Arts & Sciences

Ireland Itinerary

Study abroad fosters global know-how

When professors Kim and Leon Raikes told the group of 14 students who participated in MMA’s Ireland Study Abroad program this May that they were covering Holy Ground, they weren’t exaggerating.

Now in its ninth year, the Irish Study Abroad program allows students to enroll in two courses for three credits each related to Irish history, art, literature, environment and Celtic spirituality. They visit prehistoric and early Christian sites, including Clonmanoise, an early monastic site, as well as megalithic tombs, Celtic holy wells, and other landmarks in the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland.

“Few students have been able to see and touch history that reaches back 5,500 years, or to experience how these places exude spirituality and historic meaning in the lives of the present day Irish inhabitants,” say Kim and Leon.

Home base for the group are traditional thatched cottages in Tullycross, Renvyle, County Galway, Ireland. The village is home to a few hundred people and in an area famous for hillwalking, pony-trekking, angling, traditional music, deep-sea fishing, and Gaelic heritage.

“During our stay in Tullycross, students walk a lot and depend on meeting local people both out of the necessities of daily life and out of the need to conduct primary research for academic projects. From this experience of connection, students gain an awareness of European world views, as well as personal self-confidence and global enhancement of their career paths,” according to the Raikes.

“For example, some students explore modern Irish uses of power technology and climate control, while others research similarities between Irish and Maine coastal habitats.”

One of the goals of the program is to foster a life-long interest in students for learning about other cultures through their immersive experience in Ireland.

“The payoff for their future professional careers is that they learn to work with others from a different culture to achieve their goals, which will be a reality for many MMA graduates,” say Kim and Leon.█