By Julia Hess ‘15
To cap off the academic year, Dr. Karen Sonnelitter, assistant professor of history, and fifteen of her students traveled to Ireland as part of her class, Honors: Ireland in the Famine Era. The students were able to see everything they had learned in the classroom come to life on this week long trip.
In the classroom Sonnelitter and her students had examined the history of Ireland in the age of the Great Famine. They looked at this era from many different angles, including cultural, societal, and political. On their trip to Ireland, they sought understand how this period in history continues to define Ireland today.
“At times it felt like we were actually experiencing the hardships that the Irish had faced. It's also helps reinforce what we learned the classroom, because it is one thing to sit in a classroom and read about it from a book, but experiencing it is rewarding for students,” said Michael Asselin ’15.
While in Ireland the group participated in classic traditions such as Irish dancing and kissing the Blarney Stone, but were also provided with opportunities that are not available to the average tourist.
“We were really lucky to not only see the tourist spots, but we also got to learn about what makes Ireland, especially the area we were living in, so special and unique,” said Rachel Bournique ’15 on her experiences of Irish traditions such as learning Gaelic sports and sampling authentic homemade breads.
While there, the class stayed with host families instead of the traditional hotel. They were given a taste of what it was like to live in a town filled with a rich history.
“The experience really gave us a unique opportunity to get a feel for real everyday life in modern Ireland, while we spent most of our time during the day learning about Ireland in an earlier era,” said Anthony Bjelke ’16. “It was nice to really just have them as that extra support system.”
The group also met with prominent Irish figures like Dr. Charlie Lennon. Lennon, one of the most prolific living Irish tune composers. Lennon taught the Siena students the history of Irish music, highlighting that many aspects of modern Irish music are similar to that of 1,000 years ago. They also had the privilege of meeting Irish television presenter Paidi O Lionaird.
On their last day in Ireland, their hosts at Lennon College arranged to have the Siena students interviewed and filmed by the local Irish Language television station, which will be published in the near future.
