In January 2015, Drew University’s Center on Religion, Culture & Conflict (CRCC) will be leading a seven-day trip to Ireland, with a focus on peace studies and conflict resolution. The trip includes visits to Dublin, Belfast, Derry, and Donegal, where all participants can also enjoy the Drew University Transatlantic Connections Conference, hosted by the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies.

The trip will be led by Professor Jonathan Golden of Drew’s CRCC, who is joined by a line-up of world-renowned speakers. The tour begins in Dublin City, where it will kick off on January 12th with a launch event at Club na Muinteori, at which author, journalist and founder of Irish Central, Niall O’Dowd will be presented with a CRCC Peace Builder award in recognition of his significant contribution to the Irish Peace Process.

The tour then moves on to County Donegal, based in the town of Bundoran. We will spend a day in Derry City, with visits to the Bogside area of Bloody Sunday infamy, the medieval walls of the city, and Magee University, where local students will demonstrate cross-border work in music.

We will also travel to Belfast to visit the Shankill and Falls Road areas, and the infamous Belfast Peace Wall. The tour culminates with the Transatlantic Conference and a full day of peace studies panels including scholars, local politicians and people engaged in peacebuilding efforts around the world. Other panels at the conference include speakers on Irish history, literature, popular culture, food culture and film studies.

Keynote speaker Don Mullan, world renowned humanitarian and best-selling author whose book “Eyewitness Bloody Sunday” is officially recognized as a primary catalyst for a new Bloody Sunday inquiry, will talk about his work in Derry and his new project commemorating the WWI Christmas Peace Truce.

Professor Christine Kinealy, the Director of the Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University, author/historian, and Irish America Hall of Famer (2014) will also deliver a keynote talk. The lineup includes Mick Moloney, folklorist, musicologist, arts advocate, musician, and professor of music and Irish studies at NYU, winner of the NEA’s distinguished National Heritage Award (1999) and Ireland’s Presidential Distinguished Service Award (2013).

The final gala evening features award-winning Irish poet Theo Dorgan, who will discuss commemoration of the 1916 Irish Rising. The conference also includes a fantastic line-up of Irish musicians, actors, film screenings and cultural entertainment.

The trip, which runs January 11th to 18th 2015, is open to all interested persons aged 18 and over. This trip is a must for anyone wishing to learn about the history and culture that has shaped Ireland. In particular, participants will learn how the Peace Process in Ireland might be studied as a model for conflict resolution elsewhere, talking with local people who are directly involved in conflict resolution in Ireland. Undergraduate and graduate credit is available for enrolling in the companion course to the trip.

Visitors to the border counties of Ireland are always made welcome, and traveling to these parts of Ireland truly benefits the local communities. Trip participants will enjoy a remarkable and authentic experience of Ireland, while helping to support the peace-building work of the CRCC and the communities in Ireland.

The trip cost $2,300 per person and includes all accommodation, most meals, registration for the Transatlantic Conference, transport and travel from Dublin and all admission fees. The fee does not include travel to Ireland. Student discounts are available. For a full itinerary of the trip, please visit http://bit.ly/1qmY4io and for application forms email drewtransatlantic@gmail.com.