Family and Friends,
This past week, a small group of four of us decided to take
a quick trip to the city of Cork. The journey was beautiful and the shopping
was plentiful, but what’s really caught my attention this week is the religion
aspect of Ireland. We stumbled upon this stunning cathedral as we were
exploring Cork. It has the largest organ in Ireland, consisting of 4,000 pipes,
and it also has the largest complete collection of stain glass windows in the
world. It was a gorgeous church that I had the pleasure of taking in. In all of
my classes, the history of Ireland’s religion has been one of the main topics
of discussion. I’ve always viewed religion as more of a personal side of life,
but that hasn’t always been the case here. In the part of Ireland that I’m
housing, they identify strongly with the Catholic religion. When the locals say
that they’re Irish, Catholicism is connected onto that statement. Coming from
America, where there are so many different religions in all areas, it never
occurred to me that religion and nationality could be one in the same. The
Irish locals, especially of the older generation, are extremely passionate
about their religion. So much so, that it has just now become a topic of
discussion to take out the religion courses in all of their schools. In our
history lecture, our professor discusses Northern Ireland and the segregation
that is present between the Catholics and the Protestants. There are certain
areas that are specifically for each religion, and if the lines are crossed, it
has lead to violent crimes. I guess I’ve just always grouped segregation in
with the topic of racism, because that’s what we learned about in our schools.
It’s opened my eyes to the struggles of segregation within not only Ireland,
but also other countries around the world. I admire the passion I’ve seen while
my professors discuss religion, and how much it’s a part of who they are as an
Irishman.
Sending my love!
Regan
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