About the trip
This 6-day itinerary blends arts practices and storytelling, social justice and community engagement, cultural preservation, an urban sustainability and cultural space in Dublin, Ireland. Imagine yourself exploring cultural storytelling, the minority identity of the Irish Traveller community, learning about Irish vernacular music and dance, exploring careers in community advocacy, and investigating how tradition survives modernization in “The Fair City.” Join us and explore how marginalized cultural traditions survive and evolve through artistic expression and community organizing. Students will consider how stories, songs, dances, visual culture, public memory, and community advocacy shape identity and belonging in contemporary Ireland. The program will also invite students to think critically about ethical engagement: how visitors can learn from communities with respect, humility, and awareness of histories of marginalization.
Trip Leaders
Dr. Holly Hubbs
Dr. Holly Hubbs teaches in the music department, including courses in music history, global music, and jazz. She is an avid traveler and a life-long student of vernacular music and dance traditions, previously visiting Dublin and Galway with a group of Ursinus students. She looks forward to guiding a new group of UC sophomores on this year’s APEX Go Global exploration of Irish arts and culture.
Dr. Lori Daggar
Dr. Lori Daggar teaches in the history department and coordinates the college’s Native American and Indigenous Studies program. Her courses on Indigenous history and early North America frequently include discussions of how everyday people navigate colonialism, violence, and erasure. Dr. Daggar will bring this expertise to our discussions of Travellers’ experience navigating similar dynamics in Ireland. Her perspective will help students think comparatively about colonialism, cultural survival, historical memory, and the responsibilities involved in studying communities whose histories include exclusion or erasure.
Trip Dates
March 6 -13, 2026 (tentative)
sample activities
- A guided historical walking tour of Dublin, including sites such as Trinity College, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and Temple Bar
- Dublin city street art tour/workshop or art gallery visit and artist talk
- Professional Panel Discussion or Cultural Foundation visit to explore career pathways
- An Irish vernacular music, dance, or storytelling workshop
Associated hubs/ centers
This trip itinerary is designed to spark interest among students within the
- Center for Humanities in Action (including Arts in Action)
- Hub for Civic and Global Leadership
