Iveagh house

Today we had a somber start to the day. We found out there was a terrorist attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. It was a weird way to start the day especially when there is a CU Denver study abroad program in London. It also really upset me knowing the main demographic for an Ariana Grande concert is young teenage girls. No one deserves to die in a terrorist attack, but to learn the youngest victim is eight years old year, really breaks my heart.

Before our trip to Belfast, we spent the morning touring the Iveagh house to learn about Irish foreign policy. 

One of the most interesting facts I learned was how the Irish Potato Famine impacted the population (1845 -1852). During that time, one million Irish citizens perished due to lack of food and two million emigrated to other countries. This was one third of their entire population! The census bureau does not expect the population to reach the level it was at its height until 2050. I can’t imagine the impact of losing a third of your population in one decade.

I am also very curious to see how Brexit will affect Ireland and Northern Ireland. The European Union allows freedom of business and labor between members of the Union. I believe this political decision in the UK will have a negative impact on Great Britain and bring unwanted consequences due to their isolation from the rest of the continent. We learned before the class from writer Jim Lyons, this is an opportunity for Northern Ireland to reunite with the rest of the Ireland if they want to stay in the EU. Based on our conversations today, it sounds unlikely that both parliaments would have a majority vote to reunify the country of Ireland. Politics are so complicated and there will always be people positively and negatively affected by any political decision.

Tonight we are going out to dinner with the CEO of the company we are paired with this week. I am excited to meet Dr. Aiden Flynn of Exploristics in person before the week!