After completing their time in Rathangan, the group journeyed cross country to the holiday villages of Achill Island. Turning their attention away from community engagement towards beginning their education of the history, culture, and ecosystem of Ireland. The major projects of the trip are encompassed within a STEAM course. Along with this, and thanks to having three professors from different fields accompanying the group, each student had the choice of a theatre course with a focus on Irish plays, a humanities course focusing on Irish novels, and a biology course exploring Ireland’s ecology.
Professor Zachary Dorsey developed his intro to theatre class around establishing an understanding of playwriting and how it played a role in documenting and enriching the culture of Ireland. The students had the opportunity to read some of Ireland's classic plays such as The Weir, Dancing at Lughnasa, and Disco Pigs. The students also had the chance to see live performances of plays such as . Each play was always followed up with an in depth discussion about… accompanied often by a hot cup of tea or cold pint of Guinness.
Professor Sean McCarthy lead his group through an exploration of the culture of Ireland. Ireland is a young country and has had a recent cultural explosion, as a result it is a prime focus for postmodernism, the primary focus of the humanities group. Through the reading of Irish literature, short analysis papers of experiences throughout the trip, and by exploring and learning about the history of Ireland from a global scope.
"As I walked through the jail and learned of its
history more than a century after the executions, it did not surprise me in the slightest that
the population was motivated toward change because of this display of cruelty."
-Kelsie LaPore
Professor Patrice Ludwig guided her class through an understanding of the biological process using Ireland current events as a model. The focus was to have her students receive biological questions and then work together and as a team to create answers for them using different mediums such as visuals, short responses, and even through interviewing the other students with science majors on the trip. Along with this, the entire group had the opportunity to experience many different ecosystems within Ireland and gain an understanding for how humans have had an impact on them.