Middle Schoolers Explore Ireland
Less than a week after school ended in June, an adventurous group of Middle School students set out on a nine-day tour of Ireland, exploring the country’s natural beauty, prehistoric and medieval ruins, and urban centers. Librarian and drama teacher Diane Devore and Language Department chair Cathy Favreau led 13 students on an ambitious itinerary from northwest Galway, around the coast through counties Clare, Kerry, Killarney, and Cork, before ending their trip with three days in Dublin and County Meath.
“I was so excited to return to Ireland and share my love of the country and culture,” said Ms. DeVore. “It had been fourteen years since I graduated from Trinity College and came to work at Rivers, so returning there with a group of students felt like a full circle experience. We started on the West coast, which was perfect because we could get outside and explore the landscape that has inspired generations of Irish poets, writers, and dramatists. We even sat at Yeats’ desk at Ballylee and took in the view he saw as he wrote many of his most famous poems about the people, landscape, and history of Ireland. From the dramatically rocky landscape of the Burren to the wild boglands of Connemara, it’s easy to see why this landscape has sparked so many imaginations.”
Favreau and DeVore planned a mix of activities, from hiking the Cliffs of Moher, touring legendary landmarks like Kylemore Abbey and Bunratty and Blarney Castles, to viewing the famed Book of Kells at Trinity. While the non-stop schedule would challenge the most seasoned tourist, it was ideal for an energetic bunch of teenagers, who travelled around in a small bus, accompanied by a tour guide from WorldStrides Tour Company—a retired schoolteacher who was well-attuned to the needs of that age group. They stayed in small hotels where they would have breakfast, with lunch on the road and dinner in local restaurants.
While in County Cork, they visited the Cobh Queenstown Story Museum, where students each received the identity card of an Irish immigrant whose personal stories they followed through the exhibits, learning why they were forced to leave their homeland and emigrate to America or elsewhere, and how widespread immigration impacted both Irish and world history. They were particularly intrigued by the fate of the immigrants who left everything behind only to drown on the Lusitania or the Titanic.
One of the highlights of the trip was spent on a farm in County Meath, north of Dublin, where the students “got to be Irish for a day.”
“The activities allowed them to get their hands—and feet and legs—dirty,” said Ms. DeVore. “They made Irish brown bread, held day-old puppies, learned a traditional Irish dance, saw newborn piglets and a sheepdog demonstration, and swung over and into a muddy bog.”
The students’ final stop was in County Meath at the World Heritage Site Brú na Bóinne, one of the world’s most important prehistoric landscapes. They visited the large passage tomb at Knowth, one of three built some 5,000 years ago in the Neolithic or Late Stone Age and containing the largest assemblage of megalithic art in Western Europe. There are an additional ninety monuments, giving rise to one of the most significant archaeological complexes in the world. The students were surprised to learn that archaeologists are still deciphering everything from the role the sites played in the prehistoric societies that built them to the meaning of the engravings on the stones surrounding the tombs, not to mention how the stones themselves were set in place.
Beyond the historical and cultural components, the trip offered students an opportunity to experience the world beyond Rivers alongside their peers. For many, it was the first time they had travelled without their parents and that sense of personal responsibility and independence is an important step in their growth.
“The highlight for me was starting in the west of the country—so beautiful and accessible—and watching the kids explore the coast, challenge themselves by hiking in Connemara, and just get to know each other outside of school,” commented Ms. Favreau. “Diane and I were both impressed by their maturity and openness to a new culture and curiosity. They were playful and explored every site that we brought them to. By the time we arrived in Cork and Dublin—more urban centers—they demonstrated real understanding of how to be courteous and conscientious visitors. They were an absolute treat to travel with!”
Participants included Ian Brown ’22, Jack DosSantos ’23, Colin Falvey ’23, Finn McCusker ’22, Paige Nelson ’22, Adebiyi Oyaronbi ’21, Will Randall ’21, Shamila Santana ’21, Mia Simon ’22, Nate Sugarman ’23, Theo Teng ’22, Lucy Tonthat ’22, and Ethan Zheng ’21.
“I could not have asked for a better group of travelers,” concluded Ms. DeVore. “These students were engaged, eager, and curious for the entire trip, and their energy never seemed to flag. From driving the Ring of Kerry, climbing the stairs of castles, eating bangers and mash, to exploring the city of Dublin, they were up for whatever we had planned.”
View the full photo gallery here.
View the full photo gallery here.
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