Starting classes and Glasnevin Cemetery

The students at Boston College High School arrive at their Irish Forms, or homerooms, for the first time this morning at 8:45AM. We met and shook hands with the other homeroom students, who were very polite and asked about what life is like in America. Homeroom teachers came in and greeted us before sending us off for a talk about one of the service trips that the Belvidere students partake in year-round when they go to Lourdes. Afterwards, we went back to the Lecture Theater where we were told about how our host brothers spend their school year. The students are in a year called “Syntax”, or fourth year. The students in the fourth year are given a break on Academics and spend more time focusing on Service Trips and Social Justice. Once the presentation was done, the students went off to their first classes at Belvidere. I went to a Sixth-Year Geography class with one of the heads of the exchange program, Tom Doyle. The class was very free-structured with a lot of direction given by the teacher beforehand and after the working time was over. Afterwards, we regrouped and talked about how the experience in Ireland has been. Many things seem to be different, such as driving on the other side of the road and the small size of the buildings.
After a short break at lunch, we all headed to a bus to drive to Glasnevin Cemetery, the first non-denominational cemetery in Ireland. We first learned about the importance and history of cemeteries in Irish culture, both symbolically and physically. The first thing the stuck out to me was the architecture; I found the inspiration of old Celtic religion mixed with Gothic Christianity to be an important factor in the symbolism and history. The museum of the area taught us about the
beginning and continuing history of Glasnevin and cemeteries in general, as well as a guide to important individuals in the country’s past and present politics and culture.
As we began our tour of Glasnevin, one feature immediately appeared before us: The Daniel O’Connell Tower. After learning about the large Celtic crosses around the tower (which served as tombstones for the burial chambers beneath them) we descended the steps into the trench surrounding the tower. Entering the slightly eerie under part of the tower, we immediately caught sight of a magnificent chamber. Fully decorated in white, green, and gold it stood as a suitable monument to the “Father of Glasnevin.” After inspecting its grandeur in awe, we departed the tower and continued our tour of the cemetery itself. Learning of the rebel wars and deaths, which closely followed, we were introduced to many famous and well-respected people. Such people included Michael Collins, Eamon De Valera, Charles Parnell, Kevin Barry, Countess Markievicz, and many more. It was a wonderful tour, steeped with history and definitely one to remember.