The Irish Connection OSU Alumni Campus Abroad at Kinsale

Built in 1446, Blarney Castle is topped by projecting parapets from which defenders could drop missiles. A very narrow, spiral staircase led to the battlements atop the "tower house" where the famous Blarney Stone may be found. The stairway’s extreme narrowness allowed the ascent of only one invader at a time and afforded that intruder no room in which to swing a sword.

Story and Photos by Dennis Wolverton

The surprise invitation — from a small party of locals — came as I walked out of one of Kinsale’s many pubs.

The street-side tables were occupied and I must have looked distressed. I carried a heavy camera bag in one hand and in the other a pint of stout, with enough foamy head that it had begun to spill.

After I’d accepted and thanked them, one young woman questioned, "You’re American, aren’t you?"

"How did you know?" I asked.

She grinned pleasingly and said, "The accent gives you Yanks away, plus I was inside when you asked if the Guinness was cold."

When friends query, "how was that Campus Abroad thing in Ireland?" my simple reply, "I loved it," usually provokes a second question.

"Why?"

That answer — since satisfaction with any travel experience depends on many factors — is more complex.

Above: A troupe of Beaver travelers explore the ruins of James Fort just outside Kinsale.	Joanne Campbell, ’55, of Lafayette, Calif., kisses the Blarney Stone atop Blarney Castle’s battlement. Tradition holds that those who kiss the stone become endowed with magical eloquence and miraculous powers of persuasion.
Charles Fort, built in 1680, was intended to protect Kinsale’s harbor.	Kinsale Harbor is a port of call for an interesting and colorful variety of ships and boats.
Muckross House features exhibits of history and life in Southwest Ireland.	Gerry Church, ’55, of Redmond, Ore., explores Muckross House.

I’ve traveled in Asia, Africa and Europe, have enjoyed each and never experienced malice. Nonetheless, I’ve found that around the planet tourists receive varying degrees of reception, ranging from simple courtesy to artless indifference.

Ireland seemed different, and I sensed something beyond mere hospitality. It felt like more than "greetings tourist — spend money — go home."

Day five of Alumni Campus Abroad in Ireland confirmed my feeling. Our Beaver group traveled from tiny Kinsale to Cork, the country’s third- largest city. There, the sprightly Sean Pettit, professor of history, University of Cork, delivered a lively, animated and entirely entertaining lecture titled Life in an Irish Castle.

As professors will, Pettit diverged into subjects tangential to his topic. One of those included an enlightening discussion of the "affection" the Irish feel towards America. He cited three reasons for this close Irish-American kinship.

First, "America opened its arms" when Irish emigrants fled the Great Famine of 1845-1848. Second, because of emigration, "three out of every five" Irish citizens have relatives in the United States. In fact, there are more people of Irish descent living in the United States than in Ireland itself. Third, the United States was first to recognize the Irish Free State when it gained independence in 1922.

Traveling in a land that eagerly embraces American tourists is overall a refreshing experience. There are places I’ve traveled — with great anticipation — which didn’t live up to expectations. They weren’t bad. They just fell a little short of what I’d imagined.

Not Ireland! Ireland was all I’d hoped — and more.

OSU travelers and locals share the charms of one of Kinsale’s many friendly pubs.	Ray Adams of Cherry Hill, N.J., learns a few Irish dance steps.
The charming fishing village of Kinsale was settled in the 12th century.
OSU’s Campus Abroad tour group at Charles Fort, just outside Kinsale.

I tend to judge a place’s interest by the amount of film I burn up. For Ireland I’d thought I had taken as much as I could reasonably need. Nevertheless, after three days I feared I’d run short. Castles, rivers, mountains, verdant meadows punctuated by ageless stone fences, ancient villages with narrow winding streets, and friendly people with easy smiles. It’s trite, but Ireland is a photographer’s dream.

There were about 40 — mostly OSU alumni, a few from Montana State, and a couple affiliated with neither — in our Campus Abroad group. I’ve always traveled independently, never as part of a group. I admit that I had a preconceived notion that I wouldn’t like it.

Mark Twain said, "There ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them." I suspect Twain would have favored this cadre. I did. There’s not one that I wouldn’t travel with again, either en crew or as individuals.

The group traveled together easily. The alumni affiliation helped, but beyond that we were all there to learn, experience Irish culture and — most of all — to have fun.

The mix of experiences — the learning session, lectures, tours, walks and gatherings with local people — meshed naturally. While most days were effectively scheduled, there was ample free time set aside for individual or small group pursuits and exploration.

No matter how interesting the destinations, grand the scenery, or comfortable the quarters, a group tour cannot succeed unless the professional staff knows what it’s doing and what’s going on around it.

Carlene Moorefield, OSU alumni travel director, deserves special commendation — she ran a good show — and she’s a nice person. Efficient and organized, she left little to chance.

Alumni Campus Abroad’s Kinsale director Mary Meehan exudes Irish charm and hospitality. She always seemed to anticipate needs and have answers at hand. In one way or another she enriched the experience for each of us.

There’s evidence that the oldest parts of Kinsale’s St. Multose Church may have been built as early as 1195.	Mary Meehan, Alumni Campus Abroad Kinsale director, has spent 25 years in tourism and possesses a love and a knowledge of all things Irish.

Philip Duffy is remarkable. He drove our bus, but bus driver doesn’t describe Philip. I can’t, however, find the word — or phrase — that describes an expert historian, geo-political scholar, news-analyst, and philosopher with the timing and repartee of a skilled stand-up comic.

I was wrong — I hate it when that happens — and now admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this group tour stuff. Out of a possible 10, I give Alumni Campus Abroad/Kinsale a 9.5.

Beyond those virtues already mentioned, the food was extraordinary, service excellent and accommodations more than adequate.

The half-point deduction is because of Mike Miller, my old travel writing mentor from the University of Alaska. He held that no travel experience is perfect, and travel writers owe readers an honest critique.

If this tour had a wee blemish, it was the late-hour jolly Irish partygoers who merrily strolled along the narrow street below my window for a short time most nights. Normally they would have elicited at least minor wrath. Yet, it never lasted long and the affable good nature and cheerful laughter of these midnight revelers cast them as amusing jesters rather than annoying sleep robbers. More than once I was tempted to arise and join the merrymakers.

Many see travel as lofty intellectual pursuit. It enhances global perspective, increases knowledge, exposes one to new and diverse cultures, and rounds one’s personality. While travel may serve all these noble goals, tourists inevitably make a quite mundane and pragmatic accounting of any travel experience — was it worth it?

To this point, Gerry Church, OSU alumnus from Redmond, summed up Alumni Campus Abroad/Kinsale saying, "…it’s the best travel value we’ve ever had."

Dennis Wolverton, ’66, ’93, has an M.A.I.S. in photojournalism and journalism management and his travel stories have been published in Northwest Travel, Oregon Parks, Northwest Parks & Wildlife, and Bella Terra magazines.

a program of the OSU Alumni Association "providing attractive travel opportunities and promoting fellowship, education, and enjoyment for our alumni, their families and friends reconnecting with Oregon State University."

For information call (877) 305-3759 and ask for Carlene Moorefield.