Day 1

Monday, 8th July 2019

Arrival and accomodation

On Sunday the plane left with a 50-minute-delay, but as soon as I boarded I met some fellow-students. I was sitting next to two Hungarian colleagues who were also coming to Trinity College.

At the airport I only needed to take one bus which took me to Trinity College, which is conveniently-located in the heart of Dublin. It was founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592 and has a fascinating history. My accomodation is located on the campus of Trinity College, in a heritage building.

Greetings and introductions

On Monday morning all the teachers were gathering in Hamilton building to embark on a two-week journey of professional development. After we had registered we all went to an auditorium where we were greeted by the team of English Matters and the training was officially launched. There are 117 teachers from 12 countries taking part in six different courses starting at the same time: courses aimed at improving teachers' language skills and methodology courses in the topic of culture, Clil and ICT.

It was a very good start and we all enjoyed the warm welcome of Edoardo, the course director. He stressed the goals of European dimension being: a) meeting European people b)sharing work with our colleagues.

Furthermore a remarkable aim was underlined: the spirit of cooperation, being it the starting point of further future cooperations. At the end of the meeting teachers from different countries were introduced to us.

The key aspect of the course is "from teachers to teachers”. The focus is on insight into Irish culture and the model used is Contexts4Content, which means that the town itself is used as a source of teaching materials. The participants are required to write a Reflective journal in order to contribute to professional development.

A booklet of interesting Irish cultural information was given with essential details on Irish Literature, Music, sights, etc.

Russell Mckay Memorial Lecture

After the introductions we listened to a Russell Mckay Memorial Lecture given by John Kennedy, who is originally a teacher of Gaelic, but works as a tourist guide. We learnt that Russel Mckay was born in Northern Ireland and was highly respected by both communities.

The lecture was a crash course on the history of Ireland and we got a really interesting insight into the events and major characteristics of each and every era that shaped the history of Ireland.

Some pieces of information I have found extremely interesting:

The first settlements were established in the New Stone Age and people from this period left passage graves behind. These communities were mostly agricultural and they had a sophisticated society.
The Celts - who arrived in Ireland in 500 BC- built ring forts, the purpose of which was to protect cattles. These forts are well-preserved due to the fact that the Irish people are very superstitious and presumed that fairies lived in them, so they left them unspoilt.
St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on 17th March because it was the date of the first time Irishmen celebrated it in New York.
The Vikings arrived in the 8th century and they left more good things behind than destruction. They built the first major cities, introduced money and trade.
During the Georgian Period (17th-19th century) Dublin was the second city of the British Empire. Ireland had political autonomy until 1800, when England shut down the Irish Parliament. It was a reason why English aristocrats went to London and it marked the end of the booming period of the country.
In 1845-48 there was a Great Famine because the potato crop had a fungus disease and as a result 1 million people died. Also, another million emigrated to the USA. The reason for the fact that they mostly went to the USA was that grain was imported to Ireland from America and the ships that brought the grain into the country returned with Irish people on board. This plight also marked the doom of the Irish language as parents started to bring their children up using the English language.
In 1916 the Easter Rising took place - its marks are visible one the building of the General Post Office, because this building was the main headquarters of the risers. The War of Independence was fought 1919-1921 and it was a Guerilla War.
In World War II Ireland became neutral - according to some people it contributed to Ireland being further isolated. In 1949 Ireland left the British Commonwealth.
In 1960s the Irish economy boomed and John F. Kennedy - who had Irish ancestors - visited Ireland which had a positive effect on the confidence of the Irish people.
In 1980s because of the weak economy the “Flights of the Earls II” took place as the “best and the brightest” of Ireland emigrated.
In 1990s Irish culture went global (Irish pubs, music: Riverdance), and lots of immigrants arrived especially from Eastern Europe.
It is a tradition for Irish people to emigrate, and the lecturer humorously pointed out that when Irish people have problems they emigrate. It is in their DNA, and the biggest export of Ireland is people :-) .
The Irish people mostly have a positive attitude towards the European Union because it has always been the one that pushed the modernisation of Ireland and contributed to it being more open.

Origin of last names:

‘Mac’, ‘O’ - Celtic
‘Henderson’, ‘Anderson’ - Viking
‘Fizt’, ‘De’ - Anglo-Norman

We were also informed about the national sport of Ireland: Hurling. It makes Ireland unique and it dates back to pre-historic times. It is the fastest game after ice-hockey and it is very important to Irish people. The players are not paid, so they do it besides their everyday jobs. It is not a contact sport, so there are few injuries. However, the sliotar (the ball of the game) can reach 180 km/h, so wearing a helmet is compulsory. The lecturer referred to the sport as ‘Poetry in Motion’ and the highlight of Irish culture. It was good to hear that there is no hooliganism in Ireland, the fans of the opponent teams peacefully seat side by side and go for a drink together after the match.

Ireland has three national musical instruments: the harp (which is depicted on most emblems), the Irish pipe (which is played with the elbow) and the drums.

Traditional Irish music demonstration

Task-based field project: Images of Dublin

During the afternoon session we took part in a walking tour of Dublin. We were encouraged to observe the differences between our towns and Dublin and take photos of anything that we find interesting. We visited among lots of places the following ones:

Merrion Square: the memorial statue of Oscar Wilde.

This sculpture was commissioned in 1997 by the Guinness Ireland Group in order to commemorate one of Ireland’s most famous people. This site in Merrion Square Park was chosen, and Oscar Wilde, in relaxed repose, looks straight out at his boyhood home where he grew up the son of the renowned surgeon Sir William Wilde.

The statue is quite colourful, reflecting on the poet’s bohemian lifestyle and he is accompanied by two smaller bronzes, both on the top of polished granite plinths which are engraved with quotes from Wilde’s work. The first bronze sculpture shows Wilde’s pregnant wife, Constance, and the second depicts Dionysus, the Greek god of the vine and the theater. The statue is equipped with an audio guide.

We passed the building that used to be Finn’s Hotel, and the building has a connection with James Joyce because it is the place where he met his future wife. The building no longer functions as a hotel, but as a tribute to the memory of the writer, the sign with the name of the hotel has not been removed.

We saw the statue of Molly Malone, who is the subject of the popular song 'Cockles and Mussels' which has become a sort of unofficial anthem of Dublin. Molly Malone supposedly worked as a fishmonger and died in one of the outbreaks of Cholera that regularly used to sweep the city of Dublin, but it is also possible that she never existed. Her statue and her cart is nicknamed 'The Tart with the Cart' by Dubliners'.

Statue of Molly Malone

We saw the magnificent building of the National Gallery of Ireland.
We went across O’Connell Bridge and walked down O’ Connel street that is the main street of Dublin. Daniel O'Connell was a nationalist leader of the early 19th century, and his statue stands at the lower end of the street, facing O'Connell Bridge.

River Liffey from O'Connel bridge

The statue of O'Connel

We visited the General Post Office, which was the last of Dublin’s prominent public Georgian buildings to be built. It was completed in 1818 and it still serves Dublin as a post office and a notable landmark. During the Easter Rising of 1916, it served as the headquarters of the uprising's leaders and the marks of the fight is visible on the building. Near the General Post Office we saw the Spire of Dublin, also called the Monument of Light, which is a large, stainless steel, pin-like monument. It is 120 metres high and it is located on the site of the former Nelson's Pillar. On the opposite street I visited the statue of James Joyce.

General Post Office

The Spire

Statue of James Joyce

What I found really fascinating is the initiative of ‘Talking Statues’ because ten statues are equipped with audio guides which are accessible with QR codes and they tell stories in witty ways.

At the end of the tour I made an extra visit to Christ Church Cathedral, which is Dublin's oldest building. The main reason I visited it is that it is one of the main locations in Edward Rutherfurd’s Dublin Saga, which I had read before.

Homeless Jesus Statue

Christ Church Cathedral

Window in Christ Church Cathedral

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