Study Abroad - Finishing Up

After over 100 days, my time in Newfoundland is drawing to a close.  At the time I write this, I have little over two weeks to go before I start my 24 hour journey home. It has been a very interesting term in Memorial Universtiy, Newfoundland, with more highs and lows than you’d get in a typical term in UL.

Starting off was incredibly rough. My flight from New York to Newfoundland was cancelled, Continental Airlines lost my bags and I was hauled into interrogation because border patrol was suspicious of me for whatever reason. It was clear from the start that it was going to be an interesting semester.

If I had to pick one thing that absolutely defined my time in St John’s, it has to be the weather. The snow was one of the reasons I came here. I loved snow and after years of going through green Christmases, I thought that this year was going to be different. I can tell you, the novelty wears of very fast when you’re up to your knees in flour-fine snow and listen to snow ploughs going all night. Nevertheless, it’s all part of what makes Newfoundland so special. The scenes of snow-peaked mountains around Pippy Park and Signal Hill, which is one of the few places on land where one can see where the Titanic sunk, defines the St John’s landscape and is truly beautiful.

Of course, I can’t forget the lovely people that I met in St John’s. These people really showed me what it’s like to live in a different culture. They showed my the initiation ritual for people coming to Newfoundland as well as being just as funny and kind as my friends back home. The people will probably be what I miss most about St John’s.

One of the most important things it thought me though is how good I have it back home. I was surprised by how much I missed my friends and family. I am very much looking forward to my first pint of Bulmers in UL with my buddies. UL Abu!

Study Abroad - Finishing Up

Insight into: St Patrick's Day in Newfoundland

O'Reilly's Pub gets in St Patrick's Day spirit.

St Patrick’s Day is celebrated around the world as a day where everyone can pretend to be Irish, but for an island off the coast of Mainland Canada, it has a very special meaning. Since the 17^th century, thousands of Irish Emigrants have arrived in Newfoundland, setting up fishing and farming communities around the island, which is known as the Irish Loop. The Irish connection is so important to Newfoundland, that it is one of only two places outside of Ireland that celebrates St Patrick’s Day as a public holiday.

Newfoundland’s capital, St John’s, is laden with Irish pubs, but one of the most popular is O’Reilly’s, which was full of people dressed in green and wearing leprechaun hats. On stage was a Newfoundland folk singer, blasting out songs based in Newfoundland, but inspired by Ireland. 

Sitting in a booth enjoying their Irish coffees and breakfast beers were married couples Francis Corrigan, Sylvia Corrigan, Bill Stephenson and Rose Stephenson.  The group, from the Irish Loop, have roots in Wexford and Waterford and say they come out every St Patrick’s Day to celebrate their heritage. They even got to visit Ireland two years ago, something many Newfoundlanders want to do. Francis says that they loved their two-week break, which was their first time in Ireland.

“It was wonderful. We went from Dublin to Galway and then we went around the coast. I’ve never seen so many sheep in my life.  We really enjoyed Galway and the scenes in Dungarvan were beautiful.  We were in Galway for Halloween though and we got egged by a bunch of students.

“The only thing was we went searching for old Ireland, and we didn’t really find it.”

Despite not finding the old fashioned Ireland they were expecting, they couples say that they keep up the Irish traditions in Newfoundland. Francis and Sylvia were also getting ready for perform on stage later on.

“I’ll be singing ‘The Fields of Athenry’ and Sylvia will be singing ‘The Spinning Wheel’. We like to keep up the Irish feel. At home we have a kitchen garden as well. The first Irish that came here, I think the fished out of necessity, but farmed out of love.

“Our son is in his thirties now and he loves the Irish two-step and traditional Irish music. Irish traditions are just so engrained in Newfoundland society and culture. There’s no fear of Irish culture dying out over here. We won’t let it.”

 Francis Corrigan, Sylvia Corrigan, Rose Stephenson
 and Bill Stephenson enjoy a few drinks.

 Also out celebrating were Genie Power and Judy Dawe from Torbay, who were wearing green glow sticks shaped into glasses. Both Genie and Judy have Irish heritage, but neither are sure what part of Ireland their forefathers came from.

Genie says that the week before St Patrick’s Day the schools, shops and pubs are decked full of leprechauns and shamrocks.

“I brought my grandson to his elementary school and the teachers were all wearing green and had big green hats on. [Irish singer] Fergus O’Brien was playing there for a little while as well. St John’s goes all out for Paddy’s Day.”

Judy, whose maiden name is Eustace, will be visiting Ireland next year and is looking forward to touring the country.

“I hear there’s a  Eustace Street in Templebar, so I can’t wait to see that. I will be taking pictures of everything to do with my namesake.  I hear Templebar is the really Irish part of Ireland with all the traditional pubs. I’m so excited. I’m coming over boys. Get ready.”

Genie Power and Judy Dawe enjoy Paddy's Day.

Throughout the day, O’Reilly’s promoter and former radio DJ, Bill Gregory was working in O’Reilly’s to make sure everyone was having a good time. Bill, like nearly 60per cent of the island, has Irish heritage, which he wants to explore with his father.

“My father is always talking about visiting Ireland and seeing where we came from, so I said we should do it sooner rather than later. We have roots in Waterford, so that would definitely be a place we’d have to visit. The amount of Newfoundlanders visiting Ireland is nuts. I was there in 1998 as well.”

Bill also said that if the next generation of Irish emigrants fleeing Ireland’s economic woes would be more than welcome in Newfoundland.

“There is a huge connection between Newfoundland and Ireland. We know that a lot of newer emigrants will want to go to major centres like Toronto and Quebec, but there is so much more to Canada than those places.

“It would be nice to see the Irish emigrants coming here. We would welcome them with opens arms and we know that they would settle in just fine here.”

Bill added that St Patrick’s Day is a huge event for O’Reilly’s pub, which is he says is the epicentre for Irish entertainment on the island.

“People from all over the island come here every year. It’s like Christmas for so many people. It gives them a chance to celebrate their heritage. The people here are fiercely patriotic.”

Bill Gregory celebrates Paddy's Day.

In the same way that many people visit Ireland visit Ireland for St Patrick’s Day,  people from across Canada also visit Newfoundland. Pam Mackay from Manatoba and Lyn Duchesney from Cape Breton came to Newfoundland pub, Shamrock City, for the celebrations. Lyn said that they both love Irish culture and would love to visit Ireland.

“We both would absolutely love to visit Ireland. We just love the culture and the music. We want to go there within the next two years. I expect when we get there we’ will be greeted by green fields, fantastic music, friendly people and lots of horses.

“It would just be like Newfoundland, really.”

Pam Mackay and Lyn Duchesney enjoy Shamrock City.

Parts of this article were published in the 'Irish Independent' on 18/08/2011.

Insight into: St Patrick's Day in Newfoundland

Ireland is calling me back

If this year's Smedia Awards is as good
 as last years, attendees will be in for a treat

I may have just over a month to go in Canada, but Ireland is telling me to come home.  She’s been punishing me for leaving since I left her shores on January 2nd. I should have known better than to leave home. For the last few months I’ve been describing myself as a prospective immigrant, but now that I’ve left the homeland, I know that Ireland won’t let me leave longterm.

 The first incident was the fact that my flight the St John’s, Newfoundland was cancelled because of extreme weather conditions, meaning I had to stay in New York overnight.

 Next up, Continental Airlines lost all of my bags, so that I had to buy enough clothes and toiletries to last me a few days. Worst of all, I was technically under arrest, as I was dragged into interrogation, as border police thought that my reason on visiting Canada wasn’t for study. Just over 100 days to go at that stage. What more could happen?

Since then, I’ve been bedbound with the Newfie flu and other viral nasties that have ensured that my social life here is kept to an absolute minimum. Also, have I mentioned the snow? The snow here is bitter and stinging. The worst thing about the Newfoundland snow is that when it’s rained on top of, it turns into this rock hard ice that is incredibly slippery. I’ve almost had a number of concussions walking along it.

Just this week there was a great thaw out. The sun was shining and I was delighted that I was beginning to see the grass again. I jinxed it. The next day, the snow started afresh and the snow ploughs are going full throttle throughout the night once more.

But now, I have a whole new reason to return home. This blog has been nominated for a student media award. I was lucky enough to be a guest at last year’s awards and was delighted with the night. It’s fantastically organised and it’s a great night. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes out of it. I’m also happy to see fellow ULers Finn McDuffie and Colm Fitzgerald nominated for other awards. Best of luck to everyone taking part. It will definitely be a night to celebrate.

Ireland is calling me back

Study Abroad - One month to go

How did people on Erasmus get along without Facebook? My friends will know that I was a Facebook fanatic who could easily waste away hours chatting and poking friends and posting the most irreverent tripe before I touched down in Canada. Now, I’m worse than ever.

One of the disadvantages of the Newfoundland weather is the very common flu that has already swept through campus. I was hit particularly hard and have been bedbound longer than I would have liked. This has lead to my laptop getting more use in a day than it would in a week.

This is a bit of a mixed blessing. I get to keep in contact with my friends, which makes me feel that I’m right back in UL and it keeps me up to date with the news. Unfortunately, it also leads people to believe that I had absolutely no life here whatsoever.

Fortunately, when I do get to venture of my quarantined bedroom, I have lot to be doing. We’re currently in the second busiest time of assignment hand-up. I’ve already handed up one genealogy and a research paper on the Thirty Tyrants of Ancient Greece. Next up is a paper on the popularity and decline of doo wop and a recorded interview of an international student. Yep, I am talking the most fitting exchange student classes going.

I’m also involved in the Students’ Union elections here, helping the incumbent CSO get re-election. It’s amazing the difference between their elections and ours. For one, they don’t allow penny sweets. I’d say that if penny sweets weren’t allowed over here, the voting numbers would be halved.  There are no t-shirt wearing campaigners going around the place, nor any blogs anonymously posting venomous and nasty comments. The SU give around $200 dollars to candidates to spend on their campaigns and students are not allowed to go above it. The candidates don’t seem to mind, but it seems to diminish the buzz and atmosphere that you get around SU Election Week. Let’s hope there’s more excitement in store for the ULSU candidates.

Study Abroad - One month to go

Study Abroad - Interesting Characters

You meet all kinds of people when your abroad. I came across a lovely bunch of folk soon after I arrived in St John’s. They’re just about as quirky as my chums in UL and nearly as fond of drink. I knew I’d fallen in with a pretty decent crowd. It’s not until recently that I found out just how quirky they are.

They’re all member of Memorial University Oxfam, which is a society that helps promote women’s rights and global equality. I bumped into them randomly when exploring all the societies that MUN has to offer. I’ve decided that MUN Anarchists (organised chaos?) probably isn’t my thing nor was the Christian Youth society, but the bunch of people I met in the Oxfam office were warm, inviting, energetic and good fun.

During the week, I found out one of my new buddies, Meaggy, is in face descended from a piracy and royalty. A gand of pirates kidnapped royalty and made them slaves. Of course, one of the pirates fell in love with a slave. He started a mutiny and escaped with the princess slave. They escaped to Newfoundland and got married. I told her she’s like Johnny Depp and Kiera Knightley. I started calling her Johnny Knightley, before I realised it sounds like a 70s porn star name.

Another new buddy, Jeremy, is a quite the Newfoundland hero. He’s a  human rights champion and came to a lot of people’s attention last year, when he refused to shake hands with Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. Jeremy is no fan of most of Harper’s policies. This was a big deal in St John’s, and Jeremy was declared a local hero.

In other news, I’ve been pretty vocal lately about not being able to vote in the general election. I was in a few newspapers and on TV3. At the time I write this, I’m not sure of the result, but I hope when I return to Ireland, it will be a better place than when I left it.

Study Abroad - Interesting Characters

Airing voting frustrations on TV3

I was on the main evening news on TV3 today talking about being denied the right to vote from Newfoundland. If you missed it or would like to see it, it's available to view here.

Airing voting frustrations on TV3

Study Abroad - Irish abroad

After spending some time in a foreign land, people start to develop the native accent. To my horror, it happened to me after my co-op placement in Cork, but it’s not going to happen in Newfoundland. I’m going to come home from here with the strongest, most exaggerated Irish accent imaginable. It really is a joy being a proper Paddy in an Island full of fifth and sixth generation Irish.

My big culchie accent, which is mocked by friends in Dublin and Cork, is cooed at over here. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve been asked to talk more during nights out.  It’s a great talking point. Most of the people go on to say that they’re part Ireland and how they’d love to go back to Ireland, talking as if they’re bona fide Irish. I’m still getting a kick out of it and I don’t think the novelty value will go any time soon.

One night I met a lad who claims he’s a proud Limerick man, despite the fact he never left Newfoundland in his life. He almost cried when I told him that I study in Limerick and demanded I tell him every detail about the Treaty City. He told me that his father moved from Limerick because it was too dangerous, which I didn’t buy for a second. I chatted to him for a total of five minutes before he asked me if I wanted to buy some Grade A drugs. It was around that time that I faked a call and left him. Every proper Irish person I’ve met since has offered me the same. It’s slightly suspicious.

The best thing I’ve encountered so far is, of course, in the pubs around St John’s. In my first month here, I’ve been given four free double whiskeys from friendly bartenders, just because I’m a proper Irish person. This is something that I could get used to.  It’s all part of some of the bizarre initiation ceremonies that take place in Newfoundland.

All I can say is roll on Paddy’s Day!

Study Abroad - Irish abroad

The Newfoundland snow

Here are just a few of the pictures I took of Newfoundland's first snow storm of the winter season. I'm told they're just going to get worse. I'll be there with my camera!










So today was the first big snowstorm in St. John's, Newfoundland. A journey that normally only takes me five minutes took me around 15 and I was absolutely saturated from head to toe. Here are some of the pictures I took on my iPhone.
You think you know snow, Ireland. THIS is snow...

The Newfoundland snow

Study Abroad - Moving

THERE are some things that you pray will never happen to you when you move country. You pray that the flights will be peaceful and that everything will run smoothly. Well, that’s what I did, but it seems the fates had different plans for me. My four month stay in Newfoundland, Canada, where I am currently studying arts kicked off with proving Murphy’s Law correct. Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
Well, the start was actually quite pleasant. Continental Airlines managed to accidentally book me into first class, where I enjoyed an eight hour flight with delicious food, new movies and reclining seats. That’s where the daydream stopped.
Once we arrived in Newark, I found that my connecting flight kept getting delayed, until it was ultimately cancelled. I rushed over to get in front of the line for free accommodation in New York for the night, so I could wake up fresh for the new flight in the morning.
Luckily, the rescheduled flight went ahead. Unluckily, all my bags and the bags of all the flyers, were left in Newark. It took four days to get all my bags sent to me, and I was in first class.. Then the worst thing happened. I got stopped at customs and questioned over the validity of my stay.
I was hauled into interrogation, where I was locked into a room with a policewoman, who asked for proof of my intention to study. Thank God for my iPhone. I managed to email all I needed to her from my phone and went on my less-than-merry way.
They say that bad things come in threes, and with cancelled flights, lost luggage and angry guards, I’m inclined to believe them. But things can only get better, right?

Printed in An Focal - January 2011

Study Abroad - Moving