Benjy Egel
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Benjy Egel is a journalism junior studying abroad in Cork, Ireland, where he frequents local pubs in search of lively conversation and a good time. He writes a recurring column about the people he meets entitled “Guy I met in the pub last night.” This week, he met an Irish student named Conor McGovern.
Conor McGovern is a lifelong Cork resident, and he loves the city.
But he can’t wait to get out.
After finishing his last year at University College Cork (UCC) and getting some work experience, Conor wants to teach English in a foreign country before settling down in Canada or the United States’ East Coast. For someone interested in information technology (IT), getting out of Europe offers more long-term employment opportunities.
“I don’t want to be one of those guys who stays stuck in the same town his whole life,” he said. “I am well aware that Ireland is one of the top European countries for IT, but if I could live anywhere it would be the East Coast or somewhere in Canada.”
He won’t be the first McGovern to pick up a technical trade: Conor’s great-grandfather was the first programmer in Ireland, two of his uncles own software companies and his Dublin-based cousin learned to take apart and reassemble a computer at the age of eight.
So what’s Conor’s major? Computer science? Software engineering? Some sort of business discipline? No — he’s pursuing a double honors degree in English and history because of Ireland’s strictly organized education system.
Students essentially decide their career paths at the age of 15 by choosing what classes they will take throughout the rest of secondary school (the Irish equivalent of high school). Conor initially wanted to be a history teacher and scored well on his Leaving Certificate, a test at the end of secondary school that singlehandedly determines where one can attend college.
Bogged down by endless reading assignments, Conor grew tired of his studies after a year or two at UCC. Since Irish universities don’t allow students to switch majors, he had to either withdraw from school or finish his degree.
“It’s a shame that it’s too late to drop out, because I’m in my final year,” he said. “It’s only a three-year course, so there’s absolutely no point in dropping out. So I’m finishing it because it’s a degree, and in Ireland once you have a Level 8 degree, it opens you up to post-grad (work).”
Conor made sculptures all throughout secondary school but decided against pursuing art as a career. His older brother graduated from Cork Institute of Technology’s art school, and natural talent runs in their family.
The brothers used to mold Play-Doh sculptures in their hands while watching TV, subconsciously forming whatever happened to be on the screen, without looking at their creations.
“Other people are always amazed, like, ‘How the hell did you do that without even looking?’” Conor said. “Even though I don’t actually do art (regularly), I can still do (it) as well as ever. It’s just something that comes naturally to me.”
For Irish youth, drinking and socializing go hand-in-hand, more so than in the U.S. Many American teenagers will have to decide whether to take a swig of a vodka-filled water bottle, but for Irish 17-year-olds, not partying is basically the same as not socializing.
Conor began drinking moderately when he was 15. His parents started grounding him as his intake increased in secondary school to the point where he’d come home drunk every weekend. Punishments didn’t do anything to deter him. Conor was going to keep drinking like everyone else, and his parents did the same thing when they were his age.
“I’d promise (my mom) I wouldn’t drink again, but I’d go out and all my friends are drinking,” Conor said. “It sounds like I’m an alcoholic — I’m not. It’s just that drinking is very much a part of the Irish culture, and sadly, it’s kind of one of the main ways you can meet girls when you’re younger.”
Off-licenses, or liquor stores, are not as strict on demanding identification as their American equivalents, Conor said. Even if a store is particularly strict, there’s usually someone outside willing to “hey mister“a little alcohol for those under 18 — the legal drinking age.
Drinking occasionally leads to fighting in Cork, though at least one of the parties is usually from the blue-collar north side of the city. Certain nightclubs in particular attract booze-fueled brawls, usually over a girl or a misunderstanding.
Irish women, while beautiful, tend to be colder than American women, Conor said.
Whereas many foreign students go to pubs and clubs looking to meet new people, locals often want to stay with their established friend groups.
“Irish girls are quite unapproachable in town … If you talk to a girl, if you try to say hi to her or you’re dancing with someone, they’ll instantly get the wrong impression,” he said. “I notice talking to Erasmus students, they’re more open. They don’t instantly assume you have some type of agenda, which is nice.”
Irish guys are far from blameless, though. Too many flirt with girls aggressively and don’t know when to leave them alone, Conor said.
While not all guys consistently give girls unwanted attention, enough do so that Irish women are unnaturally defensive. Icy responses are often interpreted by men as a signal to try harder, creating an unfortunate cycle.
“Irish guys can be quite predatorial when drunk,” he said. “In that sense, I do not blame Irish women for being so aware of their surroundings and instantly assuming a guy is trying to creep on them.”
The best way to meet girls is through mutual friends, Conor said. Having a trusted source implicitly vouching for him allows them to relax and let friendships form without the pretense of romantic interest.
Conor has ditched clubs and discos for bars and house parties as he’s gotten older, opting for laid-back environments where he already knows most people.
“At the moment, I’m more of a pub guy than a club guy,” he said. “(At clubs) you can’t hear anyone, you lose people … it’s not relaxed. It’s not like you can talk or dance or whatever, it’s just everyone’s really drunk and shouting.”