Submitted by Samantha Matera on the 2016 summer session program in Ireland sponsored by the Department of History and the Department of Political Science and International Relations…
This week the group was given free time to spend wherever they chose to go, being on a budget made that decision limited to within Ireland, but that did not stop us from having a great weekend in Northern Ireland visiting Giant’s Causeway, the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, castles, the Titanic Museum and getting to experience the UK Referendum in the heart of the matter. The Referendum was a political vote for whether Britain and its constituent countries such as Northern Ireland should leave the EU (European Union). On Thursday, the countries voted for the outcome and on Friday it was shown that just above 50% of the people decided to leave the EU, starting the long and complex process of leaving the Union. The decision to leave will have momentous impacts, but no one is yet quite certain of its consequences. Arriving in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Thursday on the day of voting truly showed me the darker side to this beautiful country, some of the hardships that people face and the troubles they have in the political realm. While not educated much on the matter, it was interesting to learn from different people their opinions and views and it showed me a more human experience than one full of beautiful pictures and scenery, it opened my eyes to a reality that some may miss on a program such as this one. Whether this split from the EU will be positive or negative is unknown to everyone and I know I will now be much more educated and seek out more information about foreign politics in the future. It was an incredible experience to be in Belfast for their “independence day” of sorts and to see the reactions of my host, other travelers, other residents, and people from all different types of life and it opened my eyes to the fact that I am not very educated when it comes to foreign politics and that it would be beneficial for me to read up on not only Ireland, but also all other foreign countries’ political struggles and developments.
In the photo, City Hall can be seen on the day of the elections with a large tent urging people to vote to remain in the EU. From the results, it can be seen that the majority voted the other way and from personal conversations this was for a variety of reasons.