Irish Culture – Respect for History and Proud of Team Sports

This blog was created by Naomi McCloskey, another program leader on our CIEE Multi-site Global Entrepreneurship & Innovation in Europe Team. 

There have been many historical experiences while in Dublin.  Exploring Dublin City Center brought the group to see such buildings as St. Patrick Cathedral, Dublin Castle, and Trinity College.  Some of these sights were accompanied with Irish song and stories by guide Sean Fitzgerald.  Students got the opportunity to sing and dance along with our guide.  Indeed, several retail stores are housed in historic buildings. Visiting a replica of the Jeanie Johnston famine ship and the interactive EPIC Museum, we experienced how Irish emigrants made the passage to the United States and learned the history of why 10 million people left Ireland.  Bringing us up to current day leaders of Irish descent, we recognized the impact made on the world.

Pride in the Irish culture and community history became very evident when we visited Croke Park Stadium and GAA Museum and heard about the involvement of residents in Gaelic Games.  There are over 200 Gaelic clubs throughout the island and over 3,000 years of tribal passion.  While the stadium is the sight of competitive events, we did note the competitive spirit during the week as we saw many red vs. green shirts in downtown Dublin, representing different teams.  Asking about their “best” players, it was interesting to note that the best player is actually a Biology teacher during the day.  “Celebrity” is looked at very differently in Ireland.  To maintain hometown spirit, the players remain amateur, and are not paid, nor traded.  Later in the week, we traveled out to Glasnevin to try our hand at some Gaelic games. Teaming up, participants took part in hurling (Ireland’s ancient stick and ball game that represents the Irish struggle), Gaelic football, and even handball.