. Cool lights were going on and I heard the themesong for James Bond mixed with Mozart. There were loud drums and bass playingand then I heard the violin. It wasn’t boring at all! The music was fast paced,exciting, and even made me want to dance. Every song afterwards had my fullattention and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the evening. It was awonderful night out and I am glad that my view on orchestral instruments andeven classical music has considerably changed for the better.

On Thursday,after all classes had ended, we had a BBQ at the Academic Center. There wereall sorts of great food and were accompanied by students from the LinguavivaCentre. The students there were not Irish; but Spanish, German and French. Atfirst they didn’t really talk to us, but we knew we had to break the ice if wewanted to have a fun night. We all sat around eating our dinner and talkedabout anything we could think of. I learned that most of the girls there hadjust learned English only a few months ago, but to be honest it seemed likethey knew it for years.

I was surprised by how willing they were to talk to us,even though they didn’t feel they knew the language well enough. I also foundout that most of the girls I spoke with knew about four other differentlanguages. It made me put my own education in America into perspective.Americans never feel the need to learn more than one other language, but almosteveryone else in the world knows how to speak English. I felt like it was kindof unfair. I took Italian in high school and I couldn’t imagine living in Italyand being expected to have an actual conversation with anyone there. So I wasvery impressed by how much the students spoke to us and how they wanted tolearn from us.

A few ofus stayed in the Academic Center after everyone left and continued conversationwith our new friends. When it started to get late, we decided to leave but wedidn’t want the night with the international students to end, so we invitedthem back to our apartments. We all hung out in my room for the night. Weplayed card games and got a few lessons in German, Spanish and French. We allhad such a great time together that we exchanged numbers and made plans to hangout again over this weekend. The international students know about a Halloweenparty in the Temple Bar area, so we are excited to meet up with them again andhave another great night. Even though the students we just met aren’t Irish,they certainly aren’t American. I think at this point the students here atChamplain are willing to meet anyone since so far the only interactions we’vehad with students our own age have been American. I think that our new foundfriends can help us learn a few things about ourselves and hopefully we canhelp them learn some things as well, even if it is just English. I can’t waitfor our friendships to grow and to become go home with a sense of overallknowledge on more than just the Irish culture.

Cat Stamm

Champlain College Dublin Student Blogger

ChamplainCollege Class of 2013

Champlain Criac: Fall 2011 Vol 05

2011-10-27T15:29:00.002+01:00

Craic F11 05

Climbing Sugarloaf (Not The One in Maine)

2011-10-26T12:42:00.000+01:00

This past Saturday I ventured out along with a group of seven other Champlain students to climb Sugarloaf Mountain... not the one in Maine. We took the Dublin Bus 145 for roughly an hour and half to Kilmacanogue, where we got our first views of our challenge, and the skies opened up. As we made our way past several quaint cottages and through a narrow dirt vein in the tall grass the rain began to intensify. The harder the rain lashed the steeper the mountain got. Not being in the greatest of shape, and not being a fan of trudging through mud in soaking wet clothes during a monsoon, I considered stopping at several points to make my way back to the pub that we saw on the way to the base. The others in the group did a great job encouraging each other to make it the top.

The last chunk of the mountain required us to scramble up some rocks, each giving those behind ideas on what rocks were best footholds. When we got to the top we were so excited that it took a few minutes for us to realize that there was no view from the top. The rainy weather had created a thick fog preventing us from seeing a thing. I didn’t even bother trying to take any pictures of the view, because there wasn’t one, but I’m sure on a sunny day the view would be wonderful. While there was no view, the fog made me feel as though I had hiked so high up I was in the clouds, and from the way my thighs felt the next day it sure seemed like it.

The journey down was less damp, but my shoes developed the traction of blocks of ice. Once we all skidded down the mountain, we headed to the pub I had considered abandoning the group for. We took off our damp outer layers and warmed up as much as possible before getting back on the bus to Dublin. As a novice hiker I felt accomplished having tackled the 1,644 ft Sugarloaf. While to some in the group the physical hiking aspect wasn’t a challenge, for all the weather was. We successfully reached the summit of Sugarloaf on a day of record rainfall in the area. Despite my lack of experience, the lashing rains, whipping winds, and slick conditions, I enjoyed hiking Sugarloaf and may even invest in a pair of much needed hiking boots.

Laurl O'Meara

Champlain College Dublin Student

Champlain Class of 2013

Work of Champlain's Cybercrime lecturer featured in the Irish Times

2011-10-26T09:11:00.002+01:00

The Irish Times ran an article about research into printer security flaws conducted by Daniel O'Connor, an MSc student at Dublin City University. The research was supervised by Renaat Verbruggen, Chair of the MSc in Security and Forensic Computing at DCU. Renaat is also Champlain College Dublin's lecturer on Cybercrime.

The research focused on security flaws in printers that may may allow access to them over the internet relatively easy, and leave them open to exploitation. Printers are often not set with passwords, making access by intruders a fairly simple matter.

For more information, the article from the Irish Times can be found here.

Volunteering at Fighting Words

2011-10-24T09:15:00.000+01:00

Reading and writing are two skills that are necessary for succeeding in the modern day world. Education is supremely important especially as we become increasingly reliant on technology. However, due to the widespread use of technology, kids have less interest in reading and writing, two vital skills to literacy that they don’t want. Books have fallen to the Internet and video games; writing has fallen into texting and instant messaging slang. Teachers and schools can’t control the kids’ tendencies because the more the schools push, forcing kids to read books and write reports, the more negative associations kids get with the skills. Clearly, the current approach in schools isn’t working and perhaps furthers the problem.

Fighting Words is a new organization that encourages primary and secondary school children to write, founded by Irish author Roddy Doyle. Every week day a different group of primary school children come to the center to write a story. As a volunteer at the center, I have seen how just one morning allows the children to express themselves and their creativity through a story they begin collectively. Getting the students excited about writing is one of the best ways to ensure they won’t view it completely negatively and will look to it as an option in the future. It’s the best way to change the trends that are being seen increasingly.

Upon arriving at Fighting Words, the children get their headshots taken for their ‘About the Author’ page and open the ‘magic door’ before settling as a group to create and vote in their characters along with their biggest wishes and fears. This process gets the children to create their own original characters and to warm up their imaginations. It also serves to show anything is acceptable and that any character can successfully carry the story. Sometimes the main character is a tree, others a dragon, and others an X-box addict. The characters are sometimes realistic and others have a complex mythology, yet they all make interesting stories that are completely shaped by the young writers. These characters then take center stage as collectively the students start to write the story, until it reaches a point where each student has a different idea on where to take the story.

They are then sent to complete the story individually with the help of volunteers like me who mostly serve as encouragement. After some writing time, the students submit their work to the cranky resident editor, Mrs. McConky, who briefly reviews and then decides to publish their work. The publication allows the children to have a finished piece to bring home at the end of the day to show their parents and prove that they’re capable of writing something worthy of being published. It also helps them to understand the writing and publishing process in a way that departs from the typical classroom setting.

Being a part of this volunteer work is rewarding because of the way the children are able to flourish and have a chance to create something completely of their own. There’s something special about having total ownership over an idea and a virtual person that makes writing and reading the characters rewarding. The creativity of the children also is inspiring to volunteers because it’s exciting to see what the kids will create each day. It’s a reminder that reading and writing aren’t always related to school and aren’t always boring as many people believe.

Allison Harrow - Champlain College Class of 2013

(Editors note: Allison is one of 8 of our students volunteering at Fighting Words this term.)

The Trouble with Guests

2011-10-21T16:10:00.001+01:00

It’shard to believe it, but mid terms are in full swing at Champlain CollegeDublin! The past two months have disappeared and the blustery fall weather hastaken hold. Mid terms are similar any other class I have taken at the Burlingtoncampus. While the work load is more than an average week, I have found itmanageable. Adding to the stress of mid terms however is the arrival of two ofmy friends from back home as well as my dad and stepmom. I have seen all of thetouristy sights that I had wanted to see (the Guinness Factory, KilmainhamGaol, Dublin Castle), and had spent far too much money shopping on GraftonStreet. Of course I wanted to hang out with them, but I also didn’t want tospend money on activities I had already done. It didn’t take much research forme to realize that I hadn’t experienced nearly as much of Dublin as I thought Ihad, and easily found activities that interested both me and my guests.

OnFriday morning, after all of my guests had gotten over their jet lag (for themost part), we met at St. Stephen’s Green to take a Viking Splash Tour. Now, Iam all about doing corny tourist activities, but I have to say this is one ofthe most touristy things I ever done. I decided to embrace my touristy side andhave fun with it. The big yellow boats (the same ones used by the Boston DucksTours) became our vessel for the afternoon. We all donned horned Viking helmetsand set sail through the city of Dublin. Our captain instructed us to yell atenemy vessels (double deck tour buses) and at anyone holding a map or cup ofcoffee (tourists). While I can’t say that I learned anything new on the tour,it was a great time!

Viking Splash Tour

Onour next outing we went to the Museum of Natural History. I had heard mixedreviews from others that I had gone before. Some had found it creepy; othershad found it extremely interesting. Personally, it didn’t take much to get overthe taxidermy aspect. The museum consisted of only two floors, but both werepacked with animals. The first floor consisted of animals native to Ireland,and the second of animals from all over the world. It would have taken theentire day to read about every exhibit piece, and it is a place I willdefinitely be going back to before I leave Dublin.

Anothertouristy Dublin attraction that I hadn’t gone to is the Wax Museum. The outsidehad always intrigued me with its colourful cascading red lights and skeletons,but the fact that it cost money deterred me from going. I had gotten toocomfortable with free admission to museums, something that a majority ofmuseums in Dublin offer. At only €9 it was a great value for the nearly threehours we spent there. The first floor contained historical scenes, while therest of the museum featured famous Dubliners. Personally, my favourite floorwas the children’s floor, where those willing could crawl through a tunnelfeaturing scenes from outer space and Gulliver’s Travels.

Dublin Wax Museum

AsSunday approached, my homework took precedent, and I decided to let my guestsgo and explore Dublin on their own. While I felt rather guilty for onlyspending two entire days with them, I helped them get a feel for the city,making it easier for them to go out on their own. As Monday rolled around itwas difficult to know that my guests were visiting Cork, exploring DublinCastle, or shopping on Grafton Street without me, but I remembered that Iwasn’t just abroad, I was studying abroad, and part of the experience is goingto classes. My guests are gone by now, and while it is sad to see them go it isnice to get to show them around Dublin, a city I have come to love and that isstarting to feel like home.

Laurel O'Meara

Champlain College Dublin Student Blogger

Champlain College Class of 2013

Champlain Craic Fall 2011 Vol 4

2011-10-20T15:55:00.002+01:00

Craic F11 04

Juno & The Paycock

2011-10-19T10:50:00.001+01:00

It's sometimes a difficult task getting students to give up a weekend evening for something like a boring trip to the theatre... especially when the play was written buy "some Irish guy" in 1924. That is the feat we faced when we purchased tickets for all of our students to see Juno & The Paycock... thankfully, after some arm twisting, thirty-five of our thirty-eight students took advantage of our generosity, donned their nicest clothes (not required) and joined myself and a few faculty members at the Abbey Theatre last weekend.

"I killin' meself workin', an' he sthruttin'
about from mornin' till night like a paycock"

:: Juno Boyle

Sinéad Cusack as Juno Boyle in Juno and the Paycock by Sean O'Casey directed by Howard Davies. Photo by Mark Douet

I think some of the students may have been a bit skeptical upon arrival, but as soon as the curtain was raised everyone was mesmerized. At times the Dublin slang and historical importance may have been lost in translation, but the breathtaking set (I could see loose threads hanging from the threadbare curtains and hear the sizzle and crack of sausages being cooked on the full working stove) and talent of the star studded cast (there was no mistaking pain in the tremble of a voice or joy in a twinkle of an eye) kept everyone enthralled.

Juno and the Paycock revolves around the four members of the Boyle family, living in a tenement house during the Irish Civil War. 'Captain' Jack Boyle, seemingly allergic to work, drinks his way through the day. Mary, the daughter is on strike and the son, Johnny, has been injured in the war. This leave the matriarch, Juno, as the sole breadwinner for the house. As the story unfolds an eclectic cast of characters is introduced and the Boyle family goes from a comedic high (when they think all their problems have been solved by learning of a great inheritance headed their way) to the lowest of lows (upon realizing the wealth will never materialize even though they've already spent the bulk of it).

Juno & the Paycock ended with a touch of sorrow... sorrow for the Boyles and sorrow for those of us who were, for the previous two hours, totally wrapped up in the performance. I can only hope that the students were moved half as much as I was by Sean O'Casey's depiction of life in Dublin during a different time of great economic turmoil and social inequity which is still present in the living memory of Ireland.

For more information about this production of Juno & the Paycock at the Abbey Theatre, watch this video from www.abbeytheatre.ie

Juno and the Paycock by Sean O'Casey from Abbey Theatre on Vimeo.

::Claire Gannon, Champlain College Dublin Staff

Champlain College Dublin Faculty & Staff

2011-10-13T13:14:00.002+01:00

We're very proud of the team we've assembled at Champlain College Dublin for the Fall 2011 semester. So here's some further information about who we are!
Dublin Staff and Faculty

Go North, Young Man

2011-10-13T10:40:00.000+01:00

Here I sit once again folks, trying to figure out just where tobegin my report on our latest adventures. At this point in the program—almosthalfway done, can you believe it? —I am starting to notice more and more hubbubregarding travel plans. Thanksgiving break is fast approaching, and althoughmany people are organizing weekend trips all over Europe, the majority of themore special destinations are being reserved for those ten days at the end ofnext month. Sometimes though, just traveling a short distance away from thecity we’re so used to at this point does wonders for clearing the head, and canbe extremely educational as well.

This was exactly the case with our program-wide trip this pastweekend to explore Northern Ireland. Our estranged brother to the North has hada very rough political history, stemming from a wide rift between the Catholicand Protestant groups in the area. The past forty years have been marked withcivil war, referred to locally as the Troubles, in which discrimination betweenthe two primary religious and political groups has resulted in extreme acts ofviolence. It has just been within the past few years that these troubles havediminished significantly enough to allow relatively safe tourist travel.

Our taxi tour of Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, broughtus to the famous murals depicting numerous aspects of the city’s troubledhistory. Painted on the sides of houses and apartments all over the city, eachmural had its own message outlining a piece of history, an event, or a publicfeeling. Wandering among these huge images was truly a staggering experience,as I could feel the somber weight of the area through these artistic landmarks.

Murals

Just around the corner from these stunning pieces of art we wereshown a seven-meter tall wall dividing the Protestant quarter in which we hadstarted from the Catholics on the other side. Throughout Northern Ireland, hugewalls were erected in the late-1960s and early ‘70s as temporary solutions tothe violence between Catholic and Protestant communities. Despite officialsinsisting at the time that these Peace Lines were temporary, our guidessomberly pointed out that in forty years there has been no real progress towardremoving them. Our tour of Belfast was a fascinating look at the parts ofIreland that people don’t typically think of. Stepping off the bus and into theblack London Taxis with our guides, I could almost feel the heaviness in theair, encouraging me to tread softly, lest the uneasy balance the city hadreached were to be swayed.

Peace

After leaving Belfast, we continued North to the small coastal townof Ballintoy on the very tip-top of the island. Barring stopping the bus forone of the more humiliating moments of my life—I drank too much Diet Coke withlunch... let’s leave it at that—the drive was quite a relaxing one, and the viewsonce we reached the coast were incredibly rewarding. After we arrived, if theview across the ocean to Scotland wasn’t enough of a reminder of where we were,the stampede of sheep up the main road, with a small group of young herders anda line of cars following close behind certainly proved the point.

Chase

We spent the night in a cozy hostel on the side of a hill, followinga fantastic home-cooked pasta dinner and an extremely entertaining evening atone of the two pubs in the tiny town. Enjoying the music of a local performerquickly turned into a full-on karaoke night with live accompaniment, to whichnearly everyone—including Stephen and Claire—contributed at least one tune. Weall settled into bed with our stomachs full of the delicious food the hostelowners had prepared, smiles on our faces, and some of the best memories Iforesee having from this trip.

The following morning, we were treated to another extremelysatisfying meal of homemade sausage, eggs, and bread, then continued up thestreet to the Ballintoy Rope Bridge. Many of us were a bit uneasy at firstsight of the seemingly fragile pathway suspended between two rocky peaks, aravine of frothy tide churning far below, but it proved to be a welcomeexperience. All it takes is a couple of steps forward to reach out of yourcomfort zone.

Bridge

After a brief visit to a castle ruins overlooking the cliffs and yetanother satisfying meal—the most impressive burger I have ever had, at theSmuggler’s Inn in Bushmills, Co. Antrim—we continued to the famed Giants’Causeway. This huge formation of Basalt has long been the subject of localfolklore as well as one of the most notable geological events in Europe.

Causeway

As our journey wound down and our trusty bus pilot Kieran shuttledus three hours back home, I shuffled through the more than 300 photos I hadtaken over the span of just two days, reflecting on one of the most spectacularweekends I have ever had. The mix of historical education, social encounters,adventure, and good food was a perfect escape from the typical school-yeardrag. I think these rewarding experiences are exactly why studying abroadappealed to me so much, and I believe everyone can greatly benefit from justthese situations.

Until next time,

Micah

Micah Washburn

Champlain College Dublin Student Blogger

Champlain College Class of 2012

Gaelic Games

2011-10-10T09:51:00.001+01:00

Last weekend about 12 other students and I went toExperience Gaelic Games which operates out of Na Fianna GAA Club to play sometraditional Irish sports. It was a Saturday morning and it was pouring outside.Most of us were not too enthusiastic about going because of the rain, but oncewe made it there our spirits rose. We walked in and the people there were sowarm and welcoming. They gave us a few minutes to dry off and offered uscoffee, tea and cookies. Who could be upset about that? They gave us a shortpresentation on handball, Gaelic football and hurling to show us the basics.

Before we knew it, we were off to the handball courtgetting ready to play. We did a few exercises to get used to hitting the balland received a quick briefing on the rules. With almost no practice, we werebroken up into teams and had a handball match. When it was my teams turn to go,I was pretty nervous. But then, out of nowhere, I was quickly brought back tomy days in elementary school. I remembered playing handball almost every dayduring recess. After realizing I already knew how to play, I felt ridiculousfor ever forgetting that and soon fell into the swing of the game.

Once we finished with handball, we learned the basics ofGaelic football. Gaelic football is like soccer only you are allowed to touchthe ball with your hands. We practiced passing the ball to each other, whichwas by bouncing it off our hands kind of like in volleyball and we alsopracticed soloing. In Gaelic football you can’t run more than four steps withthe ball in your hand so to continue to move down the field you either pass theball or do something called soloing. This means you take the ball and drop itonto your foot and kick it back up to yourself. It’s pretty hard to get usedto, especially if you have no background in soccer.

When we got a feel for what we were doing, we wentoutside onto the field and had a scrimmage against each other. For a bunch ofAmericans who have never played the game before I don’t think we did too badly!It was a little hard to get used to not taking more than four steps and it wasdifficult to remember that we couldn’t just throw the ball to pass, but soon weall got the hang of it. Although we had a ton of fun playing Gaelic football, Ithink most of us were looking forward to playing hurling.

Hurling is the fastest field sport in the world. I candefinitely vouch for that because I was ready to take a break about 45 secondsinto the game. Hurling is a mixture of hockey, baseball, and lacrosse. It’s byfar the hardest sport I’ve ever tried to play and is not something one cansimply just pick up and be good at. The stick used is called a hurley and theball, which is about the size of a tennis ball, is called a sliotar. Before ourscrimmage, we practiced picking the sliotar up off the ground with our hurley.We had to get really low to the ground and put our hurley on top of the ballthen roll our hurley quickly under the sliotar so that it ended up on top ofour hurley. Then we practiced balancing the sliotar on our hurleys and passingthe ball by knocking the sliotar off our stick and hitting it with our hand. Wealso practiced hitting the sliotar down the field, which was my favorite part.Finally, all those years of playing softball paid off.

Once we finished practicing it was scrimmage time. Wewere running up and down the field not making much progress at first, but thenwe started blocking each other and scoring goals. The boys dominated the field,but I think most of the goals scored were made by the girls. We were having somuch fun running around, slapping sticks, trying to pick up the ball andhitting into each other (unintentionally, of course). As fun as it was, thegame was very exhausting and for some of us, a little painful, but definitelyworth it.

Even though some of us were complaining about the rainand being tired, after partaking in the Gaelic games we knew we made the rightdecision by going. We all had a blast and I wish we could have stayed longer.It was a great experience and I’m glad I’ll get to go home and tell everyone Ilearned the two most traditional Irish sports from the Irish themselves.

Cat Stamm

Champlain College Dublin Student Blogger

Champlain College Class of 2013

Culture Night 2011

2011-10-03T12:14:00.000+01:00

It is October already and Autumn is infull swing in Dublin. The leaves are changing color from green togolden yellow, the temperature is dropping and another year of Gaelicgames have reached their climax. In the month that student have beenhere they have seen and done many things from rooting for Dublin inthe All-Ireland Championship Gaelic Football game to traveling to thewest coast for a weekend and even building their own traditionalIrish drum, which they will soon learn to play.

Every year at the beginning of Fall museums, art galleries and studios, churches and otherhistorical buildings open their doors for Culture Night. Since itsstart Culture Night has grown to include over 30 towns and cities inIreland. This year in Dublin over 150 venues participated in theevent, which is primarily aimed at encouraging locals andvisitors alike to experience the cultural scene. Admission to allevents is free while during the rest of the year there may be a smalladmission price or the venue may not even be open to the public.

Photo from: www.culturenight.ie

Culture Night was broken up intosections such as the North Georgian Quarter, Temple Bar and TrinityCollege to make it easier to find events and plan a route. Studentshad the opportunity to the check out several art galleries andstudios within a few blocks of the apartments including La CatedralStudios. Others ventured across the river to the Outhouse, whichdebuted a number of short films focusing on the LGBT community in andaround Dublin. A popular attraction was Dublinia, an exhibit aboutthe Viking and Medieval settlements in Dublin, which had lines aroundthe corner. With hundreds of events going on simultaneously it wasimpossible to attend all of them but many of the students were outand about getting a cultural experience unlike any other all evening.

Annie Grantham
Champlain College Dublin Head Resident

Egg Throwing Hoodlums & Sleeping in Airports

2011-09-29T13:14:00.000+01:00

A couple Thursdays ago I was walking home for theacademic center with some friends. I was so caught up in our conversationsabout our weekend plans that I didn’t notice the trio of youths crouching nextto a graffiti splattered wall parallel to us. I sensed something flying throughthe air headed in our direction, and screeched as an egg splattered on theconcrete next to us. It was followed by another one, as well as a slew of cursewords that children that age shouldn’t know. I turned around to say somethingto the little punks, but they had booked it down an alley way. Naturally theincident was all we could talk about for the remainder of our walk to ourapartment. The kids had clearly targeted us because we were American. It was rushhour and out of the dozens of others on the sidewalk they picked us. We weretalking loud enough for them to realize our nationality, and we looked oldenough for them to know that we wouldn’t go after them.

After the egging incident I wasangry. I had never had anything intentionally thrown at me before, especiallynot by someone I didn’t even know. It shocked me that these were children nomore than 10 years old. What did I do to provoke them? My encounter with thesehoodlums scared me. The next week I was scheduled to begin working in a 3^rdyear classroom with kids roughly that age. I wondered if they would treat mewith the same amount of disrespect.

Now, I am in no way trying to painta bad picture of the overall population of Dublin. I have met dozens ofextremely warm and welcoming people. Every time I have gone out to eat, or to apub I have met friendly and curious Dubliners. It is obvious from my accentthat I am from the States, and it has only sparked curiosity in those whohaven’t been there. A lot of the males I have met want to talk about politics,especially Obama, and most of the females want to talk about pop culture. Ihave been given tips from locals on where the best shopping areas are, wherethe best pubs are, and where to get the cheapest fish n’ chips. But becausehumans (especially females) are emotional creatures, I could only think aboutmy encounter with the egg throwing hoodlums.

I was convinced that the students atmy placement were going to perhaps not literally, but figuratively throw eggsat me. It didn’t help when I found out my placement was in a school in arougher part of the city. I was warned by my professor that the students weregoing to be sassy. I was relieved after my sass-free first day. The kids andteachers were almost overly welcoming and eager to meet me. The students (allof whom were girls), had fabulous questions. They asked me about what I wasdoing when Obama was elected, if I remembered 9/11, if I had ever voted, and howmany languages I knew. They sang me a song, taught me some Gaelic, and showedme around their school with kindness and enthusiasm. I was equally asdisappointed as they were when my time was up. If I could have I would havestayed and learned with them all day.

The egg tossing pre-teens representa small minority of the population of Dublin. The majority of the city is fullof people who will go out of their way to help you. If you live anywhere longenough you will find its egg throwers. It’s all a part of becoming immersed inthe culture. To make a horrible analogy, Dublin is a like a breakfast sandwich.Eggs are just one of the ingredients that make it the city what it is. Thebacon, cheese, and bun are there to hold it together and to make it what it is,scrumptious!

******

While getting culturally immersed inDublin is all well and good, I also took my first of hopefully many moreexcursions outside of Ireland this past weekend. The trip to London is thefirst one we planned, and what a learning experience the planning process was!Finding a cheap flight to London was easy fairly easy. We booked a BritishMidland International fight leaving Dublin at 8:40PM on a Thursday andreturning to Dublin at 6:40AM that Sunday. We choose it because it was cheaperthan flying out on a Friday morning and returning on a Sunday night. We bookedthe flight not knowing that public transportation doesn’t run until 7:00AM onSundays in London, and that to take a taxi from where we were staying to theairport would cost us an arm and a leg each. We realized this too late to doanything about it, and just took the last train to Heathrow Airport at 1:00AMon Sunday. Unlike the others in my group, I actually slept quite comfortably inairport; however it is a sleeping arrangement that I would prefer not to findmyself in again. My sleep schedule is still skewed from the experience.

Another minor detail that we didn’tplan far enough in advance is where we were going to be staying in London. Uponbooking the flight there were plenty of rooms available in hostels in theLondon area, so we decided to wait to book a room. With two weeks to go wedecided to book it, only to find that everything was either booked, would costus a small fortune, or had reviews on hostelbookers.com that read “Beware…bedbugs, lice, scabies!” We accepted our fate that we were going to be sleeping onthe streets of London for a few nights until a friend referred us toairbnb.com.

Airbnb is awebsite where people can post rooms or entire houses for rent. You simplysearch the location you are travelling to and dozens of surprisingly affordableoptions pop up. The concept sounds sketchy, but we decided to go for it as itwas that or a park bench. We decided to rent an apartment in Walthamstow postedby a young couple, Jess and Luke. It was significantly cheaper than a hostel,and they provided breakfast food for us. While we did get slightly lost findingour way there at 1:00AM, I loved every minute of our stay in their home. It wasimpeccably clean, cozy and was located in a quiet suburb of the city of London.Jess and Luke left us guide books, suggestions on what to do, and a greatselection of movies to watch. Getting in to the city from their apartment wasas easy as a 20 minute Tube ride. The only downside to our stay is that wenever got to meet the couple as they were on holiday. I had a great firstexperience with the site and plan on using it to book all of my lodgingaccommodations from now on (more than 2 weeks in advance of course!)

Despite our lack of planning, we had a wonderful timein London. In only 2 days we saw Big Ben, St. James Park, Buckingham Palace,took a ride on the London Eye, zipped along an a river boat cruise, went to theImperial War Museum, and the British Museum all of us running solely on excitedenergy. From this travel experience I learned that paying more for convenientflight times is worth it (I now know why airlines can get away with jacking uptheir prices at theses time), and looking into the public transportation systembefore hand is a must. With each trip I book the process will become easier,and by the time I return to Vermont I will be a trip planning pro!

Laurel O'Meara

Champlain College Dublin Student Blogger

Champlain College Class of 2013

Champlain Craic: Fall 2011 Volume 3

2011-09-22T14:14:00.004+01:00

Craic F11 03

Arthur's Day - Celebration or Marketing Genius?

2011-09-22T09:51:00.000+01:00

For the 250th anniversary of the establishment of their world-famous brewery in Dublin, Guinness launched a celebration called Arthur's Day, named after Arthur Guinness, the brewery founder. There were concerts throughout the city, prize give-aways, television coverage, and even events in New York, Kuala Lumpur, and Lagos. An Post even released a special stamp to commemorate the day. Guinness drinkers were encouraged to head to their local pub on September 22, and raise a glass to the creamy stout at 17:59 (the brewery was established in 1759) and call a toast to Arthur.

By all accounts it was a phenomenal success. So successful in fact that Diageo, the conglomerate that now own Guinness, have made it an annual event, and adding concerts in Limerick and Galway in additon to Dublin. I can't decide if this is crass commercialism or marketing genius. Imagine inventing a day where everyone is encouraged to purchase your product and celebrate its founder, and have that day enter the national psyche. The first time it was done, in 2009, it was great, but I sense that long-term residents of Ireland tire of the 'celebration' (the students, who obviously only get the current incarnation of Arthur's Day love it). In fact, a 'fiercely local' pub in Stonybatter, north Dublin, is launching an anti-Arthur's Day to celebrate all that is great about microbrew and craft beers, and to 'rage against the PR machine' of Diagio.

I know which one I'd rather attend.

Stephen

Pinching Pennies and Luck from Mummies

2011-09-22T09:18:00.001+01:00

Can it really be true that we have only been here for a month? I feel like I have already experienced so much; it surprises and excites me that I have barely scratched the surface of my time here. I now feel quite comfortable navigating the city, I have located the only store in Dublin that sells linguine, I know the best place to buy Pringles is from the lady with the stall on the corner of Meath street, and I have cut my travel time to the Academic Centre down to a mere twenty minutes on a crowded morning.

Now that I am finally settled into the daily flow of life in the city and being back in school after summer break, the issue of money has taken a prominent place in my weekly planning. It is very easy at first arrival to feel the need to go out and experience everything all at once; there are so many exciting new shops, places to eat, and of course the pubs; all begging you to empty your pockets on a daily basis. I have had to rein myself in, however, as my bank account is not nearly as robust as it was a month ago.

I took part in a budgeting workshop Stephen organized, which consisted of planning a budget for the four-month span we are here, based on how much money we brought with us. In addition to laying out daily and weekly expenses, we were encouraged to outline additional travel expenses, both within Ireland and to the rest of Europe. After finding a budget that seemed appropriate, I tracked my expenses for a week to see if my plan was realistic. I was quite pleased when I found I only overspent my modestly planned weekly budget by €3. I can’t recommend this type of exercise enough. Taking an active role in examining my financial position and planning everything out for the full four months has motivated me to keep an eye on what I’m spending, and see just how close I can get to my weekly goals. Living in another country, especially without the sustainable income I would find at home, opens up new challenges, but it’s a wonderful exercise in becoming a more self-sufficient and responsible adult.

Pinching pennies and carefully tracking expenses does not mean you can’t get out and experience much of what Dublin has to offer. Stephen, Claire, and Annie are very good at finding students events and attractions of interest that are quite often reasonably priced, and even in some cases free of charge. This past Saturday I took the opportunity to join Annie and a small troupe of fellow students on a visit to St. Michan’s Church, the oldest parish church in the north side of Dublin. Inside, we were greeted with beautiful wood and stone architecture, impressive stained-glass windows, and a stunning pipe organ on which Handel is rumored to have practiced his masterpiece Messiah. The real attraction, however, was what lay below the church: a series of crypts dating back to the 17th century that are accessible for guided tours. Despite only being on his second day of employment, our guide provided a wealth of knowledge regarding the history of both the vaults themselves and the families entombed inside.

The culminating experience for me was the ritual shaking of the hand of the crypt’s oldest resident, referred to as the Crusader. The mummified remains of a soldier, who was too tall to fit in a coffin and so was cut into pieces to fit, is supposed to bring a year of good luck to whomever touches his right hand. Realistically, I don’t know how much luck I can expect from a legless mummy, but hey, it can’t hurt to make new acquaintances while abroad.

Micah Washburn

Champlain College Dublin Student Blogger

Champlain College Class of 2012

A Weekend in the West

2011-09-16T11:08:00.000+01:00

Growing up, my father always told me stories about how he and his friends would gallivant around Queens causing the sort of trouble every teenage boy does, going on adventures, and just plain old having fun. Every time I heard one of his stories, I always wished that I was able to do that. I imagined myself doing as I pleased, walking around laughing with my best friends, and exploring parts of my town without fear. It may have taken 20 years, but finally I got to experience what my dad always talked about.

Last weekend my 37 fellow students and I went on a trip to Western Ireland. We stopped at some pretty incredible places along the way, but one of the first was Corcomroe Abbey. The abbey was a monastery built between 1205 and 1210. It was quite interesting to walk around and see how old some of the tombstones were. The oldest one I could find was from 1775, but I'm sure there were way older ones considering some of the stones had no dates at all. There's really only so much one can see at a cemetery, so I decided to walk around the perimeter of the abbey. There was a little stone wall separating the abbey from a smaller structure. I thought to myself, “Sweet, no one's even over here. I'll be the first one of the group to explore it.” I peered over the wall and it was only about a 3 foot jump onto some grass. As I jumped over the wall I slowly realized the grass I was standing on had water under it. I was almost up to my knees in mud that was almost like quicksand before I finally got out. I thankfully didn't lose my sneakers coming out, so Adventure #1 was only a semi-failure.

After changing my shoes and cleaning up a bit, we went to a 5,000 year old ruin called the Burren. It was pretty cool and the view was quite beautiful, but there was no adventure here.

Next we went to the Cliffs of Moher. What an amazing place that was. I've never seen something so exquisite, yet scary. My roommates and I climbed the stairs to the top of the cliffs and approached a wall that said not to climb over. Typically I follow the rules, but you only live once right? We climbed over the wall. My roommate Sarah is deathly afraid of cliffs and even she climbed over! I love the fact that being in a different part of the world we become more confident and a little bit less fearful. From talking to everyone else here, it seems like the general consensus is that we'll probably never get to experience being abroad again, so why not do things we normally wouldn't do? Adventure #2 was a success.

We finished walking around the top of the cliffs and then made our way to Doolin which is where our hostel was. We had gotten their fairly early and had a decent amount of time to go on a little expedition before we had to meet for dinner. My roommates and I quickly settled in to our rooms and then walked down the road to where there was a beach. The area of Doolin that we were staying in was extremely small and didn't have much for us to do, so the beach was definitely our best option. We walked along a stone wall and came to a fence, which we of course jumped over. I'm confident that jumping over fences and walls makes an adventure way more exciting. We ran up a huge hill that overlooked the ocean. In the distance we could see a waterfall. Being there reminded me of home and I loved every minute of it. We walked down to the water, despite the signs warning us of danger. Disregarding warnings always makes an adventure more exciting as well. When it was time to leave, we climbed back up the hill and we were faced with a heard of cows. There was probably a little more than 10 of them and they were coming toward us, mooing loudly. They were extremely close to us and I thought they would run us off the hill. As I was walking away from them, I stepped in a cow pie. I should probably start wrapping my sneakers in plastic. Despite my lack of paying attention to where I walk; Adventure #3 was an overall success.

The next day we made a trip up to Galway, which reminded me so much of Burlington. I saw people my own age roaming the streets and immediately knew it was a college city. We walked around for a bit and decided to go to the rugby game that was playing near our hostel. Unfortunately, when we got there it had started to rain and we couldn't find any tickets for sale. We went to a local pub instead and watched a soccer game. The rest of the night consisted of us exploring the city and meeting new people. It was a ton of fun and if I get the chance to go back to Galway, I definitely will.

Not much adventure happened for the rest of the weekend. I figured I would give my sneakers time to recover. The weekend as a whole though, regardless of a few failures, was incredible and I'm not only happy that I went, but grateful too that Champlain gives us time to take these sort of trips. It's nice to feel like an explorer every once in a while and just go out on your own to discover new things. At home I probably would never think of just packing up to go somewhere I haven't been for the weekend. This trip has definitely opened my eyes to trying new things and covering new grounds, even if I might feel scared or nervous about doing so.

Cat Stamm

Champlain College Dublin Student Blogger

Champlain College Class of 2013

Champlain Craic: Fall 2011 Volume 02

2011-09-15T15:37:00.003+01:00

Craic F11 02

A New Spin on the West Coast Trip

2011-09-13T16:04:00.000+01:00

This past weekend was the first of our two weekend trips for the Champlain College Dublin program. This time it's 3 days on the beautiful west coast!

Our first offical stop for our trip this past weekend was at Corcomroe Abbey (Mainistir Chorco Modhruadh)located just outside the village of Ballyvaughan, in the Burren region of County Clare. This 13th century monastery is full of detailed carvings and ornamentation, making it a very beautiful stop. Though the abbey has not been occupied since the 17th century, the surrounding cemetery is still in use.

Students at Corcomroe Abbey

From there we took a driving tour of The Burren (Boireann), a stunningly desolate limestone plain in County Clare. Poulnabrone (Poll na mBrón) dolmen, a 5,000 year old neolithic tomb, was our stop in The Burren. The tomb, a marvel of ancient construction, is made of two slender stone slabs supporting a huge capstone.

Students at Poulnabrone Dolmen

From there it was off to the Cliffs of Moher, where a break from showers granted us a few moments of sunshine and gorgeous views. At their highest point the cliffs are a shocking 218m high and winds off the Atlantic Ocean can be so strong as to blow people off the cliffs. Don't worry... the area open to the public at the visitor's centre has a protective wall to keep people from getting too close to the cliff.

The day ended in the little village of Doolin, where we gathered for a big group dinner at McDermott's Pub and those of us who weren't ready for bed stayed on to listen to some traditional Irish music.

Rainbows on the road to Galway

In the morning we woke to unfortunate news. Hurricane Katia was sweeping across the Atlantic Ocean causing gale-force winds with giant sea swells and making the waters unsafe for the ferry from Doolin to Inis Oirr to sail. Instead of heading to the smallest of the Aran Islands we headed north to Galway City where we let the students have a bit of time to explore and get lunch.

Joe Joyce

Soon enough we were back on the bus heading into the mountains to find Joyce Country Sheepdogs, run by sheep farmer Joe Joyce. He invites people to his home where he demonstrates the art of sheep herding and training the sheepdogs. Despite the gusting wind and rain showers (suddenly missing out on the Aran Islands wasn't looking quite so bad), the dogs... and puppies were great company for the afternoon.

View from Joyce's Farm

Back in Galway the students had the evening to themselves. In the morning we departed Snoozles Hostel to head for Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. Though not part of our original itinerary it was a stop that had enough indoor activities to keep us occupied in the rain. The castle and folk park gives visitors a glimpse into what living conditions would have been like throughout Irish history, from the great castle built in 1425 to the Kerry fisherman and even into the home of the Hughes Brothers, famous in Ireland for HB Icecream!

Bunratty Castle

Our final destination was a very quick stop in Moneygall, home of President Barack Obama's Irish ancestors. During his trip to Ireland this past May, President Obama visited this small village and even partook in a pint at the local pub. The village has taken it's link to the president very seriously and is now full of American flags and Obama memorabelia.

Ollie Hayes' Pub where the Presidential Pint was poured

Despite having to resort to Plan B, this past weekends trip was a great success... now if only the winds from Katia would calm down and leave us with some sunshine for a bit.

All the best,
Claire Gannon
Champlain College Dublin Operations Manager

Click here for more pictures!

€4 Eggs and Marble Arch Caves

2011-09-08T13:26:00.000+01:00

When I arrived in the unfamiliar city of Dublin, I decided that the best way to get to know this unfamiliar city was to try unfamiliar things. My first few days here I just plain explored the city. I had no itinerary, no destination, and no idea how to get back to the lovely St. Augustine Apartments. On one of my adventures around the city I found myself strolling by a Mediterranean market, and thought to myself, “wow, I wonder it’s like inside”? Trying to embrace my new love of the unfamiliar, I decided, “why not go in rather than forever wonder what is inside”? I went in and was bombarded by a cornucopia of exotic spices, fruit juices, and economy sized bags of rice. While exploring the meat counter selection, (which included sheep brain and cow tongue), I noticed that they had crates of 30 eggs for €4, a fantastic deal, much better than the 6 eggs for €3 I had found down the street. I will no longer walk past something and wonder. There is no harm in taking a look inside.

One of the most recent unfamiliar experiences I had was exploring the Marble Arch Caves with the Earth Science class. Last Friday our class boarded the bus waiting outside of the St. Augustine Apartments and made the journey from the bustling city of Dublin to the countryside of rural Northern Ireland. The only indication that we had left Ireland and entered the small country of Northern Ireland was that the lines on the road went from yellow to white. As we approached our destination, which was made apparent by increasing lack of civilization and the influx of sheep, I began to get increasingly nervous. I had never been inside of a cave before. What if I start to feel claustrophobic and need to leave? Are there bears living in there?

Our bus finally pulled into the welcoming centre, and our group filed into the Marble Arch Caves Museum. Rather than meander around the welcoming center until our tour began, I opted to watch the movie about the history of the Marble Arch Cave Geopark. From the brief film I learned that the Caves themselves were first explored in 1895 by Edouard-Alfred Martel and Lyster Jameson. They had very basic supplies, include a simple canvas boat and magnesium flares to light their way through the caves. Martel and Jameson were just the first of many of further explored the Caves, and finally in 1985 they were opened to the public. In 2001 the Marble Arch Caves became recognized as a Global Geopark, making in the first Geopark in the UK.

After viewing the film our tour guide lead us from the welcoming centre through a densely wooded forest and to the mouth of the Caves. For the first few minutes I fumbled around while my eyes adjusted, and once they had found that we were standing on a platform surrounded by water. At the end of the platform were tiny electric boats. We filed into the boats and instantly camera flashes lit up the scene and “ohs” and “ahs” ensued.

Our brief boat ride came to an end and we continued on our tour via concrete pathways. I couldn’t tell you the scientific name of any of the rock formations I encountered, but I can tell you that I saw strips of bacon, overflowing porridge bowls, and humpty dumpty (as our tour guide referred to them). Our guide informed us that the only living thing found in the cave is the occasional bat, which made me feel a lot better about potentially getting attacked by a bear. Throughout the whole tour I did not feel the least bit claustrophobic, as a majority of the cave was Cathedral like in width, height, and acoustics. The 151 steps out of the darkness of the cave into the warmth of the afternoon sunlight really put into perspective how far down we had actually been.

Taking a boat ride on an underground river is something I never imagine I would do. More specifically, take a boat ride on an underground river in Northern Ireland during my Fall Semester studying in Dublin. I’m eager to try more unfamiliar things. Whether it be making meatloaf for the first time, or traveling to the Czech Republic, studying abroad is all about embracing the unfamiliar.

Laurel O’Meara
Champlain College Dublin Student Blogger
Champlain College Class of 2013

Is This Real Life?

2011-09-08T13:20:00.000+01:00

We're already on our second week of classes. It stillhasn't hit me yet that I live in Dublin. Sometimes I wake up, look out thewindow, and think, “Is this real life? Am I seriously in Ireland right now?”Being here is something I never thought I would do and now that it's happening,it feels like a dream. I'm not complaining though. Being here is absolutelyincredible, whether it feels real or not.

I'm amazed by how friendly everyone is and also by allthe opportunities presented to me in just two weeks. The Irish are so willingto open up and talk about pretty much anything, even if it's for only fiveminutes. As long as you're willing to come out of your comfort zone and smalltalk with the people around you, you will be interacting with people who havesome pretty fascinating stories. So far I've met a River Dancer who performedon Broadway, a UFC fighter who offered me boxing lessons, the CEO of JAM Media,and so many other interesting people. Had I seemed too busy to talk, like Iusually do, I never would have gotten the full cultural effect of being abroad.

Aside from meeting tons of new people, I think what Ilove the most about being in Dublin (so far) is the way our classes are set up.It's only been two weeks and already one of my classes has been outside of theclassroom. I heard from other people that have been here that the professorslove to have class somewhere other than the classroom, but I wasn't expectingit to happen so soon. In my Cultural Immersion Through Music class this week wewent to a local samba workshop. Samba is a form of Brazilian music and can be verypowerful and exciting. I've had a little bit of experience playing samba fromback in high school, but this was beyond anything I've ever done before. Weplayed all sorts of percussion instruments and in about 20 minutes we had asolid groove going. The best part was that none of us had any real knowledge ofplaying samba, but were able to pick it up in a matter of minutes.

The man who ran the workshop said the group has openrehearsals on Wednesdays, so I decided to go check it out. I met a bunch of peoplewho were so welcoming and helped me learn the music literally as we wereplaying it. I had no idea what I was doing, but eventually I got the hang ofit. I was able to play the bells, some sort of bass drum, and the snare drum.One of the players told me that if I come to rehearsals for four weeks straightI can become a member. That means I can play gigs with them, make decisionswithin the group, and maybe even travel around! I've only gone once so far, butI am ready to go back. Playing the drums has been a part of my life for a longtime so to be able to participate in something like samba drumming with a hugegroup of people is going to be an amazing experience - especially in Dublin.This just goes to show that Dublin has a lot to offer and that greatopportunities are awaiting us all as long as we seek them. I can't wait to seewhat else gets thrown my way!

Cat Stamm

Champlain College Dublin Student Blogger
Champlain College Class of 2013

Swimming in the Liffey

2011-09-07T12:08:00.000+01:00

Champlain students cheer on competitors inthe 91^st annual Liffey Swim

This past weekend our students had theopportunity to watch the Liffey Swim, a famous and long standing tradition inDublin. Each year hundreds of swimmersjump into the Liffey River just a few blocks down from the Guinness Brewery andswim the 2.4km (1.5 miles) to the Dublin Docklands. Luckily our students liveless than a block from the river and were able to view the festivities from theChurch St. Bridge.

Beginning in 1920, the 91^stannual swim was started by Lord Mayor Andrew Montague at just before 3:00pm.The men’s race started first followed by the women’s after. Swimmers start based on their skill level,those that swim faster start later. The Lord Mayor pointed out at the beginningof the race that this event is “unique to Dublin. No European cities run an open race throughtheir city centre.” Champlain students cheered swimmers on from the quays asthey crossed under the bridge and headed towards the Four Courts.

Annie Grantham

Champlain College Dublin Head Resident

Fall 2011 Orientation

2011-09-02T14:15:00.000+01:00

Though our first week of classes is already over and our students are already on their first course excusion, it's been so busy we didn't get a chance to write about orientation yet.

Our first big day together as a group was last Thursday. We met in the academic centre for a few hours for introductions, but the bulk of the day was for our traditional Dublin Scavenger Hunt. The scavenger hunt gets the students mixing (we randomly draw the groups effort to help the students interact with people they don't already know) and also leads them back and forth across town in an effort to help them become acquainted with the city and its landmarks.

On Thursday evening we were joind by many of our faculty members for dinner at Dandelion Bistro, named for the historic Dandelion Market (site of U2s earliest gigs) which used to be located just next door in what is now Stephen's Green Shopping Centre. As dinner ended our jet-lagged students headed home as they had another long day ahead of them on Friday.

Bray Head (Photo by Annie Grantham)

Orientation continued on Friday and Saturday morning with more information on program policies, travel tips and ideas, a primer on how to deal with homesickness and culture shock and a short talk on how to budget money when exchange rates are working against you.

Friday afternoon, however, was spent in the lovely seaside town of Bray. To get there we introduced our students to the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) and showed them how simple it is to get out of the city. In Bray we set them free to explore the coast or to climb Bray Head. Bray Head is a 241 m (791 ft) high hill that is part of the Wicklow Mountains. This is a popular spot will hillwalkers as the top provides stunning views of the Irish Sea in one direction and the Wicklow Mountains in the other. Despite the intermittent downpours, by the time we all met up again at the Porterhouse Bray for dinner everyone was very content and excited to talk about the hike.

Champlain College Dublin Fall 2011 at the top of Bray Head (Photo by Annie Grantham)

We're really looking forward to working with this delightful group of students for the rest of the semester.

::Claire Gannon

Greetings from Dublin!

2011-08-31T15:43:00.000+01:00

Well, to start off, it already feels like I’ve been here forever, and I absolutely love it. I arrived one week ago today, although quite a bit earlier in the morning. Two of my roommates arrived with me; the third had caught the flight the day before and was still sleeping when we arrived at the St. Augustine Apartments. After a quick nap due to jet lag—well, I passed out for five hours—I was ready and excited to start exploring my new home.

The apartments are cozy, small compared to the Spinner Place lodgings I am used to, but are very nicely furnished and arranged. Our kitchen is sensible, our living/dining room comfortable, and our balcony overlooks a community playground and socc—oops, football—field, and provides a lovely view of Dublin’s skyline, especially at dusk. But the apartment is the last thing I am worried about.

Growing up in Vermont, and spending the past few years in Burlington, I am used to “pockets” of interesting things, which quickly vanish into fields and cows within just a mile or two. Dublin, however, is a vast area, with a wonderful mix of history, modern development, and hidden gems. Just yesterday a little novelty store on my way to the Academic Centre caught my eye; I had passed by it almost every day for the past week, sometimes twice in a day, never quite noticing it. Yet, as I stopped at the window this time, I realized it held some of the most bizarre and fascinating antique sculptures, clocks, paintings, lamps, and knick-knacks I have ever seen, and it’s hidden there in plain sight, waiting for people like me to stumble onto it.

In the middle of orientation we hopped a train out of the city and headed south along the coast to a beautiful town called Bray. As soon as we stepped off the train, Stephen Robinson, the director of Champlain College Dublin, pointed us toward a mountain in the distance with instructions only on where to enter the hiking trails, and where to meet for dinner afterward. Some of the most captivating views of the countryside awaited us when we reached the top; the ocean at our backs, we took in a beautiful panorama of quaint seaside villages to our right, rolling hills and green pastures to the left, split down the middle with farms and fences. It was well worth the relatively brief hike, and was a fantastic indicator of the diverse environments Ireland has to offer.

The surrounding views and bustle of the city constantly urge me to get out and see what is going on, to explore what fantastic experiences are in store for me if I take a left out the front door rather than a right. More importantly though, I discovered the more you walk, the more you discover. So I think the first lesson of my semester abroad is just to keep walking. The handbook recommended bringing “comfortable walking shoes,” but as far as I am concerned, they will literally be on my feet at all times, because there should never be an excuse to avoid taking a stroll around this stunning country.

Regards,
Micah Washburn
Champlain Student Blogger Fall 2011

New Faculty at Champlain College Dublin

2011-08-24T09:47:00.000+01:00

In addition to our wonderful returning faculty, we have 5 new faculty members joining us this term. Full bios will be up on the website very soon, but here are some brief introductions.

Dr. Darren Kelly holds a PhD in Cultural Geography from St. Patrick's College, Dublin, and has worked for several Dublin study abroad programs teaching courses in Irish Identity, Popular Irish Culture, and Service Learning. He will be teaching Service Learning in Education for Champlain College Dublin.

Dr. Caoimhghin O'Croidheain is a Dublin-based fine artist with an academic background in Intercultural Communication. He specializes in sociolinguistics, communication policy, the history of Irish language policy, language and cultural identity. He will be teaching Intercultural Communication for Champlain College Dublin.

Renaat Verbruggen is a County Wicklow native who is the Chair of the M.Sc. in Security and Forensic Computing programme at Dublin City University. He will be teaching Cybercrime for Champlain College Dublin.

Keith Feighery is the Director of Digital and Web Services at Digital Insights, a Dublin-based web and digital marketing agency. He has also developed and presented digital marketing courses for other Dublin colleges. Keith will be teaching Internet-based Marketing for Champlain College Dublin.

Stephen McMahon holds an MA in English (Creative Writing) from Queen's University, Belfast and has worked as lecturer and academic coordinator for other Dublin study abroad programmes and colleges. He was shortlisted for the Hennessy New Irish Writing Award, and was an award winner at the Belfast Literary Festival New Writers' Showcase. Stephen will be teaching Writing the City for Champlain College Dublin.

We will be getting all of our faculty to contribute to this blog, so stay tuned!

Stephen

The New Students Have Arrived!

2011-08-24T09:29:00.000+01:00

Summer was just far too short in my opinion. It seems like only a few weeks ago that the staff at Champlain College Dublin waved goodbye to the Spring 2011 group. And now, all of a sudden, we've got a whole new load of students already here for the Fall 2011 term. They've been arriving and getting settled into their new life in Dublin over the past 2 days. Orientation starts on Thursday and runs for 3 days. There will be a lot of discussion about how to make the most of their time in Ireland, program policies, academics, and health and safety issues as well. But, we'll also find time for exploring the area during orientation, including a city scavenger hunt, a trip to the seaside community of Bray, and a historic walking tour with local guide Pat Liddy.

Updates will be coming soon, so stay tuned!

Stephen

Joyce Country Sheepdogs, County Galway

2011-06-30T16:31:00.000+01:00

It has been three weeks since returning from Ireland. As soon as I heard about the trip, I decided to go. I love to travel, had never been to Ireland, it has long been on my proverbial “bucket” list, and the timing was right!

Coming from the GREEN state of Vermont to the EMERALD ISLE, having heard SO many stories from my students was a real joy. As the Program Director for Media Communication, I regularly encourage students to travel abroad during their junior year. As students began returning with their stories, I began to envy them! They regaled me with tales of Dublin, places to see, travel they arranged, food they learned to love, and of course Dr. Stephen Robinson and the faculty and staff at Champlain Dublin.

Let me tell you about a few of the highlights I experienced! Dublin itself is a beautiful city which lends itself to foot traffic. Although I didn’t completely figure out all the streets, I think with another day or two in the city, I could have mastered my directions a little better!

One of my favorite trips was to visit Joyce Country Sheepdogs on the shores of Lough Na Fooey in beautiful Connemara, in western Ireland. We were driving along, 26 of us in a premier coach bus with our beloved driver Kieran, passing “to die for” scenery. We had been traveling along a lake – Lough Na Fooey, when we pulled up along the side of the road, and Stephen Robinson, hopped out and jogged up someone’s driveway.

A few minutes later, we were all walking up that same driveway to meet Joe Joyce who spent the next hour or more showing us his amazing Border Collie Sheepdogs, sheep and talking about the life of a sheep and dog owner/breeder. Joe farms in Shanafaraghaun, County Galway where he lives with his wife and three children. Nestled between the Maumturk and Partry Mountains, Joe is a hill sheep farmer and although he has some fenced in land by the house, the majority of his 200 sheep are on the other side of Lough Na Fooey, spread out over the 1000 acres of mountainous common land which Joe shares with four neighboring farmers.

To say that the sheep were astonishingly attractive is an understatement. They are of the Connemara Blackface variety. They are the only breed with the resilience to thrive in the rugged and challenging terrain of Connemara. Be sure to check them out online: http://www.joycecountrysheepdogs.ie/

Joe introduced us to his dogs, and one by one, the dogs came out of their pens to show us how they work with Joe to herd the sheep to the desired place. Joe whistled, talked and spoke to the dogs throughout the demonstration. With names like: Ben, Sweep, Gwen, Roy, Gill, Prince, Jill, and Fly, it is hard not to be enchanted by these energetic dogs. It was amazing to watch how the sheep dogs love what they do and the techniques to move the sheep. Each sheep dog behaves and approaches the sheep a little differently. My fellow travelers and I continue to talk about Sweep, and how he would hunker down and just watch from behind a mound of grass or a rock once he had the sheep where he wanted them, but remaining ever alert and focused.

I was particularly touched by how much Joe loved his dogs. He lavished praise and attention on each dog, which was nice to see. As well, Joe never seemed to tire of answering our multitude of questions! He was the epitome of patience both with the dogs and with the humans!

It hasn’t harmed Joe’s marketing drive that Joyce Country Sheepdogs is endorsed by Hollywood. Joe was approached one day by a location scout for the film ‘Marley and Me’, looking for some sheep and a sheepdog to film a scene with the film’s stars. Before he knew what was happening Joe was playing host in his kitchen to Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. You can bet that we all came back and watched the movie over just to see the scene where Joe’s sheep and dog have a starring role.

To me the visit to Joyce Country Sheepdogs, was an opportunity to step into someone’s home and livelihood for a brief pause in time, to really understand the culture and people of Ireland. I couldn’t help but think how lucky I was to stand there in Joe’s yard watching this incredible demonstration, and how many people never get to see something like this. It was a real highlight for me!

Nancy Kerr,

Professor and Program Director

Media Communication

Champlain College

The Hill of Tara

2011-06-14T09:30:00.000+01:00

Our experience of Champlain’s Dublin Campus-sponsored tour was certainly not a typical tourist package tour, but a genuine cultural introduction. The stage was set by our group’s affinity with Champlain, which disposed us to share our impressions as we continue to do in this blog. The trip does not appear to be over as in normal tours; the insightful guidance of Dr. Stephen Robinson, Dr. Kelli Maoileoin, Dr. Anthony O’Halloran and our engaging bus driver Keiran O'Brien, stimulate us to continue our own informal explorations of world culture, using Ireland as a frame of reference through readings and resources they recommended.

It’s difficult to summarize one week’s experience of a culture that has evolved along a course of western history since prehistory, being at once uniquely independent, yet contributing to mainstream trends on the continent and beyond as circumstances dictated. Numerous uncanny coincidences made history tangible such as the discovery of a 2001 tomb in twelfth century Corcomroe Abbey, belonging to a former resident of our town, Milford, CT and the visits of Queen Elizabeth and President Obama just days before our arrival.

At the Hill of Tara

A brief description of the Tara Hill excursion led by archaeologist Kelli Maoileoin may serve as an illustration of what distinguished this trip from a normal tour. Helpful guide book descriptions and “virtual” Internet sites and photos fail to address what makes the Hill of Tara “work”. Although one may arrive knowing something about its ancient and mythic significance, the site is subtly inaccessible and protects its secrets by appearing to be a hill-top meadow commanding pastoral views. Dr. Maoileoin’s intimate explanations of the features of site underscored the difference between looking and seeing.

The notion that architecture imitates nature and is realized by existing technology is exhibited here. The natural landscape of hills, mountains, valleys created by glaciers and other influences (intriguingly introduced throughout our trip by Dr. Robinson) was recreated in mounds, barrows and ramps with deliberate intent and subsequently revered by surviving generations appreciating the spirit of place of the site to this day. The motifs of rings and circles satisfied logistical and symbolic needs. Similar structures also emphasized astronomical cycles by their arrangement on east to west axes and were designed to respond to events such as equinox and solstices.

The design of the Mound of Hostages passage tomb was readily appreciated, but the optical illusion of its appearance and disappearance as one approaches it along the “Banquet Hall” hillside ramp, would have been overlooked for the distracting expanse of meadow studded with yellow wild flowers, which itself concealed dozens of known but undisturbed prehistoric graves. In such subtleties of the plan of these sites we were immediately reminded of analogous features of otherwise unrelated pre-Columbian and Egyptian sites.

Dr. Maoileoin betrayed an personal attachment to this site, clearly one of the world’s “spirit of place” sites, protectively explored through modern archaeological techniques that identify the artifacts without exposing them (techniques roughly akin to landscape observation by helicopter, narrow probes along discovered sites and X-ray imagery). Sufficient samples of funerary artifacts are petroglyphs are accessible in museums, however it was explained that exposing intact sites would result in their destruction by acid rain and impair the configuration of the site that has been preserved for millennia. In this manner, such treasures will be preserved intact for future generations.

Thank you for this opportunity!

Hans, Liz and Ian Maurer

Faculty, Staff, Alumni & Champlain Friends Ireland Trip

2011-06-08T10:56:00.000+01:00

A group of 25 faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of Champlain College arrived in Ireland on May 28 for an 8-day tour of Ireland. We had a great group who got fantastic weather, great visits to historic, cultural, and scenic spots, as well as a few trips to the pubs.

I've asked some of the participants to provide some blogs posts outlining the experience from their viewpoint, so those will be posted soon.

For now though, here's a group picture taken in the wilds of Connemara.

Stephen