A letter from Galway, Ireland
From Emmet Scholarship Winner

Members of the Robert Emmet Society:

Greetings and Happy Holidays. I've been thoroughly enjoying my stay in Ireland these last three months. This scholarship has been a tremendous opportunity for me to gain insight into the culture of an extraordinary country and to have experiences that I will value for the rest of my life. When I arrived in Ireland in early September I was somewhat overwhelmed by some of the subtle but widespread cultural differences whether it be the different currency or having to bag your own groceries at the supermarket. But after a couple of weeks I began to grow comfortable in this new environment and began to experience all that this country has to offer.

My classes at GMIT have been both interesting and enlightening. Primarily I've been studying Irish history and culture and the courses I'm taking have focused mostly on modern Irish history from the 17th century to the present, modern Irish literature, and early Irish literature focusing on folklore. These classes have been comprehensive and wide-ranging but due to the scope of this country's long and eventful historical and literary tradition I sometimes feel that I have only scratched the surface of learning what this country is really about. I plan to continue to learn about Ireland for the next several years, for there is so much to understand.

I've had the opportunity to live with an Irish student and learned a great deal from him. He has travelled extensively throughout Europe and the rest of the world, and he also lived and worked in the United States last summer. We've spent many a late night discussing politics and the state of the world today and have I gained great insight from his views from an Irish perspective.

This semester I have also been involved in the GMIT Basketball Club. We practice two nights a week and have travelled around the country playing games in neighboring cities. Although the sport of basketball is not as popular in Ireland as it is in the United States, it is great to see Irish and other European players share a common passion for the game.

Perhaps one of the most fulfilling aspects of this semester for me has been developing relationships and learning from students from many different countries. GMIT has a strong international community with many foreign students from countries all across Europe and the world. Currently I am one of only four students from the United States at the college, so I regularly find myself a minority at many of these international gatherings. The GMIT International club has organized many weekend trips that I have been able to take part in to areas in Ireland including Belfast and Killarney, and it has been great to be among students from countries including Germany, France, Spain, Poland, and Sweden. Sitting around the dinner table at many of these youth hostels talking about wide-ranging topics while enjoying our universal similarities will always be great memories of mine.

Overall this has been a tremendous experience for me thus far, and I look forward to being able to promote this scholarship and tell of my travels when I return to Petoskey in a couple of weeks. Best wishes and thank you for this wonderful opportunity.

Sincerely,
Dan Corcoran