Written by Andrea Freygang, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer
Life in Ireland is very different from life in Rome, and two Darlington juniors spent spring break discovering those differences. As part of an exchange program Katherine Knight and Mac Gilliland - the two top juniors at the school before Christmas - spent seven days exploring South Ireland with Donald Sweeney, a physics teacher at Darlington since 1999 and native Irishman.
"The trip was more fun than I thought," said Knight. "We got to see what life in Ireland is really like instead of it being more like tourists. I learned so much about how the education system works in Ireland and about Irish culture in general. Sweeney was the best tour guide we could have ever had."
While both students expected a sea of green, the trip opened their eyes to a different way of life. The two students spent time at Colaiste An Spioraid Naoimh (CSN), an all-boys school in Cork, Ireland.
"It was very different. By their fourth year (10th grade here) they pick what they will study in college and it was heavily geared to science and math," said Gilliland. "That would be hard for me at 14 to decide what to do for the rest of my life."
In addition to taking science, French and Gaelic classes, Knight even had the opportunity to teach a religion class. "The class was 23 Catholics and one Protestant and they wanted me to tell them about being Episcopalian," said Knight. "There's not a ton of differences, but they wanted to know."
Outside of school, Sweeney took the students on various tours across the countryside. While home base was a small apartment in the middle of a dairy farm 15 miles outside the city, most of the time was spent exploring. They visited places like Blarney Castle, where both students kissed the Blarney Stone and garnered the "gift of gab" as the legend goes. They also visited Cork Gaol, which housed inmates from 1820-1923 and had many famous prisoners such as Ireland's Lady Markievish, a freedom fighter in the War of Independence, and Frank O'Connor, a famous poet.
"We listened to tapes as we moved from cell to cell and saw a video projection of the life of some of the prisoners incarcerated there," said Sweeney. "This was a very sad and emotional experience as cruelty seemed to be the method of subjecting the visitors."
Both students said that while some parts of the country were Americanized, the cities were different because buildings weren't as tall, with everything closer together and the houses much smaller.
The trio visited Kinsale, the gourmet capital of Ireland, but they ate traditional food pretty regularly. "It's a lot of meat and potatoes, but I enjoyed it every time," said Gilliland. "The portions are huge though."
Knight said she wasn't particularly fond of the bacon and cabbage meal, but that she earned a taste for potatoes by the end of the trip. "I didn't like potatoes before I went, but now I love them," she said. "It was just cooked differently. Here (Rome), I never really tried them, but it's with every meal in Ireland so I figured I've got to start."
The food was very expensive compared to American costs, Knight said, adding it was about $20-30 for one person. Gilliland also said gas was more expensive, but Knight was happy that the shopping for items and clothing was cheap.
The students also spent time exploring the different factories in Ireland, including Eli Lilly, which produces medicine for cancer and schizophrenia; the Coca Cola factory; Pfizer's Chemical Factory and Johnson & Johnson.
"It was so much fun to talk to them all night and be a part of their culture," said Knight. "I also loved hiking up the mountain in Killarney. It was probably the best view I have ever seen."
Both teens are excited that two exchange students will be coming in August as part of a new annual program Sweeney created. This was the first trip for Darlington, and every year, the top two juniors will go to Ireland. In return, two students will come to Darlington to experience Rome.
"I cannot wait for the Irish students to come. We had such a great time with all the boys and I cannot wait to see them again," said Knight. "It will be so much fun to show them how our lives are and how different everything is here."
