2026 Dublin Spring Seminar

  Today we had a debate against Belvedere after school, and the topic was whether this house would dismantle the monarchy. Belvedere was the proposition, and BC High was the opposition. I was a member of the debate team and I spoke third during the debate. We had all previously done several sessions of prep work and drafting speeches, so we certainly knew our topics and points well and were ready to speak. I was still very nervous to speak because I had never done a debate with an audience before, and it was also our first experience with the Irish debate format. The debate relied less on statistics and facts and more about philosophical and logical reasoning, and we also had to answer questions during our speeches from the opposing team, which was different than debating in America. Everyone made good points and had strong reasoning to back up their claims, but Belvedere was more experienced and came out as the team winner. However, Declan Madden from our team was declared the bes...

  Today, we had the annual BCHigh v.s. Belvedere Parliamentary debate. The motion was that this house (the assembly) would abolish the monarchy. BCHigh took the opposition and, although all four of us had great speeches, Belvedere ultimately proved to be victorious. However, our own Declan Madden won the best speaker award so we didn’t leave empty handed. I found the debate very interesting and I was deeply impressed by the abilities of the Belvedere students who spoke. This experience taught me that logical deductions and critical thinking on a philosophical level have as much of an impact in politics and decision making as facts and statistics do. It was very interesting to see such a different form of debate, even the very nature of the question was different from what I am used to. The process of writing out my speech, practicing it, and ultimately presenting it was also just as formative. Overall, I think everyone involved enjoyed the experience and learned something new from ...

  Today, we went to Glasnevin cemetery. It is truly fascinating and humbling to learn just how many people are buried there, over 1.5 million. It was also really interesting to learn about how many important figures in the history of Ireland are buried there, from leaders of the Easter rising, like Michael Collins, to humanitarian leaders of the 20th century. Additionally we learned about the Gaelic language from Ms. O'Shaughnessy and about important poets and writers throughout Irish History. We learned about how repression from the English fueled revolutionary writings by many writers before, during and after the Easter Rising. It was a very full circle day to learn about writers and leaders of the Easter Rising, and see where they are buried all in the same day.

  The Book of Kells was an excellent trip and an awesome experience at Trinity College. If I am being totally honest, I did not have the highest hopes for The Book of Kells. But the sheer vastness of the meticulous artwork in that Bible destroyed any tainted preconceived notions. The Book of Kells contains the four gospels in the New Testament translated into Latin. The reason why it is so famous is because of the stunning Celtic imagery, depicting common animals to otherworldly portraits and designs. I personally found the first part of the museum to be the best part of the museum. It had a bit of a quiet tone. This part of the exhibition had no music which I actually favored. This is because the silence allowed for me to really take in the artwork in its entirety. The ending of the first part was the grand library, which was sublime. Bookcases lined a huge hall with statues of the great writers and philosophers throughout history. The hall was wood brown and the statues were marb...

  On the morning of Wednesday the twenty-second, we primarily focused on Irish immigrants during the Potatoe famine, or the Great Hunger as they call it. We also learned about immigrants fleeing violence and oppression during various stages of the English occupation in Ireland. First we walked to the Irish famine memorial (seen below) which showed just how emaciated and weary the Irish people were during the famine. Near the memorial was EPIC: The Irish Immigration Museum. EPIC stands for Everyone Person Is Connected and the museum is heavily focused on this key aspect of Irish immigrants. The museum first  showcased the brutality in many points of Irish history, including battles as far back as the fifteen and sixteen hundreds in which English settlers forced many Irish people off their land and out of their country. Exhibits also showcased how far immigrants went with maps showing passages to the US, the UK, and even as far as Australia. Seeing the actual scope of the Irish ...

Today, the day was separated into two parts. The first part of the day was at Belvedere College and the second part of the day was spent around Dublin, Ireland. At Belvedere, we had three teachers that came and taught us about the history of the Irish people, modern Europe, and scientific discoveries. It was pretty interesting. I learned about the history of the ancestors of a teacher and how different it is from the lives of people today - how one of his ancestors fought in many British wars and how when he went back to Ireland he wasn’t welcome nor celebrated for fighting for the British. I also learned about the history of Ireland - how it was named after a goddess’ name and Parnell Park, which represents the resistance and freedom of the Irish people. After the history lessons, we got taught about science by a pretty cool teacher. He taught us about light waves, waves, the camera, lazy glasses, Jacob’s ladder, suction cups, and many more cool things.  After the lesson, we ate l...

Today, we started the day with some mini lectures by a couple Belvedere teachers. The first one was about Irish politics by Mr. Hogan. We learned how Irish politics worked, and compared it to the political system in the United States. It was interesting to see how the systems were similar and different. Also, it was interesting to see how their party system works, and how they have way more parties and it's different from the sort of the Democrat vs Republican feud we have in America right now. Something that stuck out to me with their system was how if you get a percent of the vote, you get that percent of the seats, therefore that percent of power. It's not as much of a win/lose as the presidency because their president also does not have much power and is almost like a figurehead. After this lesson, we headed upstairs to check out the urban farm and aquaponics up on the top level. There were some fish in tanks, and we learned how their waste was mixed with water and filterin...

  During the weekend, all of us spent the time with our host families which was very relaxing and interesting. I was getting to learn about the daily life of Irish people. For me, the weekend brought me to Emerald park, along with three other boys on the trip. Later into the weekend, we went to a driving range and spent time with other host families. These experiences allowed me to learn what the life of an Irish teenager during the weekend is like and gave me a further vantage point into what makes us both similar and different in the way that we live our lives. what makes us both similar and different in the way that we live our lives.

  On Sunday, I went to lunch at a nice restaurant with my host family. Also, I met the grandparents on the maternal side of my host family. It was really nice to meet them and to see how similar they are to my grandparents. After lunch, I went to Stackstown's Golf Club where I played golf with my host brother and his uncle. It was my host brother’s first time playing on a real course, so for the first time on this trip, I felt like I knew what I was doing and I was showing him what to do. The view from the course was amazing because you could look out onto most of the city.

  On Saturday, I was able to go to a rugby semifinal landstown vs Clontarf with my host brother and some of his friends.  I noticed that it was a very physical game and there were 4 injuries in one match. Clontarf won the game, which is the team that we wanted. After that, I went to a restaurant pub for my friend's mothers birthday, where we ate food and talked. It was really nice to grow closer with my host brother and his friends and experience more Irish sports on Saturday. On Sunday, I played golf at St Anne's golf club just outside Clontarf. It is a links course meaning we were on the water and the course is built over sand. This was very fun even though I struggled at first due to not having my own clubs with me. After the round, I went out to a nice dinner with my host family which was enjoyable as I bonded closer to them.

  Today was our second retreat day. We once again returned to the Boston College building to discuss the separation of Belfast. I found it really eye opening that the divided nature of the US has very obvious similarities to Belfast. Afterwards, we were given some free time to shop and explore by ourselves, which was very refreshing. Finally, we spent some time at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This was probably my favorite part of the day just because of how beautiful it was.

  At Boston College Dublin, we listened to a podcast about the struggles of the people in Belfast. Also, we read poems that put their conflicts in descriptive words and emphasized on the emotions drawn from the hardships. Afterwards, David from Jesuit Refugee Services came and spoke to us about the work he and others do in Ireland, helping with refugees coming from many countries in the Middle East and Africa to seek help, home, and safety in Ireland.

Today I had the opportunity to walk through the city with the others to Boston College in Dublin. It was a lovely experience as we were treated with the utmost respect from Ms. Walsh and David. First, we were offered tea and coffee, followed by cupcakes as a snack. During the experience, we had a lecture about the Jesuit Refugee Service from David, later having another lecture with Mr. Mark based on a podcast called “Bringing Peace Closer To The People: The Role Of Social Services In Peace building.” After the amazing experiences we walked through St Stephen's Green and through the city again, returning to Belvedere at about 4:30pm.  

Throughout this trip, one key factor is the start of the journey. We started off at a meeting at Logan at 11:30. After we checked our bags, we continued through security with the majority of us ending up getting patted down. After we got through, we continued on our journey to the gate. When we got there, people split off into groups and were able to walk around and get something to eat or prepare for the plane. While on the plane, we received pillows and blankets. The majority of our group took this to an advantage for sleep as a lot of us slept. When we touched down in Ireland, we were met with our host families and received a leap card allowing us to take the bus. After, we went to our host brother’s house and now the journey continues.

  Today was what will most likely be the most physically demanding day of the trip. We participated in the 2026 Pier-to-Pier Challenge, a 26‑kilometre journey from Dún Laoghaire Pier on Dublin’s Southside to Howth Pier on the Northside. This was part of a fundraiser for Spinal Injuries Ireland, Ireland’s only dedicated support service for the more than 2,700 people living with a spinal cord injury in Ireland. As part of our walk, students needed to navigate the packed city streets with one student per group in a wheelchair. While I personally never rode in one, helping to navigate and push the students along with the group showed how difficult the daily life of a person with a spinal injury can be. By the end of the event, many generous donors of the BC High team (hi and thank you) raised over €1,000, an incredibly generous amount and a far cry from the original €250 goal. While it’s certainly a long walk that I don’t plan on doing again any time soon, it was a nice change of pace...

Today, we went to many places. First, we headed to the Boston College Office in Dublin, Ireland for the 2nd time and for our 2nd retreat day. We were talking about peace, its meaning, how to achieve it, and the political similarities between Ireland/Northern Ireland, and the USA. We also reflected upon the soup run retreat and the talk from a Jesuit Refugee Service member. I learned and had many takeaways from the group conversation. One takeaway and a new thing that I learned was the relationship between social services and peace. According to the reading, when social services are not established and not equity or equally given out, conflicts and problems over the thin or not equally distributed amount of resources will start occurring at a much higher chance.  Another takeaway from the group conversation was how the peace wall in West Belfast of Northern Ireland is similar to the segregated period in the USA. The peace wall is a physical wall that separates the British Protestant...

  My experience of the Peace Wall yesterday was extremely eye-opening. From the highly political and radical murals, to the well crafted and thought out graffiti, it was a lovely trip filled with art and life. By traveling through the countryside into Belfast that was a key part of our trip. When looking out the window, I could see rolling hills with vibrant green grass, and I even saw some livestock: sheep and horses. On the way back, we actually were in the middle of some of the protests. There were tractors by our left side on two separate occasions which I thought was pretty jarring. The tour itself was amazing. The most interesting part, in my opinion, was just how much the tour guides differed in views regarding the north of Ireland. Ben is a strong Republican, and Mark is a strong Unionist. I am very thankful that I heard both guides' opinions because I feel I now have a better and fuller grasp on the situation as a whole. The tour was split in half. The first half Ben was s...

Today, we headed up to Belfast in Northern Ireland to learn about the 2 sides of the political conflict, and to explore one of the most famous colleges on the island. Queen's university sort of felt like a little safe space in the middle of an area of ongoing conflict. The city was full of strong history, but it also seemed a little gloomy, and honestly in a way it felt like something was a little off, which I guess is accurate. The campus was beautiful and there were lots of flowers and open spaces filled with greenery and walkways. It kind of reminded me of colleges in the United States, but it also had a slightly different feel. The student union was crazy nice, it looked brand new and had a whole little store inside it. There were tons of people there and it just seemed like a really cool place to be able to go. Afterwards, we walked back to the sports facilities and headed upstairs to try some Gaelic sports. At first, we tried Gaelic football and it was honestly really hard. Y...

  Today, we got our first look at Belvedere. To be honest, It was like a maze trying to figure out where everything was. However, when I got a little familiar with the campus, I really started to see the similarities between Belvedere and BC High. For example, they honor St. Francis Xavier the same way we honor St. Ignatius. The Dublin tour was interesting and learning about all of the different landmarks and how they connected to parts of Ireland’s history was very eye-opening.

  We arrived at the airport as a group around 11 AM local time, and met our host families after getting our passports stamped. On my drive home to the small country village of Skyrne, I got to see some beautiful scenery like open fields with crops, animals, grass, and rolling hills that stretched far into the distance. I was surprised by how open and undeveloped the scenery was in the countryside, and at how small the roads were leading to my house. I went golfing at a local course after I got home, and I got to see an amazing view from the hilltop. Also, I got to experience the Irish weather changing from sunny to hailing and strong winds. After we left, I ate some delicious chicken and pasta at a nearby restaurant for dinner, and went to bed early to get ready for the next day.

The departure to Dublin was actually fairly interesting. Everyone had come by around 8:45, so we had prepared our luggage, said our goodbyes and left to get our bags checked and subsequently to go through security. It was a bit saddening, having to say goodbye to our parents, but the trip ahead made it all the more worth it. We went ahead to security and made it though without much hassle, and then it was mainly a waiting game for the plane to arrive while we walked around and bought whatever snacks we could and the like.