The past couple of months have been filled with so many informative, eye-opening, and amazing experiences. We explored the city of Derry and learned about its history, from its historic walls to the key events of the Troubles that occurred here. We traveled to Belfast and went to the Titanic Museum, talked with people from both sides of the conflict, and examined the peace walls. And last week, we went to the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. There we talked with community members, visited rural towns, and got to experience the beautiful countryside.

We also have been able to immerse ourselves within local community organizations through our internship placements. Each of us have had our own unique experiences at our internships and have been able to see first-hand the important work being done in a variety of areas. It has been such a great time so far and it has been such a privilege to get to know the people of Northern Ireland, as well as one another.

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Reflections from My First Month in Northern Ireland: A Journey of Learning, Connection, and New Beginnings

As I reflect on my first month in Northern Ireland, I am struck by the profound sense of growth, both personal and academic, that I’ve experienced so far. The opportunity to be part of the Augsburg CGEE Peace, Conflict, and Transition program has been truly transformative, and I’ve found myself developing deep connections not only with my fellow group members but also with this beautiful, yet complex, place.

One of the highlights of the month was our retreat to Corrymeela in Ballycastle, a serene and reflective space that allowed us to open up and talk through our thoughts on social activism, our interests, and how these fit into the larger scope of the program. At Corrymeela, we were encouraged to take time to reflect, build meaningful relationships with one another, and start understanding the impact of our work here in Northern Ireland and back home in the U.S.

On one memorable day during our retreat, we went to the beach along the northern coastline. The sight of the rugged cliffs and the waves crashing on the shore was absolutely breathtaking. We all stood in awe of the natural beauty around us, taking in the quiet stillness of the place. As I walked along the beach, I collected smooth stones that caught my eye, each one a tangible reminder of the loved ones I’ve left behind and the people who have shaped my journey. Holding these stones, I felt a deep sense of connection not only to the people I care about but also to this land, and the peace I could feel in the air.

In our time at Corrymeela, we were able to have thoughtful discussions about our individual journeys into social justice work, and how we all hope to make an impact during the program. Getting to know each other in such an open and supportive environment was incredibly meaningful. It gave us the chance to learn from one another and begin forming friendships that I know will last well beyond this month.

Then came the nerve-wracking yet exciting moment of receiving our internship placements. The process felt like a huge milestone, and while there was an element of uncertainty, I was thrilled to be paired with the Northwest Migrants Forum. This organization aligns perfectly with my interests in public policy, community organizing, and working with marginalized communities. I am eager to learn from the team at the Forum, understand their approach to community engagement, and contribute in any way I can to their vital work. It feels like a perfect match for my passion and goals in the field of social justice.

As for the program itself, I’ve felt incredibly supported by our program director, Nigel, who has been an invaluable resource throughout this journey. His guidance has helped set the tone for the semester ahead, offering insight into how we can navigate our academic, professional, and personal growth. Through Nigel’s leadership, we’ve explored the beauty of Northern Ireland’s landscapes, but also delved into the deep, painful history of conflict here. He has created a space where we can learn, reflect, and truly understand the complexities of peace and conflict—not only in Northern Ireland but also in our own communities back home.

As the end of February approaches, I can feel the immersive learning experience starting to take shape. Rather than focusing solely on discussions and lectures, I will soon be immersed in my work with the Northwest Migrants Forum. I’m excited for what’s to come and feel so privileged to be in this position. The friendships I’ve formed, the knowledge I’ve gained, and the opportunities for growth have already made this journey incredibly meaningful, and it’s only just the beginning.

I am grateful for the opportunity to be here in Northern Ireland—learning, reflecting, and preparing for the work that lies ahead. This program has already provided me with a fresh perspective on peace, conflict, and social change, and I can’t wait to see how it will continue to shape my understanding of the world and my place within it. Here’s to the next chapter of this incredible journey—I can’t wait to see what’s to come!

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And we’re back, coming to you from Northern Ireland!

Everything seems to be moving so quickly these last couple weeks here in Derry. As we near the end of our semester, we bring our internships to a close, saying goodbye to coworkers and friends, and saying hello to the semi-annual thrill all students anticipate: final papers!

That aside, we’ve had a very pleasant November (almost too pleasant, I miss the Minnesotan chill). A couple weeks ago, Nigel took our seminar to Roe Valley, where we took a turn along the River Roe after brunch. The autumn colors have turned so beautifully out there, and us four Americans were glad for the time to relax, chat, and take it in.

My internship moved along quickly. This month featured a number of music artists performing in our space: Ruá, Frankie Archer, Súil, and Elephant Sessions. Mostly modernized trad, setting up for the events and then either working or attending them was a lot of fun, and it was great to see these both local and national talents work their craft. The Elephant Sessions performance (think almost Scottish trad music rave) even worked out for everyone’s schedules, and I brought some of the American flatmates for a night out! That said, I was sad to be wrapping up my internship. I was able to finish up the report I’d been working on about previous intern experience and hand that in. I also got a chance to sit in on one last flute workshop at the local primary school, helping my coworker Andrew with quizzes and focus games. On my last day, the office came together for a little send-off over tea. It was so cute, and I’m so grateful for the time and welcome they shared with me. I hope to keep checking in on them from time to time.

The snow’s made a guest appearance over here, even some mornings full of frost and other afternoons with a touch of hail. It’s nothing like back home (and it won’t even get close), but it is rather festive. This past week featured the turning-on of the Christmas lights here in the city, so there’s some rather pretty overhead lights strung all about the Walled City, with huge Christmas trees in the surrounding squares. It makes for a cute evening walk if you’re in that part of town. 

Mostly these hints of snow just make me miss home though. I’ve had to call across six time zones for another birthday back home this month, and I’m looking forward to – as many of us are – getting home to see family, friends, even pets. We have less than two weeks to go and so, despite being anxious to leave, I’m also very conscious about taking in the last scraps of time here in Northern Ireland. For those among us with better time management, papers are done and this free week of study offers time for a bit of travel, to Dublin or Belfast. For others, we welcome a quick break from study to attend a Thanksgiving potluck hosted by Resident Life here at the Student Village. Some of us even have plans to stay a little longer on the island after the semester ends, joined by family from home or friends from Europe. Despite this hectic schedule, this is a time for reflection, and I hope to take a pause to consider with my peers all that we have experienced here, and thank all those who have given us these opportunities.

See ya in a couple weeks!

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Halloween at New Gate (my internship) went off without a hitch, and I am now the happy owner of a DeLorean photo op! For my part in the performance, I threw on a Hawaiian shirt and rattled away on a prop piano (pronounced: broken, out of tune piano) with strobe lighting above and highland dancers below. Over the 3 nights we had probably thousands of people watch, grooving along to Johnny B. Goode and The Power of Love, and I was even able to swap out with a coworker’s daughter to watch the performance myself. It was incredible! I’m so proud to work with these incredible artists, and I hope events like this can continue to enrich the arts here in the Fountain neighborhood.

October also featured our group’s week away to the southern border counties of Tyrone, Fermanagh, and Armagh. With a stop to the Ulster American Folk Park, Nigel (our program director) released us back to the wilds of the States, treading out the journey of migrants from the Emerald Isle to the New World. So many cute era shops, but more importantly a great sense of the history binding these Ulstermen to the proud Scotch-Irish we know back home. We got a pretty incredible tour, and heard some great stories from local period actors. We even got to burn some peat! Incredible earthy smell, but all it could make me think of was how much I missed the smell of firewood back home! They don’t burn much wood here…

The border counties trip was most importantly about engaging with local groups, outside the first and second cities of Belfast and Derry. The experience of the conflict was much different out there, and we heard firsthand how people have continued to live so close to the legacy of that. I’d like to thank the founders, staff, and community members of the South East Fermanagh Foundation, UISCE, and Crossfire Trust for sharing their time with us.

Something a bit easier to share is the experience of the border itself. Although I don’t think the impact is quite the same without being there and hearing what we’ve heard about how conflict and peace have been fought for over this border, it was impressively simple. A historic international boundary, its meaning changed in the last hundred years since the partition (division) of the island, the establishment of the republic, the joining of the European Union, and now the exit of the UK – this imagined line represents something huge. And it’s invisible. Today most people zip across it without even knowing. You might only know you’ve crossed the border by the change in road signs, or the quality of the roads. We students could have walked right over it never knowing. Only Nigel knew. A little stream, barely more than a ditch drain, passes under the road through a culvert. And that’s the line. Invisible. Imagined. Historic.

This past month I also had a chance to get away for a Saturday, spending the day at the beach and cliffsides near Castlerock. Grabbed a quick tea and cake for breakfast before hitting the coasts which, as always, showed off their gorgeous basalt, and I took a dander (i.e. stroll) about Downhill Demesne and Mussenden Temple. A Midwesterner’s description of the day wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the cows at pasture. Oh cows.

We’re wrapping up our midterm break here now as November starts in earnest. A time to refresh and reset, many of us took to traveling around the island while we had time. Myself, though I spent a lot of time with the Halloween performances at New Gate, took the chance to hike the Causeway Coastway. An absolutely magnificent 25 miles between Portstewart and Carrick-a-rede over 2 days, I was able to slowly take in some of the coastal scene we zipped past on our first week. From St. Patrick’s Well to Ramore Head, Lacada Point to Runkerry House, and the Causeway Amphitheatre to Black and White Beach, it was an absolute joy to just get out and breathe the fresh air along the washing ocean waves. Really humbling to take the bus back along my route in under 20 minutes though!

Tomorrow I’ll be heading to Belfast to tour Crumlin Road Gaol (a historic prison) and attend a concert by the Ulster Orchestra, “Worlds of Fantasy”. Full of music from video games, superhero movies, and stories of swords like Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, I’m very much looking forward to this final getaway before heading back to the very real world of internship again.

See ya later!

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Since touching down in Northern Ireland at the end of August, it feels as if it’s been nothing but go-go-go! Our wee group of four have been so welcomed by the university, city, and country that is hosting us. Of course, what those welcomers are called is part of what we’re studying here. Just recently our Ulster University campus has been renamed from the Magee Campus to the Derry ~ Londonderry Campus. The city to some is known as Derry. To others as Londonderry. The country is sometimes called Northern Ireland, other times simply the North. We as students have spent the last four weeks learning why.

Our first week was spent in retreat up the north coast of Co. Antrim, staying with the Corrymeela Community near Ballycastle. Between discussions on how to “come in right” to the Northern Irish context and deciding our internship placements, we had the opportunities to see some of the iconic Ulster landscapes. Giant’s Causeway, Benone Strand, Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge, Rathlin Island, the Scottish island of Jura, Murlough Bay, and beachfront Ballycastle have filled not just our camera rolls, but our hearts. Buried in our understanding of this nation and its people exists this concept of land – how it’s been loved, farmed, fought for. These spaces, whether protected by the National Trust or tucked away along twisting European roads, are crucial to the understanding of the Northern Irish places and peoples. Geopolitics is nothing without geography, and forms a crucial if not irreplaceable dimension to our studies here.

Two additional weeks brought us up to speed on the history and politics of Northern Ireland through lectures by our lovely program director, Nigel Glenny, and a number of fantastic guest speakers – some professors of the UU Incore (International Conflict Research Institute) program, others from organizations dedicated to the peace process and people of Northern Ireland.

Currently we’re into our second week of internship. The organizations we work with are often based in either Protestant or Catholic communities, the historical ethnic divide here. The Museum of Free Derry works to keep alive the memory of Catholic loss on Bloody Sunday and to continue justice work. Triax works within the Catholic Bogside neighborhood to support community needs and renewal. The Rainbow Project works with the LGBTQIA+ community to fulfill health and community needs. New Gate Arts & Culture Centre fosters community and peacebuilding through arts initiatives in the Protestant Fountain neighborhood. This last one, New Gate, has been becoming my home here in the city in a way. Alongside a long-term survey project, I’ve had the chance to work with some great people here on community projects. Last week I got to sit in on a flute class at the local primary school where students get a chance to explore their musical talent. I’ve been in conversations between various local orgs about how to engage audiences and provide them with meaningful arts programming. I also get to sit in on some pretty crucial meetings between the organization and various government officials, navigating both the tensions of community sector funding and raising concerns about things that affect the communities we work with.

At present I’m helping with New Gate’s contribution to Derry Halloween, considered Europe’s largest Halloween festival. Working with different parts of the Northwest Cultural Partnership, we’ve got so many parts in motion – lights, dance, sound, and set – all for a Back to the Future themed street performance. I can’t wait to share with everyone, here in the city and back home, this fantastic production! Until then, I, my peers, and my colleagues will keep working here in Northern Ireland to better understand the legacy of conflict and how we reconcile together into a positive peace.

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Hello everyone! My name is Kathryn, it is my third week here in Northern Ireland and I am having such an amazing and fulfilling experience. We spent the first week exploring the coast and getting familiar with the culture. The scenery is so breathtaking and the locals are so friendly! The past two weeks have been focused on learning about the history of Northern Ireland, specifically the 30 year conflict that started in the late 1960s, and the impact it has had on the current society. The conflict, commonly referred to as “the troubles”, is an incredibly complex topic. Fortunately, through our program we have had the opportunity to meet with many speakers, from a variety of backgrounds and expertise. Meeting with these people has helped us to better understand the complicated history and related issues.

Someone who has made a lasting impression on me was a woman whose brother was killed on Bloody Sunday. In 1972, British soldiers shot residents of Derry during a protest march, killing 13 people. Last week, we visited the Museum of Free Derry which heavily features this event in their exhibit. There, we had the privilege to meet with a woman, whose name I’ve chosen not to include out of respect, she spoke to us very candidly about her experience of losing a family member in the conflict, how it impacted her, and how her feelings have changed over time.

Walking through Derry you can see the lasting impact of the conflict. There are murals all over the city depicting the troubles, moments of justice, and declarations of hope and peace. There are peace lines and walls still up, dividing communities. For me, hearing this person’s story tied everything together. When learning about history, it’s easy to keep everything in the past, which doesn’t make it less important or significant, but it can make it harder to connect to. But, here I was speaking to someone who was directly impacted by the history of this place, someone who lived through it and was now sharing it with me. She was honest and human and I could connect to that. I really admired how she acknowledged that every person who was affected by the conflict will have different feelings and opinions about it. She stood strongly in her attitudes even if she knew that other people didn’t agree with her or feel the same way. This has helped me as I try to understand the conflict. Being able to examine it from multiple perspectives helps navigate and try to make sense of such a complicated topic.

I am very thankful to this woman for sharing her story, as well as to all the other speakers who have met with us. It has been incredibly rewarding and helpful to learn about and from this place and its people.

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This event has coincided with Augsburg CGEE’s launch of our newest semester program out of the city Derry-Londonderry, titled “.” On this program, our students learn about the history and cultural context that led to the Troubles as well as the peacemaking process. With all of the excitement, our two students on the inaugural program were able to attend the and meet Bill Clinton and shake his hand. The following post is written by Daisy Vinkemeier (Augsburg ’26). Thanks to Daisy for the reflections and the photos!

“Thanks to my internship with Northwest Cultural Partnership, Lauren Schenk [CGEE student from Macalester College] and I were able to attend “A Tribute to John Hume & David Trimble, 1998 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates” where former President Bill Clinton was the keynote speaker. The event reflected on the impact of Hume and Trimble, specifically in regards to the peace process here in Northern Ireland. The event MC was Bronagh Gallagher, and included performances by Roe, Neil Hannon, Phil Coulter, and the Ulster University Choir. It also had speeches by Nicholas Trimble (David Trimble’s Son), and Rachel Hume (John Hume’s granddaughter), and two young students.

Former President Bill Clinton gave an excellent keynote speech in honor of Hume and Trimble. He had spent time with them while they were alive and you could see the sadness of their passing in Clinton as he spoke ().

Following the event, we had the opportunity to shake hands with Clinton and grab a photo with him. Truly a life changing and inspiring event that I will treasure forever. I am very thankful for the opportunity to attend this event and thankful to Augsburg’s study abroad program for all of my opportunities here in Northern Ireland.”

The Hume Foundation (approximately 1:10:05 is when Former President Bill Clinton begins his address).

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The Augsburg community is invited to join CGEE in welcoming our newest program (and new location!) director, Nigel Glenny, to campus! He will be hosting a talk “Growing in a Contested Society: Reflections from Northern Ireland” for all to learn more about his home country and our work moving forward. We will conclude the talk with a meet and greet with Nigel for you to get to know him better and welcome him to the Augsburg University community.

• When: Tuesday, September 13th
• Time: 3:40 p.m.
• Where: Hagfors 150A

ALL are welcome to attend!

Nigel Glenny is the Site Director for Augsburg CGEE Northern Ireland and a Lecturer with the International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE) at Ulster University. He is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast with a First Class Honours Degree in Education (Religious Studies and History). He began his career as a history teacher then moved into local government as an Education Officer, where he designed and taught a wide range of  experiential learning programs for schools, colleges, youth, and community groups. Much of this work utilized elements of Irish cultural traditions to foster cross-community contact between Protestant and Catholic groups from divided communities within Northern Ireland. Nigel then worked several years at a leading non-governmental organization (NGO) engaged in peace and capacity-building initiatives throughout the island of Ireland. At that organization, he developed an International Citizenship Action Project that reached across communities in Northern Ireland, across the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and across the Atlantic to the United States. He created peace and reconciliation curriculum, led programs in how to facilitate student engagement, and trained teachers and youth workers throughout Ireland and the United States. Following his position with the International Citizenship Action Project, Nigel came to Ulster University, first serving as a Lecturer with its School of Education and the UNESCO Centre.

Prior to its transition to Augsburg CGEE, the (formerly known as Democracy and Social Change in Northern Ireland) was delivered through the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA), with the first group of students participating in 2002.

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