Information about Ireland
The destination of this year’s study trip is Ireland, a country which is well known for its green landscapes. It is therefore often referred to as Emerald Isle. You will find secluded beaches, high cliffs, pristine lakes, oceans, waterfalls, mountains and so much more. The country’s culture is reflected in lively folklore from leprechauns that chase rainbows and pots of gold to the patron Saint Patrick who is said to have chased all snakes from the island.
What is Ireland most famous and known for?
- St. Patrick’s Day: the Irish-born holiday is celebrated around the world. Nowadays, we know the day as a festival with large parades, marching bands and floats. However, originally the holiday was a sombre one to commemorate the death of the patron St. Patrick on March 17, 461 AD.
- The shamrock: is a three leaf clover, an important symbol in Ireland and to the Irish Catholic faith. St. Patrick used the three leaves to explain the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- Irish food: can be described as tasty and comforting. Dishes like Irish stew, corned beef and cabbage, and Irish soda bread are popular around the world.
- Irish pubs: have been replicated around the world, but nowhere better than in Ireland itself. The laidback atmosphere and lively banter are unique to the nation and conversations with strange come easily.
- Guinness beer: the Irish have a long history of brewing beer tracing back to at least 300 years ago. Most popular Guinness, also referred to as “the black stuff”. The beer is actually a dark ruby red stout that has a distinct taste and a thick creamy head.
- Irish whiskey: the first known document to mention the spirit is dated back to 1405, and is thereby the oldest whisky.
Interesting as well, is that there are currently over 400 biotech sector companies in Ireland with more in line. Trinity college Dublin runs a specific program in Tissue Engineering and it has consistently ranked in top 100 universities of the world.
During this study trip we will visit three cities; Dublin, Limerick and Cork. Throughout the excursion, we will focus on the three different research groups we have in Eindhoven: Biomedical Imaging & Modeling, Chemical Biology, and Regenerative Engineering and Materials.
1. Dublin
Dublin is the first city of our study trip. It is the capital and largest city of Ireland and it is situated on a bay on the east coast. The capital of one of the most charming island nation in the Norwegian Sea, is where you find every other building a true depiction of modern architectures, colorful alleys, booze bars, and a lot of things to explore.
It is confirmed that we will visit Trinity College Dublin (or in Irish: Coláiste na Tríonóide) while we are in Dublin! The college was founded in 1592 and has more than 15.000 students! It has a very rich history, which we want to discover with you when we visit this beautiful university. An impression can be found below:
For Trinity College, the focus will be on Tissue Engineering (TE). Nine professors are employed to look at the different TE challenges different tissues provide. You can think of bone tissue, cartilage, or heart tissue. With our contact person at Trinity, we are trying to set up a small symposium where several professors and Ph.D. students will tell you all about their research. Besides that, we will have the opportunity to walk through several labs to see how they work.
2. Limerick
On Wednesday morning we will travel to Limerick! This is the second city to be visited on our study trip. Limerick is a city with roughly 95.000 inhabitants and is located in the South-West part of Ireland. The city is divided into three parts: English Town, Irish Town and Newtown Pery. River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, flows through the city of Limerick.
3. Cork
Last but not least! Cork is the third and final city of our study trip. It is the second largest city in Ireland, located in the south-west of Ireland on an island in the middle of the River Lee. Cork city was once fully walled, and the remnants of the old medieval town centre can be found around the South and North main streets. An impression of Cork can be seen below:
It is confirmed that we will be visiting University College Cork (UCC), or in Irish Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh! UCC is a university that was established in 1845. UCC is ranked in the top 2% of universities in the world and over 22.500 students go to UCC. Below you will find an impression of what to expect when we visit UCC:
At UCC, three different faculties are interesting for us: “Medicine & health”, “Science, Engineering & food science”, and “business law”. With our contact person at UCC, we are arranging a two-day itinerary with the focus on getting to know the different faculties and research projects, getting to know what it is like to study in Cork by contacting students and the study association, and by learning more about the Irish culture by contacting the sports associations.
Furthermore, we are trying to arrange a visit to the different research centers that are located outside Corks campus, like for example INFANT. The focus at UCC will be mainly on biomedical imaging since they have, among others, state of the art equipment used for neonatal surgery. Of course, we will make sure that there is plenty of time to get to know Cork as well!