Vocation Tour of Ireland 2023

Just like home.

Now that’s different!

And that is precisely why we travel internationally: to discover firsthand some of the ways in which “people are people” and we really do share so much in common, and yet at the same time, to observe and experience ways in which we are different, by culture, history, locale, and individuality.

Our trip to Ireland from June 8 through 17 to participate in the Limerick Sings International Choral Festival, then explore the island gave us opportunities over and over again to notice and appreciate the commonalities and differences between our central Virginia students and families and our hosts in Ireland.

A few of the notable moments:

Every time we sang the Irish heroes' song “Mo Ghille Mear,”  people paused what they were doing to tune in, video record, applaud and express appreciation for singing that particular song in the Irish language. That we were able to bring it with solid credibility is a testament to the careful work of Owen Bradley ('24) and Teddy Lepage ('24), our alternating leads, as well as the whole group backing them. Noticed and deeply appreciated, especially by older listeners!

The historical reenactors at Navan Fort, an ancient Celtic earthworks, welcomed us into their humble, smoky, woven-stick circular home to introduce us to their way of life. No surprise, food, clothing, defense, religion, agriculture --- everything was primitive and strange to us. And yet, it wasn’t: “Fergal and Awen” were just people concerned about so many of the very same human concerns that occupy us still: children and family, safety and security, joys and sorrows, hopes and fears, celebrations and everyday life. And music!

We are so used to singing in flat-ceilinged classrooms and auditorium that the opportunity to make vocal music in acoustically rich spaces was a special treat. We got to sing in vaulted church spaces large and more intimate, circular visitor center lobbies, and university concert halls. More than a few times, at the end of a number, we would pause and “think very loudly” to ourselves, “Wow. We sounded good!” A great gift to be able to give our young singers!

Our guide for the driving tour of Belfast took us directly to the house where he grew up in the Catholic west side of Falls Road. There, he pointed to where his Uncle Jack was gunned down, where the hunger striker martyrs are memorialized in murals and parks, precise locations where other tragedies from the Troubles occurred. This was no dusty historical narrative spooled out disinterestedly by someone who had “read some books.” This was first-person, high-stakes family narrative from a distinct point of view. That morning in Belfast, NI, we got to do some real-life narrative interpreting: “What stories are we not hearing? What is being emphasized and what is downplayed? If a Unionist guide were on our bus, how would her/his commentary differ? Could both contain truth? Is all this now safely “history,” over and done with, or do the fault lines remain? How do young people of today think about these issues?”

When our driver for the week, Dermott, let us off curbside at the Dublin International Airport for our return home, we sang our thanks and farewell to him in the Irish traditional pub-closing song, “The Parting Glass.” Normally steady affable Dermott stood stock still, looking straight forward. Then we noticed one tear making its way down his cheek. When he regained his composure, he thanked us saying, “In fifteen years of coach driving, no one has ever sung for me!” It was a moment.

The seeds planted in our week in Ireland are more than we now know. But they will continue to sprout in the months and years ahead as experiences of our own evoke a memory from Eire: “Hey! This is like that… Now I understand why that was such a big deal (Think: Book of Kells, for example!)… That helps me understand American culture and history in a new light…. I wonder where else in the world has produced a people that has made such a deep and wide global impact….”

Where to next?