There were terrible troubles in Ireland. There were also bonfires and shootings and bombings and prejudice and hatred and fear and a general lack of playing nice. But none of these compared to the specter that haunted the fields of the North. The Wolf-Sheep of Coleraine. This nightmarish ewe had fangs like daggers of the […]

In my neck of the South Carolina, a question that often comes up is “Carolina or Clemson?” On this subject, I tend to stay neutral. I make more friends that way. But that puts me in a minority; almost everyone in the Upstate will defend one or the other to the death. Perfectly good friends […]

Light pulls swing of their own accord. A breathy female voice calls for help. Invisible soldiers tramp. A Monet print is repeatedly hurled off the wall. Guests report that someone strokes their face and holds their hand as they sleep. All of these mysterious happenings have been chronicled at the Dobbins Inn in Carrickfergus. “Does […]

The question for today’s blog isn’t really a topic that I considered much while in Belfast. While I did have the opportunity to speak to so many people from Ulster, very few seem affected by their respective opposing religion. Our tour guide, Neill, told me that he lives in an area where “Catholics and Protestants live […]

After touring the BBC and listening to a few of the reporters and editors talk about the stories they covered over the years, I envy their experience but don’t envy the difficulty they faced working to appease every side of the Troubles. Being a new member to the world of journalism, I am learning all […]

I know I’ve made pithy, shade-throwing references to American superiorism over the past week-odd of blogging, but now that I’m heading back from Belfast, I feel almost obligated to unashamedly comment on the trouble that I will be departing from in a matter of hours and 3000 miles away from in a matter of weeks. […]

“Tell me where is fancy bred / Or in the heart or in the head?” –William Shakespeare.  Also Willy Wonka. I found Ireland today I looked for her in the streets of her tourist’s cities The H&Ms, the Subways, the towers of glass and cement But I did not find Ireland there I looked for […]

She knew I was going, and she was proud. When I knelt down next to her in her room and said, “I’ll come back to see you when I come home, but I’m going to spend a month in Ireland in a creative writing residency,” her eyes lit up, and she smiled. Though I hated […]

From the Europa Bus Center the following are the bus departure times from Belfast to Armagh: 1:18p on the 251 3:45p on the 270 Gold Line Express 5:18p on the 251 7:58p on the 251 9:48p on the 251  

It is Day 7 and I have learned SO much beyond Armagh and Irish history, thanks to my classmates. They are all brilliant and our dynamic is joyous. Last night, after arriving at The Barge, that the kitchen aboard was closed! We were famished, withering away and cranky after a long day of fast bells. […]