Today was a gorgeous day to travel across the country of Ireland. We gathered in the Staycity lobby bright and early at 7:15am to head to the coach bus. We started our journey with a stop in Kilkenny where I had a great lunch and stopped in some shops. After that, we went and visited Glendalough and took in the breathtaking scenery there. We finished our excursion today with a trip to the local sheep farm where we got to see how sheep are herded along with being able to see the lambs!

Rural Ireland and Dublin communities differ in various ways, ranging from demographics and social lifestyles to economic opportunities and cultural values. Rural Ireland is typically more sparsely populated and has a greater emphasis on agriculture and traditional industries such as farming and forestry. In contrast, Dublin is a bustling urban center with a highly diverse population, thriving industries such as technology, finance, and pharmaceuticals, and a dynamic cultural scene which we have learned from all our site visits. One of the most notable differences between rural Ireland and Dublin is the perception of foreigners. In rural areas, there may be a stronger sense of community and a more conservative attitude towards outsiders, whereas Dublin’s cosmopolitan population is generally more open to diversity and multiculturalism. This difference in perception may be attributed to the fact that rural areas tend to have less exposure to foreign cultures and fewer opportunities for interaction with people from different backgrounds. When we came across locals today during our travels outside of Dublin, I got a sense that we were more of a burden to them. On the other hand, when we are in Dublin the locals seem to love talking about American culture.

When it comes to businesses and industries outside of Dublin, Ireland has a diverse economy with a range of thriving sectors, including tourism, manufacturing, and agriculture. We saw multiple examples of this today. For example, the sheep farm we visited has tours 361 days out of the year, this has become a major tourist attraction, with a wide range of touring companies catering to visitors. Additionally, Glendalough Park had multiple vendors of different food trucks which is very helpful for these small businesses because of the mass amount of tourists flowing through the park daily. These are both examples of entrepreneurship that we saw in rural Ireland. The sheep farm was able to add additional revenue alongside the selling of their sheep by adding daily tours, and these food truck owners were able to jump on the opportunity of mass tourists by stationing themselves by the parking lots of the park.

Overall, it is clear that there are significant differences between rural Ireland and Dublin communities, with varying perceptions of foreigners, economic opportunities, and cultural values. While Dublin may be the economic and cultural center of the country, there are many thriving industries and communities located outside of the capital, highlighting the diversity and vibrancy of Ireland as a whole.