O’Brien’s Tower

Editor’s note: Jessica Cross, a USC student, spent last semester at the University of Limerick in Ireland. For several weeks she has been sharing some of her experiences with the readers of The Columbia Star.

The University of Limerick

While in Ireland, I saw many students from around the world get a dose of independent learning last fall when I became a member of the 10,000 student body of the University of Limerick. UL relies heavily on foreign students who come for this sort of education.

In Ireland, independent learning, with occasional quizzes, papers, and exams contrasts with a sometimes more rigorous curriculum offered by USC. Often, failure to read and study independently in Ireland guarantees academic failure.

These students, both Irish and foreign, were not that different from students in the US. My Irish “flatmate” Ferghal attended the local clubs in the evenings, while my Spanish flatmate Valorie was busy at nearby parties several days a week. Other Irish friends such as Lisa and Melissa had a more balanced schedule of studies and free time.

Weekend excursions

Day trips around Limerick and greater Ireland, in addition to tours of Brussels and London were another part of my education.

On Ireland’s Atlantic coast stand the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher. O’Brien’s Tower, built by Cornelius O’Brien in 1835 as a tourist attraction, overlooks the cliffs and provides a spectacular view of them.

Ireland, an island of 4,000,000 people, takes about four hours to travel east to west and eight hours north to south. Its size makes it easy to travel between cities.

Dublin, for example, is a short three hour drive from Limerick. It is home to Trinity College and the Book of Kells , a Latin copy of the four Gospels and Ireland’s most famous medieval manuscript.

Dublin is also home to the Guinness Brewery, where visitors are offered a pint of the “black stuff.” A city of about 1,000,000, Ireland’s capital is a mix of classic architecture, old roads, and streets full of commercial activity, not unlike Columbia.

Whether I stood in the middle of a cluster of gothic buildings, walked the crowded streets, or studied on campus, I felt quite at home.

For more information about Ireland and the University of Limerick, visit: www.ul.ie and http://islandireland.com/Pages/history.html