Arcadia Ireland

Fiona is helping us stay afloat in the Dublin Centre and last weekend she participated in one of the most popular co-curricular events; the Belfast and Antrim Coast weekend. Here is her account of what was a hugely successful one!

This past weekend I embarked on a trip to Belfast and the Antrim Coast with John and 49 students. Our chatty and lively Friday drive up to Northern Ireland sharply contrasted the tired trip home on Sunday, indicating that the weekend fulfilled expectations and kept everyone busy. We began at the Titanic Museum where students explored for a few hours. The weather was on our side for the weekend, giving all of us the opportunity to step outside of the museum onto the SS Nomadic. We also got to walk out into the (now paved over) dry dock where the Titanic was constructed. Despite the magnificently well-organized museum, tracing the outline of the boat on my own two feet was the most influential part of the experience, as it gave true meaning to the word “Titanic” - and helped me reach my step count for the day.

We headed back to the hotel and had a few hours to explore the city or rest. John went for a quiet read by Descartes and I went for a walk into the City Centre in preparation for a filling hotel dinner. We really work well at balancing the staff personalities.

On my walk, I came to the realization that Belfast is quite different from Dublin. Although it supports a much smaller population, the tall buildings and narrow streets almost make it feel like a busier city. The deep-rooted history of conflict and strife is embedded in its character. This gives it a bit of grit, justifiably, and opens a new perspective on Irish cities. This is not to say that Dublin didn’t undergo its fair share of struggle, but Belfast has faced these issues in more recent times - something we came to learn about on our Sunday tour.

Many of the students rounded out Friday evening with varying degrees of ‘nights out’. Despite some dragging feet, everyone made it to the bus the following morning for our tour of the Antrim Coast and Giant’s Causeway by our guide Therese. Once again we were blessed with sunshine (photos below). The students enjoyed hopping around on the rocks and taking in the scenery. Each place we visited, from the Causeway to the Game of Thrones Dark Hedges, was pleasantly quiet so everyone had ample photo opportunities and room to move around.

After touring the Antrim Coast, students were given more time in Belfast to visit places like the Botanic Gardens, Queen’s University campus, and other notable parts of the City Centre such as the Cathedral Quarter. We ate dinner as a group at the hotel and many students ventured out into the city for nights out once again. One thing worth noting about nights out in Belfast is the...creativeness with which they name their bars. From the Dirty Onion to Filthy McNasty’s, this city doesn’t hold back on promoting low expectations and following through with fantastic venues (according to student reviews).

We gathered our things on Sunday morning and met Therese on the bus for a tour of the murals around Belfast. The drizzly overcast was particularly fitting, as the topics at hand were more serious and grim than the rest of the weekend. Therese provided a thorough history of the Troubles and its long-standing effect on Belfast and Northern Ireland as a whole. We were shown many of the murals and students were given the opportunity to sign the Belfast Peace Wall (photos above). Despite the dreary weather, this tour remained an important staple of a weekend in Belfast - one which visitors might not know is so essential. Arcadia definitely knows how to give the holistic tour of Northern Ireland and students were quite receptive to this. We finished our Sunday with lunch at the hotel and headed back to Dublin where everyone parted ways.

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