Firsthand view of N.

Ireland
BY RUTH HARPER • MARCH 17, 2010, 12:00 AM

Who knew a service-learning trip to Northern Ireland could provide me with an even deeper pride and devotion to my country
and what it stands for, despite its current bi-partisan strife.

With 13 other students and two faculty members, I traveled across the Atlantic during midterm break through the Father Mychal

Judge Center of St. Bonaventure University, near Olean. Father Mychal, a Franciscan priest, worked to promote international
peace, especially in his Irish homeland, where political conflict and violence has taken place for decades.

I visited Dublin, shopped often, ate my fair share of potatoes and, of course, visited a plethora of pubs. While those experiences
helped me understand Northern Ireland's culture, they weren't the most valuable aspects of the trip.

I've gained a greater understanding of Northern Ireland's political "Troubles" and a renewed gratefulness for my own country's
political freedom, no matter how polarized it may be today.

My fellow students and I listened to both a peace activist and a former Irish Republican Army member speak about their

experiences. Hearing Dr. Mervyn Love, a soft-spoken history professor, discuss his experiences with the Troubles - including jail
time for being in the I.R.A. - really hit my heart.

But I didn't really understand it fully until I visited the city of Derry/Londonderry halfway through the trip. Residents refer to this

city by both of those names, depending on their side of the conflict. Nationalists (primarily Roman Catholics) call the city
"Derry," while Unionists (primarily Protestants) call the city "Londonderry." But that's only part of the city's division.

The Unionist parts of town have red, white and blue street curbs to show their desire to continue in union with the United

Kingdom. However, Nationalists side with the Republic of Ireland, displaying their alliance by painting their curbs green, orange

and white. Massive, magnificent murals also illustrate the conflict's history and hope for the future, and graffiti on brick
buildings' walls read "U.F.F." (Ulster Freedom Fighters) and "R.I.R.A." (the Real Irish Republican Army).

Granted, America has its problems. But between 1969 and 2001, more than 3,500 people were killed as a result of the Troubles.

While the American civil rights movement in the '60s and '70s had its causalities, it was mainly a nonviolent protest. Not only did

it succeed, for the most part, but it also inspired other countries' citizens, like the Northern Irish, to stand up for their own civil
rights.

America certainly isn't perfect. But what we've done well is more important than many of us realize. In addition to direct peace

measures, we have indirectly shown other nations what can be done for personal freedoms. No recession, climate crisis or health
care reform can take that away.

Ruth Harper is a senior at St. Bonaventure University, majoring in journalism/mass communications. She is a graduate of
Southside High School in Elmira.