Boom, Bust, Boom and... Brexit?

Ireland Maymester Study Abroad Program Syllabus 

Ireland Maymester Study Abroad Program Itinerary

Click to see Mr. David Kennedy's presentation to the group!

Olivia Berry

The meeting with Bord Bia was arguably one of the most highly anticipated of the trip. As a group, we had previously deep dived into their three-year plan and were excited to learn more about their international marketing campaigns, sustainability in Irish food production, and Bord Bia’s relationship with local Irish businesses. Bord Bia’s meeting was highly informative and David Kennedy, the Head of Dairy, gave us a great breakdown of the exportation of Irish food worldwide. We learned that Bord Bia has over 1400 client companies and over 90% of Irish dairy and meat is exported.

A few of our questions were about Bord Bia’s three-year plan, such as what their strategy was and how it was going since they were halfway through. The plan ultimately highlighted “value generation,” the idea that if people are not aware of the value of Irish food, then it will be harder to sell. In order to sell Irish food, Bord Bia’s responsibility was to develop its image which David called sustainability their “calling card” within their international marketing plan.

Irish food is distinctively valuable because it is sustainable, but this marketing tactic does not work everywhere. One of my questions was if any region stuck out as being unreceptive to their marketing tactics and David noted that the United States is one of those challenging markets. In the United States, consumers value grass-fed beef rather than sustainable beef. The product remains the same but the marketing focus changes. He also noted that many African countries prefer to purchase cattle from Ireland rather than meat already processed.

Co-leading the meeting was Michael Jacob, the Drink Sector Manager, who shared similar challenges in marketing drinks and building the quality Irish food and drink image. In the United States, for example, many Americans like Irish alcohol, but do not realize what they are drinking is an Irish product, such as Bailey’s Irish Cream and Jameson Whiskey. Interestingly, he also shared that the drink market was lacking in Ireland as there were many popular UK competitors.

The meeting was incredibly engaging and interesting and there was only a minor dip where our group was left unsatisfied by the answers. A diversity slide was presented showing that only 9% of farms are women-owned and when asked what initiatives they were pursuing to change this, they did not have a clear answer for us. I left with the general understanding from Bord Bia that increasing diversity in farm ownership was a bigger challenge than expected due to the gender dynamics in the farming industry and the generational passing down of farms to sons in particular.

As a group, we were highly prepared, engaged, and enthusiastic during this meeting. However, we lacked time to ask much about Origin Green or the situation back in January 2023 where the Bord Bia quality assurance mark was printed on French potatoes despite being for Irish food products only. Like most of the meetings we had this week, by the end we were vying for more time. Nonetheless, we learned so much about Irish food and drink in this meeting and got a sense for how widespread the goal of sustainability is in Ireland.

Rachel Braddock

On May 18, 2023, our group traveled to Ireland’s primary international affairs think tank, the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), to engage in conversation with several researchers including Dr. Barry Colfer, the Director of Research at IIEA. Dr. Colfer began the meeting by asking each student what they are curious to know about Ireland and its political economy. In the conversations, Dr. Colfer shared that Ireland is a “soft power superpower.” Essentially, this means Ireland achieves its international goals through influence and diplomacy rather than war and harsh economic sanctions that “hard power” countries implement. Dr. Colfer also expressed a modern perspective on Irish emigration by saying, “We raise our children like cattle for export.” It is clear many Irish people immigrated to the United States during the famine and for many years following that, but his quote suggests people are still Ireland’s largest export around the globe.

Following Dr. Colfer’s introduction was Senior Researcher, Daire Lawler’s conversation about the problems Ireland is currently facing. Lawler dove more into the housing crisis that we read about before the trip. He shared that Ireland had about 1 billion euros left over in the housing budget due to the local government objecting to planned construction projects, but also shared that Irish people tend to have an “obsession with owning” when it comes to property. It’s a cultural instinct that reinforces the “Irish dream” despite the current income and housing disparities. Since people are struggling to buy a home two main things are happening. The first is renting becomes the only answer so properties are being built with renting in mind, instead of building to own. Second, remote work and the ability to commute have caused a larger demand outside of major cities like Dublin instead of increasing demand in the city center. Lawler shared a great knowledge of a wide variety of topics. Later the same evening, we saw him interview US Ambassador Claire D. Cronin on her mission while in Ireland and how the US-Ireland relationship can grow stronger.

Following Lawler’s discussion was a UK/Brexit Researcher, Aislinn McCann’s time to discuss Northern Ireland, the Windsor Framework, and other general Brexit concerns. McCann’s perspective, in addition to Katy Hayward’s presentation at Queen’s University Belfast, on the discussion was vital for the overall theme of the trip, especially since she was raised in Northern Ireland. Of the many things she shared, what shocked me the most was the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) being left out of the Windsor Framework discussions despite its alliance with Britain. Since then, the DUP has refused to return to the government at Stormont until they establish a new customs agreement. When Ms. Hayward discussed this, she did not expect the pause at Stormont to be detrimental to the party’s reputation, but later agreed that this hold will be ineffective for democracy if it lasts for an extended period. On a lighter note, Ms. McCann promoted Northern Ireland and Ireland’s relationship by admitting a shared culture despite its current disunity.

Cian FitzGerald, Security, and Defense Researcher was our final speaker at IIEA. Mr. FitzGerald discussed the upcoming forums happening in local communities in June 2023 about dismantling the triple lock when it comes to military neutrality for the Russia-Ukraine war, but importantly, displayed a strong concern for Ireland’s lack of military. Essentially, the dilemma is that Ireland spends a small amount on defense and its defense technology is from World War II. If the forum supports dismantling the UN Security Council aspect of the triple lock, the parliament and cabinet still need to approve of any action. However, undersea cables need to be protected, cyber-attacks need to be avoided, and strategies other than “shoot n scoot” need to be implemented. Unfortunately, Mr. FitzGerald admitted that Ireland would be a rather easy country to invade, especially since it is not a part of NATO. Along with the housing crisis, I would consider defense to be one of Ireland’s most critical issues. Although it is a country that focuses on innovation and economic strategy, a weak defense can potentially destroy all of Ireland’s efforts on the world stage.

Click to see Ms. Katie Ahern's and Mr. Jim Barry's presentation to the group!

Mason Ward

Meeting with the US Ambassador to Ireland, in a way, represented the culmination of everything we had learned up to that point in the course.

The Ambassador’s Residence, or the Deerfield Residence, is steeped in history and tradition. Before we even got to the residence, we had to drive through the enormous green space that is Phoenix Park, passing by the President of Ireland’s official residence along the way. There was a long path that wound its way from the front gate to the residence proper, past the multiple golf holes dotting the vast estate. There were at least two busts of past American presidents, one of Abraham Lincoln facing the front door and one of John F. Kennedy back out along the path.

One of the first things I noticed inside of the residence was a plaque bearing the name of every sitting US President to visit Ireland, and pictures of Joe Biden’s recent visit were scattered throughout: we learned that he spent a few hours here on his diplomatic tour. We spent some time mingling with other guests, brought along by the organization that had invited us to this event in the first place, the IIEA, and enjoying the atmosphere before the ambassador herself appeared.

Our tour of the residence, led by Ambassador Cronin herself, began in the Red Room, which was described as the most “normal” room in the house, where the ambassadorial family would relax and ‘watch Netflix.’ While there, we were told about the ‘Open Doors Initiative,’ whereby students would be brought in to do exactly what we were doing, seeing the Deerfield Residence and speaking with Ambassador Cronin. At that point, I believe, it was stated that some 2000 students had already participated in this initiative. In the main room of the residence, we were told that US diplomatic missions could select and display particular works of art. We discussed one such artwork displayed there, a portrait of Frederick Douglass. We heard an anecdote about how, stepping foot in Ireland for the first time, he remarked that it was the first time he’d felt truly free.

We moved from there to the ballroom, where we got into the most substantive portion of the meeting, with one of the hosts from our meeting with IIEA that morning serving as moderator. Various topics were discussed, touching on many areas of the US-Irish relationship and including a fresh perspective on some of the issues raised in the earlier meeting. The economic relationship between the two nations, for instance, was discussed, with the US being noted as the number one contributor of FDI to Ireland and Ireland being the ninth-largest contributor of FDI back to the United States. Also discussed were Ireland and the United States’ shared values, including commitments to democracy and human rights. In this context, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was unequivocally condemned. In the next portion of the discussion, Ambassador Cronin’s political background was brought up.

In particular, she worked on reforming Massachusetts’ criminal law through her work on the judiciary committee of the Massachusetts state legislature. An interesting point in the discussion, somewhat tied to this, was centered on the US aiding Ireland in combating Irish organized crime, which I was previously unaware of as an issue in Ireland. The audience then had the opportunity to ask questions. One interesting question centered (rather unsurprisingly) around issues with the US immigration system and the J-1 visa, while another, unexpectedly, had to do with music. Following this, we were all herded out again into the main room, where a group photo was taken. A few of us, the GSU students, made our way outside and congregated around a bust of President John F. Kennedy. This was rather sad in retrospect, given that we also heard about how President Kennedy had the desire to be the US Ambassador to Ireland himself after finishing his presidential career.

Afterwards, IIEA invited us to a pub called the Hole in the Wall, which was only about a ten-minute walk from the Ambassador’s Residence. There, we continued to have informal dialogues with fellow students and young adults from Ireland about all manner of issues that wouldn’t necessarily have fit into one of our more formal meetings, such as whether there was an Irish equivalent of Bigfoot!

Jasmine Munoz

While in Belfast, our group took two mural tours led by ex-political prisoners. The murals were largely created after what is widely known as The Troubles—a violent period of political and social upheaval in Ireland’s Ulster region. In short, the Troubles was a complex period of conflict from 1969 until 1998. It is often presented as a religious dispute between Catholic and Protestants but has many more layers and origins that date back to the English settling in Ireland. Along with divisions between Catholics and Protestants were divisions between Unionists and Nationalists, and Republicans and Loyalists. Protestants tend to be Loyalists who want Northern Ireland to remain a part of the United Kingdom. Catholics tend to be Republicans who seek a united Ireland and separation from the United Kingdom. However, the issue is too complex for these to be true for every individual. We toured with a Loyalist and with a Republican. While we remained in the same general area, the two tour guides gave significantly different accounts.

Once we walked through the high fence into the Protestant community, their affiliations were immediately apparent. UK flag banners were strung from lamppost to lamppost. Flags commemorating the King’s coronation were flown in front of houses. Most notable was a pair of large murals—one a memorial of the late queen and the other of the new king. Our tour guide argued several points contrary to what we heard from some of our other meetings. He believes that the Democratic Unionist Party will not return to Stormont and that democratic elections are the only means of restoring peace. He also argued that the goals and benefits of Brexit lie in immigration policy instead of issues with the supranational powers of the EU. One of the loyalist’s main points was that many people wish to stay in the United Kingdom for the healthcare system. In short, he discussed the Troubles predominantly from a religious perspective. If he functions as an accurate representation of the Loyalist community, then Sinn Féin and the IRA are interchangeable and viewed as a single enemy.

On the other hand, the tour guide who walked us through the Catholic area had a different approach. One of his first points was that the division should not be considered only religious. He spent a significant portion of the tour emphasizing the precision of language that he believed should be used to discuss Ireland’s issues. The first term he disputed was ‘the Troubles’. He argued that this was diminutive and reduced what was in effect a complex, vicious civil war into a less serious difference of religion. Because the Queen Victoria was exporting food that was more than sufficient to feed the population, he referred to the famine as genocide. He also was against calling the southern regions the “Republic of Ireland” because it legitimized the UK’s manipulation of Ireland. This tour guide participated in the five years of protests by Republican prisoners, and he shared stories of their experiences. His recounts of the prison’s response to the no-wash protest were especially harsh—undiluted cleaning chemicals were sprayed into cells, prisoners were forcibly bathed and scrubbed with deck brushes, and humiliation and assault were commonplace.

Even though each guide had a distinct approach to sharing their experiences, both utilized a similar tactic. Many of the murals covered a foreign affair, but depending on which side of the wall you were on, a different side is favored. An example of this is the murals about the Israel-Palestine conflict. On the Republican side, murals show solidarity with the struggle of Palestinians and support their cause. On the Loyalist side, murals favor Israel and show solidarity between Israel and Great Britain. The murals are updated to reflect changes and reinforce support. The general takeaway from the two tours was that even though 25 years have passed since the Good Friday Agreement, the situation has not been completely remedied and tensions remain in daily life.

Click to see Prof. Dominic Bryan's presentation to the group!

Click to see Prof. Katie Hayward's presentation to the group!