STUDY TOUR TO VISIT NORTHERN IRELAND

Urban Studies Professor Jon Van Til, who has led his Rutgers University students on study tours to Northern Ireland since 2001, will direct a study tour (designed for alumni-level participants) to that fascinating corner of the world in March 2010. The trip will be ten days in duration, and will feature visits to such renowned sites as the Giant’s Causeway and the hills and shores of Donegal. The historic walled city of Derry will be the central destination of the trip, as described in Prof. Van Til’s newest book, BREACHING DERRY’S WALLS: THE SEARCH FOR SOCIAL PEACE IN NORTHERN IRELAND. Leading community activists and peacemakers will provide a personal rendition of their participation in peacemaking and conflict resolution in this lovely, and yet often troubled, part of the world.

Most tour participants will leave from Newark airport on Thursday evening March 11, taking the short 6 1/2-hour flight direct to Belfast, Northern Ireland’s largest city. From Belfast, tour members will proceed directly to the Giant’s Causeway where we can catch up on jet-lagged sleep in rooms waiting for us at the Causeway Hotel, situated dramatically at the edge of dramatic cliffs dropping to the Atlantic coast below. Hiking, photography, and a Guinness or two at the Nook (a schoolhouse converted into a comfortable pub) make our first 48 hours an unforgettable introduction to the scenic wonders of Northern Ireland.

On Saturday, we will visit the oceanfront town of Portstewart, where University of Ulster lecturers will inform us of the history of Northern Ireland’s social and political struggles. Our tour will also include stops at a number of small picturesque ports, a small maritime museum, and the towering ruins of Dunluce Castle.

On Sunday, we will move into comfortable townhouse accommodations in the center of Derry, and will begin to familiarize ourselves with the sights and structures of that historic city. We will walk the walls, discover the remarkable sightlines across the River Foyle, and prepare for a week of meetings with some of Derry’s most remarkable civic and social leaders.

From Monday through Wednesday we will be introduced by skilled participants in Derry’s civic and community life to a number of agencies and programs that have played central roles in resolving the historic troubles that have plagued this city. We will observe community conferences as they occur, learn about the creations of the Bogside Artists, and participate first-hand in the work of innovative and effective social agencies.

Wednesday will see the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, always a special event in Ireland. Our Thursday events will begin a bit later than usual in light of the celebrations that accompany this special day.

On Thursday and Friday, we will be hosted by the leaders of one of Derry’s most remarkable community organizations, the Holywell Trust, as they introduce us by means of their program in cultural tourism to the remarkable landscape and people of Donegal, the wild mountainous and oceanfront county to Derry’s Northwest. We will directly experience the music, the literature, and the drums of this passionate landscape in a tour that is not to be missed.

On Saturday, we return to Derry for a day of shopping and good-byes to what visitors often come to call their “second home”. An optional one-day trip to Belfast may be made that day by scenic rail or bus.

On Sunday, tour members may return on the late morning flight to Newark. Travelers may wish to stay longer in Europe, as each will be able to make individual travel arrangements.

Travel arrangements will be managed by Bill Myers, Park Avenue Travel, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. bill@parkavetravel.com 610-328-6666.

COST OF THE TRIP consists of several separate payments:

1) AIRFARE (Newark to Belfast, which may range from $650 to $950 depending on date and carrier), to be purchased separately by each traveler from Park Avenue Travel or another agent.)

2) SHARED ROOM ACCOMMODATION, GROUND TRAVEL, AND PRESENTATIONS BY LOCAL EXPERTS: $1650. ($500 to be paid by January 1; $1150 to be paid by March 1.)

3) Meals and drinks will be purchased by each traveler at an estimated cost of $30-$50 a day.

4) Single room supplement will be available at the cost of $500.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Prof. Jon Van Til, vantil@camden.rutgers.edu