the emerald isle

So I took a wee trip to Ireland this past week!

For my Covering Religion course, we applied for a grant that would allow us to travel to Ireland and cover religion internationally. The grant meant that, for the most part, the trip was paid for. So on Saturday afternoon, March 9, we all headed to Newark airport for our 6 hour flight to Dublin and arrived that Sunday morning.

There are times at which God’s kindness to me seems evident, like the evidence is all around me, and this trip, particularly, the end of it gave me that experience. I don’t experience God’s presence as a tangible thing, but awe and gratitude bring me that much closer.

This post won’t be a full travel guide or a lessons learned piece but a mix of both.

Sunday, March 10, 2024

That Sunday morning, we made it to the Gresham Hotel in Dublin. Which was the absolutely perfect place to stay. It was so close to the Temple Bar district, which was the best way to figure out how to get around the city. Lesson #1: figure out credit card issues before you travel. As I don’t use my credit card except for transportation expenses in NYC, I learned that you should talk to your credit card company before going overseas (apparently Canada is the exception). 

We got a tour of Dublin, and it was so great to have some orientation around the city. If I ever do any form of solo travel, I’d love to do a day with a tour group to get my bearings. Learning about the River Liffey and the plaque that wasn’t true and having a traditional Irish breakfast and heading to a bar mid-afternoon. The main takeaway from the tour is that you can tell what matters to a group of people based on what stories persist.

That first night I missed out on the welcome dinner because I had to be a solo reporter. I ended up checking out a choir at a nearby Catholic church and stumbled onto a very charismatic prayer gathering. When the choir sang Shout to the Lord, it hit me.

Monday, March 11, 2024

We had that lovely hotel breakfast. The real height of luxury is, in fact, the hotel breakfast. The eggs, the bacon, the tea setup (I miss that the most!)—just precious. The second day we toured a Buddhist temple, and the monk Ian Killroy had profound things to say. And it was the second time I was experiencing deja vu. (The first time was on NJ Transit where I saw a man I could’ve sworn I’d seen before in the same setting.) But it was the first time I was in a Buddhist temple and in Dublin. 

He talked about acceptance of reality, a lesson I mention on this blog, and his faith as a vocation. His Buddhism, “it’s not a rational choice, like marriage is not a rational choice.” I thought that described it perfectly. Faith is more of a compulsion, something you can’t resist. (Christian Wiman’s new book has the perfect one on this!)

Lesson #2: don’t be afraid to wander. Don’t be afraid to get lost and turn down alleyways. You can always ask for directions. But you get to know a place when your feet move so much that they begin to recognize the earth you’re walking on.

Sometimes your reporting leaves you surprised. Instead of meeting the music director at Christ Cathedral Church, I stumbled onto a concert by the University of Richmond choir, and it was stunning.

My reporting partner Renata and I hit up 3 churches that day, one of which had the cutest little cafe. We took a brief detour to see Trinity Dublin. That night, we got to visit a mosque in the outer parts of Dublin, which was such a privilege for the first day of Ramadan.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

For our last day in Dublin, we headed to Christ Church Cathedral for an actual tour, and I got to witness it in its beauty. We then saw the Pro-Cathedral. (Both churches I witnessed before our formal tour.) I figured out where/how to get some pounds to buy a day Leap card to attempt public transportation. I felt like that was my major accomplishment: navigating public transportation in a new country. This really made me consider how it wouldn’t be impossible to live abroad if I really wanted to take the steps towards that kind of life. 

When my reporting trip ended earlier than expected, I texted in the group chat if anyone wanted lunch and found myself across from Meghnad eating a much desired burger and fries at the Gin Palace. This was one of the sweet moments of the trip for me. Meghnad, Trisha (who joined us), and I wandered into a music shop and Trisha walked out with a ukulele.

That night, we had dinner at a synagogue with a super tense conversation. But the mood changed when we got to a real pub, Gogarty’s. We spent our night doing a mini pub crawl. Doyle’s bar (the bar the Trinity students go to). The Temple Bar (24 Temple Bar). The George, a night club. I didn’t drink much, but there’s something electric about being in a new city with people you’re just getting to know and an urge to dance. The Irish really do play a lot of American pop music.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

We drove up to Derry/Londonderry. The bus ride was full of singing songs (most of which I didn’t know) with Trisha on her ukelele and our professor accompanying her on the harmonica. If you get a chance, get to the countryside. It reminded me of Virginia–the hills in the distance, the greenery only broken up by the blue sky.

Arriving in the afternoon to Derry, at the Maldron Hotel, we had the most incredible tour with Charlene McCrossan. She brought me to tears twice, just telling the story of her home and her father, the ill-named peace walls that separates communities. It was one of those times where it was just a privilege to be there. Despite not having seen Derry Girls (my mistake), we did pass the famous mural!

Later that evening, we walked to dinner at the Walled City Brewery, the name making a lot more sense after the tour. They had incredible cider, and the dinner was three hours long. It was vulnerable and funny. I ended up having to write the daily dispatch for that evening, which meant that I didn’t go out that evening.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Thursday morning involved a hotel breakfast and a tour of the Free Derry museum, which held insight into Bloody Sunday in northern Ireland. For the reporting time, I ended up making a video for another class, and met two lovely gentlemen: Terry and Jim at the local bookstore. Reporting gets me out of the easy thing to do. It forces me to interact when it would be easier to retreat.

After my reporting, my roommate Dina and Meghnad and I wandered in search of food, and it was lovely to wander the streets of Derry. I had the best scone of my life at the Cottage and Craft Gallery. So light and the cream was so tasty. It literally does not compare in the states.

That evening, we went in search of live Irish music and stumbled onto a socialist (communist?) bar. Sardino’s was one of the best music I’ve heard in a while. Before we left for Ireland, I had been looking up whether any of my favorite bands would be playing in Dublin, but this was even better. Each band we heard—Tessio, Rachel Craig, and Polar Bolero—I added to my Spotify. Plus, our professor stayed the whole time. What a legend! 

Friday, March 15, 2024

We headed south to Belfast. I felt nervous. I was going to land in Belfast with no tour of the city needing to meet a source. On the bus ride, I listened to some worship music and a sermon by Reunion Hawaii on the spoken word of God. We landed in Belfast at the Europa Hotel, and I immediately took my Google maps directions and started walking. Lesson #3: You are way more capable than you think you are.

I made my way to Ulster University, and by the time it reached that evening, I helped navigate my classmates through the Cathedral district. Belfast is such an artsy city, reminding me of Richmond, Virginia. I ended up wandering around, and it was such a great morning. I met with a chaplain at Ulster and the dean of the Belfast Cathedral and made my way to the group via Uber. This point of the trip made me really consider living abroad. As a group, we made our way to Belfast’s peace walls and the Clonard Monastery. Belfast’s division is easily seen by the flags flown by each community.

That evening, we got to see Anuna, the Irish vocal group. Their song Jerusalem was so well done–their movements and their voices–such a gift. Plus a Holy Spirit moment: I met a potentially perfect source for my Ireland story on line in the bathroom. Something I could not have planned. Just perfect timing! The night ended with a few of us: Indy, Natalie, Meghnad, and I at the Reporter, a bar for journalists. 

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Saturday morning, our last full day in Ireland: Natalie and I went on a peace pilgrimage outside of Belfast. From Saul to Downpatrick, we walked two miles in the rain, with stops in the rain for people to pray. The whole thing was a gift. It was the eve of St. Patrick’s Day, and though I couldn’t feel God’s presence, I knew it was a gift.

The service at Down Cathedral was the perfect mix of traditional church and evangelical style, and it made me feel so at home. Natalie and I found Oakley cafe, and when we tried to pay, one of the workers said, “Yours was paid for,” and I couldn’t help but think of Jesus. A man Natalie had met earlier on the pilgrimage ended up paying for us, and it was such a tangible kindness. 

That night, we had our farewell dinner at Deane’s. We toasted to one another, and I was shocked to be the first one. We shared a moment that was our Esther 14:14, why we’re here, what we’re put on earth to do, and I think I’m made for the beauty of religious spaces. It’s where I feel most at home.

After packing at the hotel, I crossed the street to the Crown Bar and there began our last pub crawl. We were in desperate search of live music. We went to Kelly’s Cellars and eventually found a place but it didn’t last. Four of us found ourselves at the hotel piano bar. Sometimes I find it hard to put my longings into words, but my journal can attest to the fact that I did in fact find the words. But the Holy Spirit is kind. I slept for an hour before hopping onto a bus back to Dublin, and a flight headed home.

Like I did two years ago, I made a playlist of all the songs that popped in my head when in Ireland, so here it is: Irish gal.

Signing off,

Gigi