Courtney Kloor: Summer Internship in Dublin at University College Dublin, Ireland Summer 2019
Cliffs of Moher
Picture this with me a whole summer in a beautiful land known for its rolling green hills and friendly locals. Or even better, a country where the highs range around 75 F and it is almost always overcast; for a pale person like me this sounded almost too good to be true, an entire summer without being sunburned really was too good to be true, I might be the only person on the planet who can get sunburned on a cloudy day in Ireland.
I studied and interned abroad in Dublin, the capital city of Ireland at the University College Dublin. This program gave me one of the best summers of my life both from a personal and professional perspective. I was lucky enough to intern with KPMG in the audit support team where I was able to learn a lot about my field, but also what it is like to live and work abroad. It was such a unique experience to be able to work in such a multinational setting and truly get to know people not only from Ireland but all over the world.
I was also blessed with the incredible people I met from the other students on the program who instantly became a second family to the UCD staff who were always available to help and encouraged us to step outside our comfort zone and try new things, like bog jumping! (and yes it is what it sounds like… jumping into a pit of mud). I instantly clicked with a great group of people with whom I shared many adventures.
Ireland is beautiful. I loved getting to see as much of the island as I could. Seeing from Cork to Giant’s Causeway and Dublin to Galway and lots of incredible places in between every place we went from the coast to the mountains stole my heart. One of my favorite trips though was to Killarney National park. We were able to ride bikes around old ruins of churches and the beautiful lakes. I would say the most beautiful views we saw were actually after we had taken a wrong turn.
This experience was highly immersive, getting to know the Irish history and culture through the many cultural programs and events. From bread baking and Irish dancing to seeing the Cliffs of Moher we were able to experience many of the unique and beautiful things Ireland has to offer. One of my favorite cultural experiences was a trip to Causey Farm where we got to experience a typical Irish Farm complete with sheep and cows , but we also got to learn about Irish musical tradition.
This summer was one of the best experiences and helped me grow in more ways than I can count. I can’t wait to return to return to Ireland and all the beauty she holds.
“Hills as green as emeralds
Cover the countryside
Lakes as blue as sapphires-
And Ireland’s special pride
And rivers that shine like silver
Make Ireland look so fair-
But the friendliness of her people
Is the richest treasure there.”