My name is McKenzie Wages. I’m a Walton Honors junior majoring in accounting and management, and I spent the last four weeks studying abroad in Ireland! I had the opportunity to learn about Irish business and economics while immersed in the Irish culture and experiencing traditional Irish foods, music, and customs. There’s a lot to be learned from inside of classrooms, but these weeks made me realize how much deeper experiential learning can be, unconfined by classroom walls and open to the world!
Taking in the sights at Glendalough near a medieval monastic settlement in the valley.
Learning to bake traditional Irish soda bread at Causey Farm in County Meath.
The grave of Michael Collins at Glasnevin Cemetary. Ireland’s fight for independence has a much more recent history than that of the US; a revolutionary who died in 1922, many people still lay flowers on Collins’ grave today.
Kayaking the Liffey River in Dublin – photo taken underneath the iconic Ha’Penney Bridge.
Celebrating Bloomsday, a holiday that commemorates Irish writer James Joyce and his novel Ulysses, with locals dressed in festive Edwardian costumes.
A traditional full Irish breakfast served in Bruxelle’s off of Grafton Street in Dublin, complete with black and white pudding, a fried egg, bacon rashers, a potato cake, baked beans, soda bread, mushrooms and tomatoes.
At a company visit with EY Dublin, one of the Big 4 accounting firms, we competed in the EY Challenge alongside Irish interns. This is my team’s victory photo!
Catching the night bus at Dun Laoghaire Pier around 10 PM. Summer days in Dublin are incredibly long compared to days in the US, making it very easy to lose track of time in the evening!
At a visit to Krüst, our favorite bakery in Dublin, Brittany and I had a chance encounter with the owner and had the opportunity to learn about how he started the business and his plans for expansion. Then he gave us free cronuts!!
On top of a hill overlooking Lough Tay – this photo perfectly captures how I felt for these four incredible weeks in Ireland: windblown and full of wonder!