Moving abroad can be tough. Really tough. Learn about the little differences in Ireland and the US that initially stood out and made the move difficult. Follow as I dive into a rabbit hole of uncertainty, and climb back out with me at the end of the episode.

(Click here to start listening! Podcast audio included in post.)

I immediately head to the pub upon arrival in Galway. A night out at The Quays Bar reminds me why I moved to Ireland:

'Irish music plays in the background, and glasses clink behind me as I write. The Quays is alive and well, thriving, beating in the heart of Galway City. It pumps its charisma through the veins of taps, pouring life into the pints. Laughter engulfs the air, mingling with the scent of aged wood.'

(Podcast audio included in post!)

After getting too drunk at my own going away party, I desperately attempt to fend off a hangover and repress my regrettable actions by kayaking the River Raisin. I can only offer broken goodbyes before I depart on my longest journey yet: a year abroad.

(Click here to start listening! Podcast audio included in post.)

Hello! And welcome to the new podcast about my book: Attempting Local: A Year Abroad in Galway, Ireland. Attempting Local follows my journey as I explore Ireland, surf the waves of the North Atlantic, hike the country's rugged mountains, and travel throughout Europe... all while striving toward a master's degree.

It’s an extremely honest account of how tough it can be to leave everything behind and move abroad, though it simultaneously demonstrates the beauty of a life of solo travel.

(Click here to start listening! Podcast audio included in post.)

Is this travel trend ethical? Why are people really going abroad? Is it simply to please the social media deities so many of us bow down to? Are we actually striving to understand another culture and its people? And do the ends justify the means in an age of global climate change? That’s what I’d like to find out.

For those interested in traveling, living abroad, studying abroad, Ireland, or all of the above, here is an honest account of my experience so far as a grad student on the Emerald Isle.

“... for no man knows if he shall survive the journey, and thus he departs with excessive revelry.”

Cullan McNamara
Dates: September 11-18, 2017
Destination: Republic of Ireland
Travel Buddy: Kevin McNamara (Dad)
Part One: Day 6 - The End (with post-trip updates)

Looking over the edge was nauseating, and we started to second guess our decision. As we got closer, the gap between the stone and the castle edge widened.

Cullan McNamara
Dates: September 11-18, 2017
Destination: Republic of Ireland
Travel Buddy: Kevin McNamara (Dad)
Part One: Day 5 (with post-trip updates)

I almost dreaded the question because our plan was always so... nonexistent.

Cullan McNamara
Dates: September 11-18, 2017
Destination: Republic of Ireland
Travel Buddy: Kevin McNamara (Dad)
Part One: Day 4 (with post-trip updates)

Cullan McNamara
Dates: September 11-18, 2017
Destination: Republic of Ireland
Travel Buddy: Kevin McNamara (Dad)
Part One: Day 3 (with post-trip updates)

Another busy day, huh? Well, we better get moving.

Truly, we both learned - we learned about Ireland, its people, and each other. We yelled, we laughed, we teared up, we argued, we drank, but what did we really do? We lived.

Cullan McNamara
Dates: September 11-18, 2017
Destination: Republic of Ireland
Travel Buddy: Kevin McNamara (Dad)
Part One: Day 2 (with updates from Day 6/7)

Cullan McNamara
Dates: September 11-18, 2017
Destination: Republic of Ireland
Travel Buddy: Kevin McNamara (Dad)
Part One: Day 1 (with updates from Day 3/4)

The delusional are not those who dream - they're those who give up.