Browsing: Ireland

Stop being the Grinch of the 254. Recognize that it’s not the city’s job to give you jaw-dropping entertainment at every hour and that it’s your job to seek out activities. In the quiet moments in between, appreciate the calm pace of life. There will probably be a day when that is all you wish for.

Bolstered by his conceptual framework of history, hope and rhyme, Dr. David Blevins spoke on June 17 about his experience as a journalist in Northern Ireland. Currently a senior Ireland correspondent for Sky News, he has been in the field for 32 years, living not only through the sectarian conflict of the Troubles but also through the groundbreaking success of the peace process.

With the last name “Fitzgerald” and a propensity for sunburns, it’s no secret that I have Irish roots. So, when ‘Baylor in Budapest’ turned into ‘Baylor in Ireland’ just a couple months before our scheduled departure date, I was hit with a wave of excitement: I was finally going to have the opportunity to embrace a culture that, despite being different from my own, occupies a special place in my soul.

When I signed up for a monthlong trip to Ireland, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. When I think of Irish things, what comes to mind is usually clovers, leprechauns and Niall Horan. As much as I would have loved to have seen a real life leprechaun — or Niall Horan — I wasn’t expecting either of those wishes to come true.