Irish culture – MU International Office Blog

by MU Blogger January 20, 2025

How Irish Kindness Made Me Forget About the Cold OR the Warmth I Found Along the Way

Moving to a new country is a whirlwind of emotions – excitement, curiosity, and, in my case, an undeniable chill. When I landed in Ireland to begin my studies at Maynooth University, I knew I’d left the warmth of Nigeria behind, but I didn’t realize just how much the cold would define my first days. I’ll admit, the Irish weather caught me off guard. No matter how many people warned me, ...

by MU Blogger May 10, 2024

The richness of the Irish language, illustrations by Catherine Geaney

Mothú sa bhaile in Éirinn: how language gives a sense of belonging

Introduction Illustrations by Catherine Geaney When I told my Dutch family I was learning the Irish language, they were confused: ‘Do you mean you’re learning to speak English with an Irish accent?’ More than once, I’ve had to explain that Ireland has its own language. Irish – or Gaeilge – is one of the oldest and most historically written languages in the world. It has been spoken in Ireland for over 2.500 ...

by MU Blogger June 6, 2023

blogs , Culture shocks , Elena Schroder , Integration

Culture shocks I had when moving to Ireland

Moving to a different country will confront you with a lot of new things: a new language, new cities and a lot of culture shocks you won’t be prepared for!Here are the biggest culture shocks I had when I first moved from Germany to Maynooth, Ireland. The Weather Still in Germany, everybody predicted that there would be a lot of rain and mostly bad weather in Ireland and when I arrived in ...

by MU Blogger July 31, 2019

blogs , Ireland , Mayu Otaki

Expectations of Ireland – Things to know before you come

It’s already less than two months left until the academic year starts, and I guess that a number of international students will soon be coming to Maynooth University! So, I would like to give some advice about what to expect when you start living here in Ireland. 1. Friendly and polite communications Firstly, as you know, the Irish are well known for being friendly and chatty people. I’d say this is certainly true, when I started living in ...