As I enter my first spring in Ireland, I can’t help but reminisce over where I was this time last year. Looking back at April of 2023, I had completed my Senior Comprehensive Presentation for the Saint Mary’s College Music Department, finished my final weeks of student teaching, conducted spring concerts at Penn and Saint Mary’s and was headed into my last week of undergraduate exams. I remember the stress of tests and performances leading up to graduation and the anticipation of my departure to Dublin. Oh, what a difference a year can make! Fast forward to April 2024, I am conducting my own p ..read more

In our final meeting leading up to Holy Week, everyone in the office talked about how sudden Easter felt this year. We all felt that this year Lent seemed to go by faster than normal. Part of it is the fact that Easter was so early. Another part is the fact that Saint Patrick’s Day fell on a Sunday. On a personal note, I had different people visiting me throughout the month of March. Regardless of the reasoning behind Lent’s feeling so rushed, that represents a larger theme I’ve noticed this year. The time is flying by. It’s already April—in two months, I’ll be packing my bags and getting read ..read more

On Sunday, Newman University Church held our largest annual Mass outside of Christmas and Easter. For the second year in a row, we held a Mass honoring the couples who have been married in the church. We asked couples to submit photographs of themselves on their wedding day, which we hung up in the atrium, and we invited those couples to the church for our evening Mass. Following Mass, we held a social with champagne and chocolate and celebrated the hundreds of people who got married here. It was a beautiful event, made even more special by the work that we put into making it a success. I spen ..read more

While brainstorming for this blog post, there have been so many new and surprising experiences that I had already here in Wexford. Countless moments that can be shared, really, all with so much sentimental value to my heart.  I thought what better way to share some of the special moments than in an unironic, watch-mojo-style blog post (if you know, you know). So without further ado, here are the six things I did not expect to experience here in Wexford, some very niche and specific, some that can be considered general, and all in between. 1. Strangers helping strangers I have to admit to ..read more

“I know what a snicker is – but a doodle?” One of the tea ladies questioned as we talked about our favourite biscuits one morning after Daily Mass. We all had a good laugh, but it was in that moment that I was struck by reality: I’m in small-town Ireland, sitting around a table enjoying tea and biscuits after Mass, hilariously epitomizing the meme, “your unemployed friend on a Tuesday at 11am” and I couldn’t be happier. That morning, like every morning, we walked to the church. It’s not a far walk, but it’s not across the street. Most days then comprise of walking from the church to one of the ..read more

How could two months feel like a day? I arrived in Dublin a little over two months ago and time seems to be flying faster than I could have ever imagined! November seemed like a whirlwind of events falling into a marathon leading up to Thanksgiving. Although busy, my days have been filled with gratitude and remembering those who have gone before us in the month of All Souls Day. On Friday, November 10th Newman University Church held our yearly Remembrance service. Parishioners gathered to reflect, pray and remember our friends, family members and loved ones who have gone before us. The service ..read more

As a child of two Notre Dame grads, I knew the Notre Dame Fight Song before I knew the Barney theme song. The campus at Notre Dame has always felt like a home away from home, despite the fact that I didn’t want to go there for college. Now I’m living in a different country across the ocean and Notre Dame is still giving me a home away from home. Almost all of my closest friends here all have some conenction to the Fighting Irish, which made Gameday weekend in Dublin all the more special. Game Day Weekend Recap: Friday we worked a 15 hour day. We had tours at the church. I read at daily mass ..read more

I’ve never enjoyed orientations. Small “get to know you” events before middle school and high school set me on edge. Orientation week before college made me miss home more than I thought possible. I loved working at a cafe in college in part because I was able to learn on the job instead of undergoing a more traditional training. For whatever reason, I don’t feel settled in a new role until I actually start it. Orientation sometimes feels like a waiting period that is preventing me from getting started. The first few weeks with House of Brigid were no different. If anything, I was even more u ..read more

All year, I have been told of the beauty of Glendalough, but nothing could have prepared me for its utter magnificence. As my time in Ireland nears its close, I have been reflecting back on what this new home means to me. The people that have welcomed me like family have blessed me with their companionship and generosity this year. Glendalough is just one of many spectacular sights I have been shown around Ireland, truly having explored North, South, East, and West. I will miss the boundless natural beauty of this little island almost as much as I will miss the people.  Ireland’s natural ..read more

“There is no safer place to be than where God wants you.” Last month, I decided to take a trip to the Aran Islands. These rural islands off the coast of the Cliffs of Moher and Galway Bay have been on my Ireland bucket list from the moment I arrived in October 2021. With Saint Patrick’s Day and Holy Week on the horizon, I felt like my chances of exploring out west before leaving Ireland were dwindling. I asked a few friends if they were down to join me, but it wasn’t in the cards for them, making this my first solo trip ever. I was scared and nervous, in truth, but I knew this could be a trip ..read more