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Grace is going to IRELAND with NAU!

Maggie Jonson Start Date: Oct 3, 2025 - End Date: Jun 9, 2026
  • Dublin, Ireland
  • Derry, Londonderry, United Kingdom
  • Causeway Coast and Glens, United Kingdom
  • Belfast, United Kingdom

My Travel Story

by: Maggie Jonson Start Date: Oct 3, 2025 - End Date: Jun 9, 2026
Grace will be on a journey with fellow NAU students and faculty into the contested streets of Belfast and Derry, where walls still whisper stories of colonization, resistance, and fragile peace. This intensive 12-day program invites NAU students to trace Northern Ireland’s path from violent conflict to innovative models of post-conflict justice, while earning liberal studies credits in Social and Political Words. We will walk the Falls and Shankill Roads, stand on Derry’s historic walls, examine the infamous Peace Wall, and engage community organizations that turned trauma into reconciliation. Through guided museum visits, dialogues with former combatants, and presentations from local scholars, you’ll examine how structural violence, security reforms, and community-based initiatives converge to transform conflict. 

Each day blends on-the-ground observation with critical reflection. Morning site visits illuminate the layered history of colonization and sectarian division; afternoon discussions explore peace-building strategies, restorative practices, and the policing reforms that re-imagined public safety after the Good Friday Agreement. Evening debriefs challenge you to connect field insights to contemporary struggles for justice at home. This course will sharpen your analytical lens, expand your global perspective, expose you to a new cultural context, and empower you to envision equitable security in divided societies. 

Cross-Cultural Experiences
We will visit several museums during our trip that offer students the opportunity to learn about the history and culture of Northern Ireland. We will visit Kilmainham Gaol, the Museum of Free Derry, the Ulster Museum, and the Crumlin Road Gaol. 
We will also embark on a walking tour in each city with programming that is directly relevant to the academic goals of our program. In Dublin we will experience the 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour. In Derry we will experience a walking tour with Bogside History Tours. In Belfast we will experience the Black Cab tour. These tours are led by local guides; many of whom were directly involved in the history they share with us on the tour. 
Students will visit with faculty at Queen’s University, tour City Hall in Belfast and meet with local organizations working on conflict transformation and restorative justice during visits to the Shankill Center. 

Students will also engage in several rich cultural experiences, including visiting a local pub – the Sunflower Public House, experiencing George’s Market, attending an improv show, visiting a UNESCO world heritage site (The Giant’s Causeway), and electing to pursue their own interests when they have free/unstructured time. 
  • Dublin, Ireland
  • Derry, Londonderry, United Kingdom
  • Causeway Coast and Glens, United Kingdom
  • Belfast, United Kingdom

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