The Mitchell Scholarship

The Mitchell Class of 2019 gathered in Northern Ireland February 22-24 for a weekend full of activity and exploration. The mid-year “retreat” is an opportunity for the 12 Mitchell Scholars to come together, with the Mitchell Director, to travel and discuss their time in Ireland to date. Held in Belfast since the establishment of the program in 2001, the weekend kicked off with an historical tour of the city led by Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) professor Dominic Bryan, an expert on historical monuments and long time friend of the program. The group traveled across Belfast, visiting the well known peace walls on the west side of the city and the lesser known memorials on the east side. The tour ended with a quick loop around the revitalized dock area, where the Titanic was built and the Titanic Museum now stands, and where ships from as far away as Brazil come to be repaired.

Later that evening, the scholars were treated to an intimate reception hosted by Professor Glenn Patterson, novelist and Director of the Heaney Centre at QUB. The reception was an opportunity to mingle with representatives from QUB and Ulster University, who, after a three-year hiatus, will collectively host three Mitchell scholars in the fall of 2019.

On Saturday morning, the group departed for the beautiful Antrim coast on the North Atlantic, visiting the amazing basalt columns that make up Giant’s Causeway and the slightly shaky Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. After a quick lunch at the Fullerton Arms, where the Game of Thrones cast famously dines during production, the group made a quick stop at Dark Hedges in Ballymoney before heading back to Belfast. That evening, they attended a showing of Sweeney Todd, the play about the (murderous) barber of Fleet Street, at The Lyric.

Before heading back to their Irish universities, the group visited the Titanic Museum and those with later train and bus tickets visited other places in the city, including St. George’s Market. With all of the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and Northern Ireland’s own government impasse, the weekend was an interesting time to learn about Belfast and Northern Ireland’s history and enjoy its natural and urban beauty. The Mitchell Scholarship is thankful to our friends and hosts who welcome us year after year.