Have you ever wanted to spend a month immersed in the breathtaking landscapes of Western Ireland, honing your writing skills while a cool breeze blows your hair back and you stare at rolling green hills in the distance? With Emerson’s Global Pathway program, “Writing Place and Distance in the West of Ireland,” you can! This program, offered annually from July to August, is available to both undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at Emerson.
Throughout the month-long experience, graduate students enrolled in WR 620 – Art & Environment in the West of Ireland will study at the Burren College of Art, a first-rate art college in the quaint village of Ballyvaughan. Within this course, students explore the ecology and rich history of the Burren landscape, channeling its beauty into artistic inspiration. Guided by Emerson faculty directors Daniel Tobin and Christine Casson, participants engage with classic Irish literature related to environmental themes, collaborate in workshops with local writers, artists, and photographers, and create their own stories.
This four-credit program includes tuition, registration fees, housing in shared townhouse-style apartments, Burren College of Art fees, and all curated excursions. While students are responsible for personal costs, like airfare and meals, this program offers a once-in-a-lifetime immersive experience in Western Ireland.
To learn more about this Global Pathways program, I interviewed faculty directors Daniel Tobin and Christine Casson, and two previous graduate student attendees, Alisan Keesee and Holly Walker. Alisan, currently in her second year of Emerson’s Publishing and Writing MA program, had always wanted to go to Ireland, and this trip fit into her area of study. While Holly, currently completing her MFA in Creative Writing with a poetry concentration, knew from previous study abroad trips that Ballyvaughan would spark inspiration for her creative work.
Life in Ballyvaughan
Ballyvaughan, a scenic harbor village in County Clare, Ireland, is where students call home for a month. “It is a small village on Galway Bay nestled between two limestone mountains composed of 350 million-year-old fossil life from the equator,” says Dan and Christine, Emerson faculty and program directors.
Holly, MFA Creative Writing Student, mentions undergraduate students live closer to the village, while graduate students stay about a mile outside of the town. Alisan, Publishing and Writing MA student, adds this walk “can be a bit precarious and is not accessible for someone in a wheelchair or with mobility aids,” but is less of an issue for those staying closer.
Similarly, Holly says that her twenty to thirty-minute walk into the village, rain or shine, “made doing things more intentional.” She adds, “On those walks, I’d see the cows, horses, all the native flowers hugging the roads. I discovered a beautiful speckled horse family on my way home one day, and ever since then, I would look out for them. I would’ve missed out on those interactions if it weren’t for the long walks.”
Because of this difference in scenery, faculty members Dan and Christine say Ballyvaughan is “the antithesis of Boston or any American city.” They add, “The sense of history is at once long and immediate, and the locale has outstanding beauty.” And while the landscape is majestic, the lifestyle that accompanies it can take time to adapt to. Dan and Christine refer to this experience as “getting used to ‘Irish Time.’” They say, “Irish time is flexible, and doesn’t work on the American sense of fixed appointments… There is greater fluidity in the West of Ireland; that’s the culture. The challenge is learning how to chill a bit.” Alisan agrees, adding “Ireland is a much slower, laidback country (especially in rural areas) compared to the US. It can be hard to adjust for people who may not have experience living in rural areas or are easily stressed by a changing schedule.”
In terms of meals and getting around, Dan and Christine shared that students can walk or take a bus from the village to the Burren College of Art — a mile away for undergraduates and only about a ten-minute walk for graduate students. Transportation for field trips and excursions is also provided by Emerson. In the house where students can stay, “students cook their own meals, often working with each other, or they can go out to restaurants in the village.” Alisan mentioned that “there is no delivery or stores open past about 7 pm (except the pubs), so planning meals becomes necessary and you will probably end up eating out a lot,” which is something to prepare for financially.
Two other valuable resources mentioned include Breda, the homeowner in Ballyvaughan, and Julia Long of the Burren College of Art; both are very welcoming and attentive to student needs.
Studying at the Burren College of Art
Similarly to living in the town of Ballyvaughan, the Burren College of Art is different from Emerson’s urban feel. Alisan says, “The Burren College of Art is very small and very focused on art. It was different from any other experience I’d had at a university.” And while it is certainly a new experience, faculty members Dan and Christine assert that they have not noticed difficulties in the academic transition for Emerson students, only opportunities. Because the program’s attendees often have contact with art and writing students from other universities, it has led to a wider range of connections. For instance, they mention how an Emerson student was able to interview a refugee artist from Ukraine two years ago, which resulted in multiple students producing stories, essays, poems, plays, and even a short documentary about this Ukrainian artist.
Another aspect of the curriculum includes working with local writers to hone your craft in a workshop setting. Holly says working with Irish writers “was a treat,” and that “it was interesting to compare how they did the workshop to how I’m used to doing it.” She adds, “They all had different styles, different strengths. I think being in a class with people who didn’t study poetry regularly was a little difficult for me, but it made me adopt a new appreciation for my Emerson classes.”
Alisan also suggests keeping an eye out for Tuna the cat who often roams campus!
Excursions
Another facet of this Global Pathways program includes the number of excursions created to enhance students’ learning in and out of the classroom. The excursions often highlight specific writers or locations that the students are able to visit, and Publishing student Alisan shares that she “truly loved all of the excursions [they] went on.”
The faculty members, Dan and Christine say, “Perhaps the most obvious example [of an excursion] is when we go to Thoor Ballylee, Yeats’s tower, having read ‘Meditations in time of Civil War,’ which takes place there. Tim Robinson’s ‘Stones of Aran’ would be another example, since we spend two over- nights on Inishmore and Inisheer.” Other trips include a hike up a sacred mountain known as Mullagh Mor, extended trips to Galway and Connemara, to Doolin for traditional music, and to Ennistymon to meet with a major publisher in the west of Ireland.
Alisan adds that “The Cliffs of Moher were unforgettable. Also, Galway was amazing and I already know I want to go back. I also appreciated the many hikes we went on.”
Holly also felt a connection to the nearby city of Galway, sharing a story of a trip she took with a few friends during a free weekend. “Galway was hosting their Pride festival,” she says, “[and] being part of the parade and the welcoming queer community in Galway was a very memorable moment for me.”
Day in the Life
While we know that participants are immersed in the magnificent landscape of Western Ireland and attend the Burren College of Art, I was interested in hearing what a “typical” day may look like for a student.
Faculty directors Dan and Christine share that “On days when we have a workshop, students work with local writers for about two or three hours. The rest of the day, typically, is one’s own to write and revise, or to take one of the many walks through the Burren landscape, such as the Wood Loop which follows a path just outside the village of Ballyvaughan. Other days, and there are a good many, we are on the move in the Burren with guides, taking in neolithic monuments such as the Poulnabrone Dolmen, a 5000-year-old tomb older than the pyramids, or visiting the ruins of an ancient monastery, Kilmacduagh, which boasts the tallest round tower in Ireland.”
As a student, Alisan says her daily activities depended, but “Outside of class and planned activities, we had free time which I mainly used to write, shop, or just explore. All of the days are filled and busy. There are only a few true free days where you can lay around in your room.” Holly agrees with this sentiment, adding “I feel like we were always doing something.” She enjoyed going to the planned activities, but often prioritized finding time to write. “This trip builds community, but it’s also a very independent journey,” she adds.
In addition, Holly “tried making time to walk to the village, to go to the weekly farmer’s market, to try one of the only restaurants, to taste the best whiskey sour.” She says, “Ballyvaughan wasn’t a setting where there was constant exploration of place–a lot of it was sitting in the environment, taking it in: [asking yourself] how does that spark personal exploration?”
Broadening the Emerson Experience
Overall, Alisan and Holly felt that participating in the “Writing Place and Distance in the West of Ireland” program contributed positively to their academic journey at Emerson and inspired their creative work as graduate students. Holly says she “left knowing a lot about Irish literature and culture.” And even more so, Holly “went into this program seeking inspiration, and found it. Now, all these poems will go toward my thesis,” she adds. Alisan agrees, saying “I feel like [this program] enriched my overall grad school experience and changed the way I approach writing short stories. I have considered applying for writer’s retreats or fellowships because of my experience with the program.”
In terms of the landscape, both Holly and Alisan mention that the Burren is “exceptionally unique” and “unlike anything [they’ve] ever seen,” leading both of them towards writing about it. “The people we met felt a strong sense of spirituality toward Irish literature and the land, and it was beautiful to hear everyone reciting bits of Joyce, Heaney, Yeats. I tried to channel this similar feeling in my own writing about the land, especially the Burren.” says Holly. Alisan highlights one of her stories about a seaside village similar to one they visited on the trip. “It really helped me root my story and include those small details that really make a difference,” she emphasizes.
Advice for Prospective Attendees
Lastly, I wanted to know what kind of student would be a great fit for this specific global pathways program, and any advice Holly and Alisan had for future attendees.
Professors Tobin and Casson said “The kind of student that is best suited to the program is someone who wants to enlarge their perspective and is willing to let the place work on their imagination and their way of being in the world. An interest in history–, deep history–, and the environment is also helpful–you will be in a locale that takes environmentalism very seriously, very mindfully.”
In addition, writing students from every genre have attended the program, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and publishing students. There have even been undergraduate and graduate students from the Visual and Media Arts program, Journalism, and Political Communication program. They even go on to highlight a graduate student attendee from two years ago who is now an intern at Salmon Publishing in Ennistymon, the largest literary publisher in Western Ireland.
As for advice, as students, both Alisan and Holly agree that studying abroad is an unforgettable and worthwhile experience if the opportunity is right. “I think it is important to broaden your horizons and worldview, and studying abroad allows you to do so with a slightly more structured routine than if traveling by yourself,” says Alisan. And while finances can certainly play a role, Alisan adds, “If you have a connection with a place or feel strongly about a program, there are several financial opportunities and the trip does not have to be paid off all at once.”
The journey will come with obstacles, but Holly feels strongly that studying abroad, especially in this global pathways program, is supposed to be a bit challenging! “That’s how you learn,” she says. Embrace the difficulties. Embrace the discomfort. Everything has the potential to inspire,” Holly concludes.
Applications for “Writing Place and Distance in the West of Ireland” are open now until February 1st, 2025. Explore a visual look at the program through the lens of another Emerson student, Taryn Noonan, in her short film documenting her experience in Ireland. To access the application and learn more about the program, visit the Emerson website.
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