Ireland Reflection Journal Dame Robinson

Saturday March 4, 2023

Cultural Observations:
The walking tour of Dublin city center was a wonderful way to be introduced to the rich history
of Dublin, Ireland. It is a stark contrast learning about the experiences in a book or through
internet searches versus being in the place where it all transpired.
We began the tour at the beautiful Trinity College. I was unaware of the talent that came from
Trinity college including the writers Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, Jonathan Swift and Bram
Stoker, the author of Dracula. Our tour guide spoke of the rich literary history of Ireland. He
mentioned that Ireland had received three Nobel Laureates prizes for writing. The three Nobel
Prize award winners in literature were William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett, and Séamus
Heaney. However, George Bernard Shaw was also born in Dublin and although frequently
thought of as an English writer, is also a native Irish person to have been awarded the Nobel
Prize in Literature.

We saw the statue of Daniel O’Connell, a man who was named “The Liberator.” According to
the history that was elaborated on in the tour, Daniel O’Connell fought for Irish Catholics to
have the right to serve in Parliament. This was ultimately achieved through the Catholic
Emancipation Act. In recognition of this accomplishment, he has both the monument and a
street bearing his namesake. I particularly enjoy the figures beneath the statute that represented
elements of Ireland. The maid of Erin, symbolizing Ireland, points at the Liberator while holding
the Act of Emancipation in her other hand, broken shackles laying at her feet. As my first degree
was in art, I looked up the statue after and discovered that there are approximately 30 other
figures representing, “the Catholic church, the professions, the arts, the trades, and the peasantry.
Below these are four winged women representing Patriotism, Courage, Eloquence and Fidelity.”1
Artistically, I found the base of the sculpture more interesting than the actual statue, because I
like the symbolism represented as well as the way the figures were depicted.
The Temple Bar Region was a fascinating place to visit. The daytime when I visited was very
much the type of place I enjoy. It had art galleries and shops. I wish I could have spent more
time! Our tour guide mentioned that at night it is a club destination with vibrant nightlife. I did
briefly get to experience the nightlife with some peers, and I know some of my classmates
experienced more. When I return to Ireland, I hope to the visit the Irish Rock’n’Roll Museum in
the Temple Bar Region as I am a lifelong fan of the Irish rock band U2.

The Ha’penny Bridge that crosses the Liffey river is a metal bridge. The name emerged from the
fact that a pedestrian had to pay a toll to cross the bridge the toll was a “half of a pence.”—
James Joyce also referred to in his famous work, Ulysses.
We got to see the majestic Dublin Castle, which was also featured in the movie Michael Collins!

The metal Spire of Dublin monument also called the Monument of Light certainly has a unique
presence in the city center of Dublin. We learned that during the Celtic Tiger time of economic
prosperity that a competition took place to replace the Nelson’s Pillar that was originally there
and destroyed during by IRA in the 1960’s. We also learned that the Metal Spire has many
nicknames including, “The Stiffy by the Liffey” or the “Stiletto in the Ghetto” This modern
sculpture of clean lines that towers over the city makes it an easy spot to reconnect with friends
after splitting up in groups as it can’t be missed.

Professional Learning: Today I learned about the importance of being on time and how that
impacts the flow of group activities. Studying abroad in a large group this was particularly
important. Several of our peers nearly missed the initial tour as Daniel began the walk to make a
point. This will ultimately be important in a clinic or hospital setting. Being on time and showing
up for colleagues and patients will be important for job security and to contribute to the flow of
an efficient work environment.
Another valuable professional learning experience today was the importance of being flexible
and making changes on the fly. We were supposed to begin the walking tour of Dublin at a
certain time, but due to delayed flights and altered travel plans, we had to work around this. This
is such an important concept to transfer to the clinic as being flexible with unexpected situations
and changes may help mitigate potential stress that the unexpected occurrences may bring.
Working with other professions and disciplines in the clinic, it is important to be flexible as well
as willing to go with the flow to focus on patient-centered care and be a valuable team player.
I was impressed by the ease of my peers, especially the individuals who had not travelled abroad
through all of the adversity and challenges of travel. Arriving at 5am in the morning Dublin time
(midnight Mount Pleasant time) could have potentially brought out emotions of irritability driven
by exhaustion. Instead, everyone worked together to move through customs, baggage claim and
secure a place to rest while we waited for our peers to arrive on subsequent flights. We stayed in
groups and always watched out for our “buddy” and each other. Even through fatigue, we were
able to watch out and care for each other. This in turn will be very useful as my peers soon will
become my colleagues, where we will support each other through advice, sharing ideas and
challenging each other to grow and evolve. It is in these seemingly benign experiences in real
life scenarios that we learn how to interact, care about each other, and work together toward a
common goal. It is also helpful to have members in a group who have travelled before to share
experiences and to quell any anxiety or uncertainty.
Personal Insight:
I have realized that being a mother of three school age children while pursuing the doctoral
degree in physical therapy I have not fully engaged in many of the available activities with my
peers. When I think of my most memorable moments in this educational experience, it was the
times I spent outside of the walls of CMU—the Parkinson’s Walk, Planting trees at Commission
on Aging with my physical therapy peers and my family, the Hippotherapy experience at CHUM
as well as this experience in Ireland. It is through these experiences that I have learned more
about myself as well as my classmates and the far-reaching potential of the physical therapy
practice to impact peoples lives in a positive manner.
While many of my peers were surprised that I was going to be part of this trip to Ireland, I felt
that this experience solidifies my commitment and interest in physical therapy and holds within it
the very things I am passionate about and interested in and many ways why I have returned to
school to pursue a degree in physical therapy. I am interested in pediatric physical therapy and
many of the experiences of this trip are geared toward this interest.
Furthermore, I am of Irish lineage, and I am excited to learn more about the culture and the
community. Through observation as well as coursework I know that collaboration with other
disciplines will be very important if I pursue pediatric physical therapy, therefore I am looking
forward to working with occupational therapy and physiotherapy students at the University
College Cork. I am so grateful for this opportunity within my second year of school to apply
some of my didactic learning to experiential learning. I am excited to compare and contrast the
healthcare system of Ireland and the United States.