The Irish in their Natural Habitat

While studying in Galway, I was lucky to live with five Irish girls, all of whom had unique personalities and tendencies that made life in 110 Gort na Coiribe feel like a sitcom. Below I have profiled their behaviors and hobbies so that those close to me can understand what I’ve had to deal with for five months.

Aoife O’Leary

Aoife hails from Newbridge, a city south of Dublin. She enjoys doing math problems at the last minute, watching Criminal Minds and singing cheesy classic songs at the top of her lungs with a bottle of wine on Valentine’s Day. Aoife brought us home to Newbridge for two weekends where we were privileged to be able to meet Mary O’Leary, Aoife’s mom, and Lily, Aoife’s grandmother. We demolished their kitchen and took up all of the rooms. It speaks to Aoife’s kindness that she didn’t throw us out of the house or never speak to us again after we embarrassed her in her local nightclub.

Laura Hanlon

Laura also comes from Newbridge. She enjoys riding a scooter around the kitchen and sleeping on the floor of her room instead of her bed. I blame Laura for some study abroad weight gain as she arrived back in Galway every Sunday night with a plethora of candies and sweets. Now would also be a good time to admit that I often stole slices of her brown bread. She was also our only hope of seeing respectable Irish men. We all collapsed on the floor when we walked in one day and Laura had a few friends over who weren’t all women. Laura likes to attend balls, read and watch Harry Potter, and hoard mugs of tea.

Allyson Doyle

Allyson was reared in County Tipperary. She is proud to say that the sport of Hurling was invented in a nightclub near her hometown, and the stick involved in the sport is called a hurley, and don’t ask any more effing questions about it. She enjoys sleeping past noon, playing with her poo and making empty promises. She and I spent many hours on the couch together, and we had a great knack for convincing one another to skip classes. She proclaims her love to us on a regular basis, but you must give her at least two alcoholic drinks for her to do so. When I first met Allyson, I was quite scared of her as she sat on the couch demanding soup and playing with her lip ring. This intimidation didn’t last long, however, and soon I was giving Allyson just as much grief as I gave everyone else.

Emily Holmes

Emily Holmes: Emily also comes from Tramore. She is the outcast of the apartment; the room often goes silent as soon as she walks in. She enjoys many activities ranging from kissing people’s feet, stalking a particular super model (to a concerning degree), and otherwise annoying the shit out of anyone nearby. Emily and I spent a lot of time together as she was most likely to be found lurking around the apartment on weekends. I would usually try to avoid her all together, but if I couldn’t, we would usually end up crying because we were laughing so hard.

In all sincerity, I count myself as the luckiest American in Galway because I got to live with and count these ladies as my friends. I don’t think I would have had such a fulfilling and fun Irish experience without these five characters. I thank them for putting up with me and inviting all of my American friends into 110 and making us their own. I will miss them the most out of anything in Ireland, but I know I will see them all again. And when I do, it will probably be me begging for a place to stay because I don’t ever want to leave Ireland again.