Day Six: Belfast

It's been a long and exhausting day, but I wanted to update my blog since tomorrow will be just as busy!

Like I mentioned yesterday, we traveled to Belfast today. It was so hard to believe that even though we were on the same small island, we were in the U.K. as opposed to Ireland. But Belfast is definitely so much different than Dublin. Although the conflict ended there about twenty years ago, its presence can still be felt because of the hundreds of murals throughout the city. Our tour guide was nice enough to let us stop and take pictures of some of the more famous ones, but it was hard to get pictures of the others while on the tour bus.

Instead of the black taxi tour, we just rode a bus around the city with one of the black taxi tour guides. His accent was so different than anything Irish accent I've heard in Dublin; it seemed like a combination of Irish and English. He was very nice and knew the best places for us to stop and take pictures. I really enjoyed our stop at Stormont Castle, where the Northern Irish Parliament meets. It was gorgeous! Then afterward we stopped at Belfast Castle, but we weren't able to stay there long since we were on a very tight schedule.

For lunch, we stopped at a restaurant near where the Titantic was built. It was so cool that we were able to see where it was built! I'm really excited for our Titantic walking tour later next week.

After seeing some of the other popular streets in Belfast, we stopped at the Belfast Telegraph, a Northern Irish newspaper. We met with Gerry Patterson, the Director of Digital Development. He discussed the impact of the Internet in Northern Ireland, which is much larger compared to the impact in the rest of the island. I was pleasantly surprised by how open and honest he was; he described some of the tension between the print and online journalists among other topics that were normally kept private.

We ate a delicious dinner at the Morning Star. My meal consisted of chicken tempura, bacon and mushroom pasta, and a chocolate fudge cake for dessert. I was so full after that huge meal! Then we walked to the train station and returned to Dublin.

I really enjoyed the trip to Belfast, but I just wish we could have spent a little more time there. The city has so many signs of its recent conflict, from murals to barbed wires to reconstruction due to bombings. I felt very rushed during the day, so maybe I'll just have to take another trip back to the city at some other time.

I'm excited because tomorrow I will be meeting some family around the area and then go see The Last Waltz, which was originally a movie directed by Martin Scorsese depicting the history of Bob Dylan and 'The Band' that was turned into a live show for the movie's 30th anniversary. I can't believe tomorrow will be my last day in Dublin!


Irish country side that we passed while on the train to Belfast.


One of the many murals about the Northern Ireland conflict.


Stormont Castle and the statue of Edward Carson.


The front of the Belfast Castle.


Where the Titantic was built.


A view from the train back to Dublin.

Day Five: DCU and Photocall

Today started a little later than normal, but I really enjoyed being able to sleep in.

We started off the day with another lecture at DCU by Dr. Roddy Flynn. He talked about social media in Ireland and it’s still so interesting to me how little of an impact it has had over here. I was really surprised when he said that about 8 percent of the Internet users in Ireland still have a dial-up connection. I’m pretty sure I would go crazy if I still had to deal with such a slow connection.

Next, we went to Photocall, a Dublin based photography agency. It was interesting to learn about how a company that started out by using a pay phone booth for its office has grown into a distinguished PR and editorial photography agency. I really enjoyed looking at the pictures from the company's 8 photographers. The pictures from the conflict in Northern Ireland and pictures depicting the drug problem in Dublin were really powerful. We met one of the photographers who was actually from Texas! He doesn't have much of an accent anymore, but apparently when he first came to Dublin, his accent made it hard for him to find a photography job. Overall, the trip to Photocall was very interesting.

After that, the photography students met with an Irish photographer while the rest of us could do as we please. I went to dinner at an Eddie’s Rocket, which is like a diner, with Ryan and Meagan. We were just really craving some American food! I was really surprised with the variety of food places in Dublin; it’s not all about the Irish stew and fish and chips.

Today was more of a relaxing day, which is nice since I’ll have to get up around a quarter to 6 tomorrow to catch a high-speed train to Belfast. I’m excited to go to Northern Ireland, but I will probably be exhausted by tomorrow night; we won’t be returning to the apartments until 11 or so. Hopefully I’ll have enough energy to update my blog!


An almost clear sky as the sun begins to set in Dublin

Day Four: U.S. Embassy and DCU

We had an early start this morning, but it has been a really great day!

First, we had breakfast with Rosita Boland. I find her so interesting since she has such a diverse background. She started off as an actress, then began reporting. She writes wonderful articles and she had some really great advice for us. I was happy we were able to see her in person since our previous phone call to her didn't work out so well.

Next, we headed to the U.S. Embassy for our meeting with Dan Rooney! I'm so grateful to Jan and Margot Collins for setting that up for us. Although Ambassador Rooney received a phone call from the president of Ireland which cut into his time with us, I'm just happy we were able to spend a small amount of time with him! While we waited, Karyn Posner-Mullen, Director of Public Affairs, talked with us for a bit about the recent energy conference that Ambassador Rooney attended. Then Mr. Rooney arrived and he was so nice! He said we looked just like a group of Pittsburghers and we made him feel at home. He was only able to talk with us for about ten minutes, but we were able to get a group picture with him. You might be able to see it tomorrow on Point Park's homepage (www.pointpark.edu). He gave everyone a pin which had an American and Irish flag on it. He also gave Jan and me a Steelers pin since I had answered a question and he has met Jan on previous occasions. I felt so lucky!

After Ambassador Rooney left, Press Assistant John Murphy talked with us for a while about how he got his job at the Embassy and other Irish affairs. He discussed how Ambassador Rooney constantly gets asked about the Steelers and when Obama will be coming to Ireland; Murphy estimated that our president has a 70 percent approval rating in the country. He was very interesting and I was so surprised to learn that he was only 23!

Then we went to DCU for a little break before a lecture by Helena Sheehan on Irish TV Drama. It was interesting to hear about the Irish soap operas and compare them to ours. She also gave us some of her opinions on our soap operas and drama shows.

We had the rest of the day off, so I took a little nap. Tonight, I will be going out to really enjoy the Dublin night life since we don't have to wake up early tomorrow!

Day Three: PRII and Ogilvy & Mather

Today was our ad/PR day!

First, we met with the chief executive of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII), Gerry Davis. Considering he has no public relations training, he was very informative about the subject. I didn’t realize how badly the economy has affected the profession. Apparently, one of the first things the Irish president did in response to the economic crisis was cut funding for advertising and public relations by 50 percent. So if I ever wanted to get a PR job in Ireland, now is definitely not the time.

Next we walked to Ogilvy & Mather, one of the biggest advertising agencies in the world, and met with Jo Wood, an account planner, and Claire Carroll, who works with digital media. The company has made some really great advertisements; I really enjoyed their Ford print ads and their broadcast ad for Safefood. Even so, I did not enjoy their lecture as much. The speakers didn’t seem as enthusiastic and personable as Davis.

After the two visits, we had the rest of the day off! After a quick power nap at the apartment, I wandered around Grafton Street and Saint Stephen’s Green with Meagan and Ryan. We experienced more of the typical Irish weather of clouds and rain today. It was only sprinkling on and off for a while, but when it started to rain harder, I caved in and bought an umbrella since I forgot one. Of course, right as we were approaching the apartments it stopped raining. Maybe we’ll have better Irish luck with the weather during the rest of our visit.

For dinner, I ate fish and chips, an essential Irish meal, at The Bull & Castle. Our waitress at the pub was from Virginia and she’s staying in the country with a holiday work visa. It just shows how small the world really is!

Tomorrow, we’re getting up bright and early to have breakfast with Rosita Boland, a reporter from the Irish Times, followed by our meeting with Ambassador Dan Rooney. I’m so excited!


Ogilvy & Mather


Gardens in St. Stephen's Green


The backyard of a cute cottage in St. Stephen's Green

Day Two: DCU and The Frontline

It has been such a long (but fun) day!

We started off the day with a lecture by Dr. Roddy Flynn at Dublin City University. He discussed Irish media and the different types of restrictions journalists have to deal with. It’s so surprising to me how little the Irish use the Internet and how much they read newspapers compared to the states. Dr. Flynn said about 55-60% of the Irish population read a newspaper daily and 90% read at least one newspaper a week. I also couldn’t believe how long the censorship laws lasted here; it wasn’t legal to post any information whatsoever about abortion until 1996 and pornography wasn’t legalized until sometime around then as well. Overall, it was a really interesting introduction and a lecture that I actually wanted to last a little longer!

After DCU, we had a little break and then we went on a double-decker Dublin bus tour. It was nice because we could get off at any stop (there were 23 around the city at tourist stops like Dublin Castle) and could get back on the bus if we wanted to. A large group of us stopped at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was gorgeous, like most of the city. Then we continued on the tour and saw other places like the Dublin Zoo, Christ Church Cathedral, the Guiness Storehouse and Áras an Uachtaráin, the President’s residence. I really enjoyed the tour, but the weather got a lot colder today, so sitting on the top of a double-decker bus wasn’t the most ideal thing to do.

Our long day ended at The Frontline, an Irish political talk show that airs on Mondays at 10:35. Tonight was a special edition discussing the best way that the country should deal with its economic issues. We had to go there extra early so we could watch a documentary with four different expert opinions on the issue before the show. I tried to follow all the information, but once the show actually started it was hard to do because there were so many people talking so fast! One of the guests was a member of the Irish parliament and there were also a lot of small business owners who shared their opinions. Although I couldn’t really follow the discussion, it was interesting to see all the different broadcast elements. There were so many lights! It was also weird because they only had one commercial break during the entire hour and fifteen-minute show. I’m not sure if it normally lasts that long, but we were told it would end at 11:30 when it really ended at 11:50. As interesting as it was, I was quite ready to leave and go to bed…but of course I had to update my lovely blog first.




St. Patrick's Cathedral


Áras an Uachtaráin


The Frontline studios with the cameras and lights...and Dave Fabilli's head.

Day One: Book of Kells and Dublin Castle

I am extremely exhausted, but I have really enjoyed our first day in Dublin!

We were originally supposed to go on a Dublin motor coach tour today, but we will be doing that tomorrow. Instead, we had some time to explore Grafton Street, a pedestrian shopping area in downtown Dublin. Ryan, Meagan, and I stumbled upon the famous Bewley’s Café. The coffee was a little too strong for my taste, but I was in desperate need of caffeine and it did the job. After that, we wandered around Saint Stephen’s Green, a beautiful park area that I will want to see again – that is if the weather continues to be as great as it was today.

After our little journey we rejoined the group and went to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College. The campus was really gorgeous; I just wish that Point Park could have a campus like that. It’s not too late to change the university’s expansion plans…. But I really enjoyed all the artwork from the Book of Kells. It was all so intricate and colorful, it was hard to imagine that most of it had been done over 1000 years ago.

At this time, my caffeine was starting to wear off, but we had one last stop for the afternoon – Dublin Castle. I actually listened to the tour guide (which is surprising for me normally, let alone when I’m delirious from sleep deprivation) and I really enjoyed the tour! I really loved the back gardens and the ballroom, where the Irish president gets inaugurated. My camera was dying, but luckily I was able to get plenty of pictures!

We settled into our apartments after our tour and then went to dinner at Dublin’s oldest pub, The Brazen Head. I enjoyed an amazing three-course meal that consisted of a Greek salad, salmon with carrots and two kinds of potatoes (which I’m definitely not used to) and bread pudding. Of course I also had to have a Guiness with my first real meal in Ireland. I was definitely very satisfied and full after my first sit-down hearty Irish meal.

It's only a quarter to 10 here, but I'm exhausted and have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. It's going to feel so good to sleep on a bed....

In the courtyard of Dublin Castle

The garden behind the Dublin Castle

The Brazen Head Pub, where I had my first Guiness!

May 8: Traveling Day

I'm impatiently waiting in Pittsburgh airport for our flight to Philly. Then I will have three or so more hours to impatiently wait there for our flight to Dublin, then a seven hour plane ride...then I will finally arrive in Ireland at around 9 tomorrow morning! (Or 4 a.m. Pittsburgh time.) So just 19 more hours until all my impatient waiting will finally end.

I'm so excited!!!!