The Peace Process: Derry

             The origins of County Derry start when it was created in a charter by King James I. The prefix, “London,” was added for its association with the London-based Livery Company. However, the modern name for the county usually is a hyphenated name or completely drops the prefix all together. The town of Derry built a wall around the city in 1613. In 1922, Derry officially left Ireland and become part of Northern Ireland. Currently, it was one of four Northern Ireland counties to have a majority of Catholics as the practicing religion of choice. This is certainly a significant statistics due to its historical meaning. In more modern times, a group of artists known as the Bogside Artists came together to paint murals around the city that commemorate the people involved during the times of troubles. These have become one of the most visited sites in all of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Near these murals stands a monument to honor the fallen during the Bloody Sunday Massacre. These two sites create a very strong emotional reaction for anyone visiting County Derry.

             Our group really enjoyed the entire trip to and around the city of Derry. Nathan thought walking around the city and hearing various historical facts about its place in European history was absolutely fascinating. Jennie loved the murals and how they are still culturally relevant, even after all the fighting has basically ceased. Max said, “this city seemed very somber and still broken compared to what it probably once was.” All in all, the experience was quite unique compared to anywhere else from Ireland. Being in northern Ireland greatly increased our understanding of what exactly the Time of Troubles would have been like for the people involved.

Invaded Ireland: Donegal Castle

Sir Hugh O’Donnell of the O’Donnell clan built Donegal Castle in the late 15th century. He was the chieftain of the clan who were later involved in the Flight of the Earls in 1607. Their family was one of the most powerful Gaelic families in Ireland from the time of the 5^th to 16^th centuries. In 1611 the castle was given to Basil Brooke who was an English captain. He added extensive additions in the 17^th century including the Jacobean wing. Sadly in the 18^th century it fell into decay, almost being completely destroyed except for the major walls and infrastructure. In 1898 it was donated to the Office of Public Works, and finally 100 years later it was renovated to replicate how it would have appeared back in its day.

The castle is situated on the River Eske not a few minutes walk from Donegal town in County Donegal. While Donegal is in the northern part of Ireland, it is still in the Republic. The castle itself is not very large. Large windows highlighted high walls and spacious rooms. The stonework was ornate, and it has one of the largest and most intricately decorated fireplaces in all of Ireland. Like Cahir Castle in County Tipperary, Donegal Castle had a trick staircase where each stair had a different length and width to make it harder for invaders to run up quickly and attack. It also forced invaders to hold their swords in their left hands instead of their right, which gave those running down the stairs an upper hand.

We all really enjoyed the décor inside of the castle and how it was furnished like it would have been back in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Whitney loved the tapestries because of how intricate and beautiful they are since you don’t often see that made nowadays. The fireplace was big enough to climb into, so we took some pictures inside of it (as you can see below). Max found it interesting to compare that with Cahir Castle since very prominent Irish families lived in both. Overall we would have loved more time at the castle to explore the grounds, but we enjoyed it and were glad to be staying in our hotel so close by.  

Friends inside the giant fireplace!

Deanna and Kayleigh 

Donegal Castle

Impoverished Ireland: Dunbrody Famine Ship

The Dunbrody “Famine Ship” was a ship that carried thousands of emigrant passengers from New Ross, Ireland to America and Canada during the Potato Famine or Great Hunger. It was originally built as a cargo ship in Quebec, Canada by Irishman Thomas Hamilton Oliver in 1845. The original ship took 6 months to build, and though it was destroyed after 30 years of travel, an exact replica exists in New Ross that is still open to the public. The Dunbrody was owned by William Graves & Sons, and the first captain of the ship was named John Baldwin. 

The ship could carry about 200 passengers per each six to eight week trip. It contained separate accommodations for first and second class passengers, ranging in age from two months to 76 years old over the course of the 30 years the Dunbrody was in service. First class passengers may have chosen to leave their native country in search of greater opportunity in the New World; second class passengers often emigrated because they were being evicted from their land and their landowners, in an effort to get rid of them, would pay the price of their tenants’ tickets. The cheapest tickets cost about three pounds.

Ships like and including the Dunbrody are significant to Irish history in that they carried away a quarter of Ireland’s population in 10 years. The potato blight and resulting hunger that spurred the emigration and caused the deaths of millions drove an even deeper wedge between the Irish people and their British government that the Irish felt failed to help their Irish citizens adequately (or at all). To this day, Ireland’s population has still not reached its pre-famine numbers. The emigration was also significant in that it resulted in concentrations of Irish-heritage citizens of other countries like America, Canada and Australia. These Irish-descended emigrants would contribute to their new homelands in significant ways, like fighting in the American Civil War in large numbers. In later Irish history, these groups of expatriates proved significant in their political and monetary support of Irish fighting for independence from British rule.

Some of the things that our group had the strongest reactions to were the physical conditions endured on the ship: Nathan noted that, for something serving as home to 200 passengers plus crew, the ship was tiny. Max was taken aback by the fact that passengers slept in such close proximity on the tiny below-deck bunks, and Kayleigh thought it disturbing that the animals were slaughtered right above the second-class passengers. Deanna was surprised and saddened by the fact that second-class passengers were only allowed on deck for 30 minutes each day.

Invaded Ireland: Jerpoint Abbey

Located in County Kilkenny, Jerpoint Abbey is a 12th century cistercian abbey. It was founded in 1158 by Donal MacGillapatrick, King of Ossary. The abbey transitioned from a Cistercian settlement to a more hermitic settlement because the cistertian faith had become too "worldly". The goal of the monks of Jerpoint was to completely isolate themselves from society so that they could better serve God. If anyone settled near the abbey, the were made to go elsewhere so that they might not disturb the monks' isolation.
The abbey was built on land granted to the settlers in exchange for prayer and burial space. The abbey began with 13 monks, to symbolize Jesus and the twelve disciples, but at it's peak the abbey housed 86 monks and laymen. Life at the abbey was centered around prayer, with the first call to prayer at two in the morning. They ate simple meals of bread, veggies, and beer as they were meant only to sustain life, not over feed.
The abbey at one time had forty thousand acres of very valuable land. In 1540 Henry the VIII commission the disbanding of the monasteries and Jerpoint was seized because of it's valuable land holdings.
The abbey today is still a beautiful reflection of monastic life. The old tombs still house the carvings of saints and other important religious figure and imagery. The colonnades surround the inner part of the abbey and are rich with remaining carvings and artistry. The nave and chancel give us a glimpse into what services might be like. There was formerly a screen in the church that separated the laymen from the monks so as to not disturb the hermitic life of the monks.
Jerpoint abbey was one of the first cistercian monasteries and it's presence emphasizes the significance of religious life in Ireland. It's involvement in the reformation contributed to Irish resentment toward the English.
Our group was enamored by the beauty and preservation of this site. Max was particularly fascinated with the center tomb because of it's intricate carvings, while Kayleigh enjoyed learning about each of the carvings and their significance. Elyse thought it was interesting that the laymen were kept separated from the monks and were never able to become monks themselves. Overall, this site is a wonderful example of monastic life and we enjoyed our exploration of it.