Eleven Roses, Two Thorns

Today had it’s ups and downs. Literally. We began our day on an expedition to explore the wonder that is Northern Ireland. Our first stop on our adventure was the Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge, which connects the mainland to a small island used by local fisherman. Although it still serves it’s fishing purposes it has also become a well known tourist attraction. For most of us, this was an unexpected physical and mental challenge. This bridge loomed about 100 feet above jagged death rocks and crashing ocean waves, not to mention the rains and high winds that claimed a baseball cap. Many of our group members reluctantly dragged themselves across while others skipped across the bridge with great trust in the ropes and planks that made up this structure. The view on the other side was surreal. This was also a time that brought the group closer through encouragements and extensions of support. It was evident that the group was becoming more attuned to each others needs, which will certainly help us succeed in what we ultimately came here to do.



Moving from one place to the next in our coach van we were provided with constant entertainment by our driver Michael. Throughout our time spent with him he was cracking jokes left and right, telling tall tales, and getting to know us better. While we stopped to have a countryside lunch, he noticed one of us with our headphones in listening to music. He commented, "Are you jammin' darlin? Strawberry or raspberry?" We all burst into laughter and appreciated his witty Irish humor.


On the way to our next sight, we stopped to visit the smallest church in all of Ireland called St. Gobban's Church. This secluded and neutral place of worship accepts all religions and all denominations. Donations to a special coin box inside the church is evenly distributed among charities. John Auld's cottage shares the same property as this church and we struck up a conversation with him while visiting. He proceeded to tell us about his service in the United States Navy and gave us the special privilege to enter his cottage. This was a place of wonder holding many artifacts from different generations, including a canoe dated all the way back to 450 AD and items from the Titanic. We've learned that often times relationships in Northern Ireland can take an especially long time to build, however we were welcomed by Mr. Auld instantly. In more neutral areas, such as where this church is located or at Corrymeela perhaps the Northern Irish take a more open and unguarded approach to others.


Our afternoon concluded at the Giant's Causeway, another famous geological treasure. There are two different stories as to how over 40,000 hexagonal columns were formed. One is a mystical tale about two fighting giants and one is a scientific theory about volcanic eruptions. A short introductory movie clip about the Causeway ended saying that there's one kind of rock but two different stories and it was up to us to decide. As this site has awed countless travelers for centuries, it had the same effect on us. These two stories but one type of rock could symbolize the Conflict in Northern Ireland we've been learning about.



Back at Corrymeela we were invited to watch or participate in a talent show organized for a group of kids, "Corrymeela's Got Talent". These youth were staying here for the week going through a program put on here focusing on cross-community integration. This gave us a special opportunity to interact with the young people in a fun way as a number of us chose to showcase our own special talents. Through interactions as well as encouraging the youth, a door was opened for us all to briefly experience direct work with Northern Ireland youth. It was inspiring to see how the youth workers here used fun and interactive activities as meaningful teaching opportunities.

As Michael named us earlier in the day, "The group of eleven roses and two thorns" (representing the female to male ratio), we have used this day here in Ireland to build a stronger bond within the group. We were privileged to gain insight on another side of Northern Ireland, a very beautiful side...