Sharry Bain 6/8/2015

Today we got off to an early start; we took the “short bus” from Limerick to Dublin. Once we got to Dublin, we checked into the Jurys Inn Hotel. In the lobby of the hotel we held two staff rides: the first on David Norris by Chelsea & Emily, and the second on Mairead Maguire by Dagmar & Sharry. We passed the beautiful Dublin Castle on the way to Trinity College.

Trinity College was established in 1592 and is Ireland’s oldest university with Protestant (Anglican) heritage. While touring Trinity College, Tammy & Valerie gave their staff ride about Mary Robinson. We then headed to the Trinity College Library for a tour on the Book of Kells. The Library of Trinity College is a legal deposit library for Ireland and the United Kingdom, containing over 4.5 million printed volumes and significant quantities of manuscripts (including the Book of Kells), maps and music. The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) together with various prefatory texts and tables.

The Library at Trinity College Dublin

Trinity College Dublin

Trinity College Dublin

After the tour of the Book of Kells, we had free time. Some of us went shopping and site seeing and others went to tour the Guinness Factory and became “certified” to pour Guinness. The day ended with a Farewell Dinner at the Brazen Head (the oldest pub in Ireland, established in 1198) with good food, lots of laughter and great people.

Farewell Dinner at the Brazen Head

This was truly an unforgettable and mind-opening experience.

“Live without regrets. Learn without borders.”

Sharry

Diane Hawes 6/6/2015

This morning, after a night of rest and packing, we ended our stay in Cork and began our next journey to Limerick.  Once aboard the small bus driven by Tony, we realized that it would be so much nicer if he would be able to take us all the way to Limerick rather than us having to take the train.  After a few phone calls it was determined that Tony was our man and he would be taking us right to our new digs in Limerick.

Once in Limerick the girls received some much appreciated assistance from the men in our group who helped us lug our heavy bags up 3 flights of stairs to our new accommodations. 

Then we began our journey through Limerick by traveling to the Hunt Museum where we were treated to a tour of the museum by Shamus (which we found out is Irish for “James”)  After an enjoyable pass through the museum we had a bite of lunch at the Hunt Café.  Mine was fabulous!

Shamus, our tour guide at the Hunt Museum

Lunch at the Hunt Cafe

After lunch we took a short walk to St Mary’s Cathedral where Nan presented a very interesting Staff Ride full of information. 

From the cathedral we walked to St John’s Castle.  At this location we found there to be a lot of things available to us to actively interact with various parts of history.  Upon entry everyone got into the mood by having some pictures taken of them at the soldier and Viking outfits awaiting us when we entered.  Matt, Nan and Jenn dressed in period cloths for a few fun photos as we walked throughout the castle.  Diane and Emily found their way to the cannons and proceeded to have some target practice.

At the castle staff ride information was presented by Shelly, Matt, and Mike.  The information they provided generated a great deal of interaction among all of the class mates and provided an opportunity for us to discuss a lot of various leadership traits and methods of leading…..both good and bad.

After passing through the main building we entered the main interior of the castle which overlooks the Shannon River.  Replicas of a smith shop, the mint, a chapel, and a mason shop were there for us to see.  Everyone climbed the stairs to the top of the castle walls where we could look out over the city and the river.  Of course, we all had to have photos taken and we had to take photos of one another!

One of the men portraying a soldier was more than happy to share with us his stories of the events that had occurred at the caste over the years. 

Once our journey through the castle had ended we made our way back past St Mary’s Cathedral and to a local pub called the Locke Gastro Pub where we ate dinner.

A great way to begin our stay in Limerick…can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring!!

Jason Wang 6/6/2015

Today we visited the St Mary's (also known as Limerick Cathedral), is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Limerick city, Ireland which is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin.

Limerick Cathedral (St Mary's) is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary was founded in 1168 and is the oldest building in Limerick which is in daily use. It has the only complete set of misericords left in Ireland.

In 1111, the Synod of Ráth Breasail decided that "St. Mary's church" would become the cathedral church of the Diocese of Limerick. According to tradition, Domnall Mór Ua Briain, the last King of Munster founded the present cathedral on the site of his palace on King's Island in 1168. The palace had been built on the site of the Viking meeting place, or "Thingmote" – the Vikings' most westerly European stronghold. This had been the center of government in the early medieval Viking city. Parts of the palace may be incorporated into the present structure of the cathedral, most prominently the great West Door, which tradition claims was the original main entrance to the royal palace. The West Door is now only used on ceremonial occasions. The Bishops of Limerick have for centuries knocked on this door and entered by it as part of their installation ceremony. According to tradition, during the many sieges of Limerick the defenders of the City used the stones around the West Door to sharpen their swords and arrows, and the marks they made in the stonework can be seen there today.

Valerie Casey 6/4/2015

Today is the second day of the Conference! The sun is shining and the short walk to the University College Cork will be a pleasant trip.  Sunset occurred at 9:46 p.m. last night and it was daylight when the alarm sounded at 6:00 a.m so it feels as if the sun never sets in Ireland! We will need plenty of daylight to accomplish all we have planned today!

We students are getting into a rhythm and met at the local café for a quick breakfast before we headed to the Conference. This morning we were first greeted by Steven with Paddywagon tours who guided us on the tour of the Kerry road. It’s so nice to see a familiar face within the local community to share stories and greetings!

Matthew, Nan, and Valerie with a presenter at UFHRD 2015

For the Conference, everyone chose breakout sessions to attend and will prepare  reports on them to share with the other students. All of us will attend the Keynote talks. This morning's speaker, Michael Morley with the University of Limerick, welcomed us with a traditional Irish greeting loosely translated as, “welcome and 20,000 welcomes among us”, which seems fitting for the hospitable way we have been treated during our visit! Tonight, after a full day of talks we are off to Ballymaloe House for dinner entertainment and dancing! 

The group getting ready to go to Ballymaloe House!

Tammy Albers 6/3/2015

Today marked the beginning of the conference, our journey began with a short walk to the conference center.  We went through registration, got our name tags and our conference schedule.  The group attended a Doctoral colloquium and then carved out time to review the conference schedule and determine sessions that we were interested in.  The group signed up for individual sessions and a variety of topics were chosen.  

After lunch we listened to a great presentation from the Keynote Speaker, Professor Sandra Robinson, on trust in the workplace.  She presented her research that really made you think about what happens when trust is broken in the workplace and how to repair it.    

Dr. Ronan Carbery and his team have put great effort into the planning of this event.  I conducted an informal interview with two staff members and two student volunteers to find out about the event and how the planning started. Planning for the conference started last October with details being finalized up to the last minute this morning.  They indicated that they were proud that this is only the second time it has been held in Ireland.  They also informed me that it is the most attended conference to date with 350 attendees.
  
We finished our day with a wonderful meal of Fish and Chips.  Excited to see what tomorrow brings!

Tammy Albers

Mike Barbieri 6/2/2015

Today was a good day.  Not for one specific reason, but for many.  Today I was able to witness and enjoy the company and comradery of my classmates.  We toured the campus of an honored educational institution, the University College Cork, Ireland.  The history and tradition were readily visible everywhere you turned, from the celebration of the birth of George Boole, to the statue of Finn Barr atop the peak of the college, to the stained glass windows of the chapel created by Harry Clark we were all given inspiration by the creativity and craftsmanship that was put into the architectural design of the college.  It is amazing to hear the stories of how this college, county, and country have adapted and evolved through the many centuries that is has existed.  To hear such depth of history really puts things into perspective when you are from a country that is a mere 240 years old.  The appreciation that the Irish people have for their country’s history is impressive and it is a joy to see them express themselves as they share it.

We followed up our tour with an amazing interaction with Mr. Mark Sheehan, HR Manager for EMC; a global business partner.  His knowledge of the HR field is only surpassed by his passion for his work.  It was a truly beneficial meeting and I am sure that everyone attending gleaned something from it that will assist them in their careers.

Following a short break for tea and cakes, we proceeded to the City Centre to meet with Dr. Collette Kelleher, the CEO of the COPE Foundation.  What an amazing organization.  I recommend that you check out what they are doing to incorporate those with special needs back into society as fully contributing members.  The work they are doing is incredible and is paying large dividends in supporting the community and the personnel within it.

http://www.cope-foundation.ie/

We finished up the evening with a team building event at the Franciscan Well, which was hosted by the staff at UCC.  It was great to meet and bond with colleagues from Georgetown, and George Washington University as we shared our experiences thus far.  I look forward to what the remainder of the trip will provide.

The Ring of Kerry- Shelly Gardner 6/1/15

We drove through Killorglin, in County Kerry, where every August 10, a three-day festival commences celebrating Aonach an Phoic, meaning "Fair of the He-Goat". Poc is Irish for male goat. Consequently, the festival is named the Puck Fair, with the King Puck (King Goat) regally presiding over the festivities.

We traveled to the Ring of Kerry on Monday. It was one of the most beautiful areas I've ever visited, even in the pouring down rain!

The Ring of Kerry is a 179 kilometer-long circular drive in County Kerry, located in the southwestern part of Ireland. It starts in Killarney, and following the coast, winds its way through towns such as Sneem, Waterville, and Cahersiveen. The views of the Atlantic smashing into the boulders and beach, white foam and spray flying in all directions, were breathtaking.

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As we drove through Killarney National Park, we stopped at the Ladies' View, a scenic point where Queen Victoria's Ladies-in-Waiting were said to have taken in the sights. According to our charming tour guide Steven, Queen Victoria sent her ladies to visit the area (as she seemingly couldn't be bothered!) The ladies were utterly charmed by the scenery, proclaiming it a 'view for a lady', and the name stuck.

We also visited Torc Waterfall, a gorgeous, tumbling fury of water on that rainy day, tucked away within the lush greenery of the mountain-side. In that same area, we saw wild goats and deer, munching their lunches as we passed. We saw many multi-colored sheep, shaggy cows, and lots of new lambs and calves running around their mamas.

Dagmar at Torc Waterfall

I remain amazed that our full-sized tour bus could maneuver some of those roads and curves; they seemed the width of a Mini-Cooper in some places! To alleviate traffic jams, the buses navigated along a counter-clockwise route, where passenger cars traveled clockwise.

As you might imagine, the 12-hour day was jam-packed with learning, fun, and great entertainment. If you get the opportunity to travel the Ring of Kerry, do not hesitate. Add it to your bucket list now!

The group at Ladies View-Ring of Kerry

Tammy Mike, Emily, Dr. Herd, and Chelsea at the Torc Waterfall-Ring of Kerry