€14.99 flight to Edinburg. Thanks for a lovely day, Ryanair! My hip architect friend, Tarrah Beebe, and I truly enjoyed the Sunday sunshine.

And to think she arrived in Dublin from LA just yesterday….

My colleague from William and Mary, Dr. Jim Barber, bought the Qualitative Research book I recommended to his students.

Yesterday I learned that the EU wants to support interdisciplinary research by including qualitative researchers on science and technology research teams.

Here’s an example of one of the panelist’s interdisciplinary research.

This information session was held at the art museum, IMMA, which is housed in the former Kilmainham Royal Hospital. The facility is beautiful.

Colleen Dube, the executive director of Fulbright Ireland–who has been a strong supporter of my work–moderated a panel discussion.

I enjoyed the transfer of power underlying the picture posted above. The royalty no longer hold the power to shape society’s future: those researcher on the floor do!

Likewise, quantitative research has reigned central in the sciences, but this session provided evidence that qualitative work is gaining credibility. It’s being seen, more often, as an important perspective that is an essential part of good research.

A colleague suggested I stop in at Sweny’s, an old chemist shop (what we in the States call a pharmacy) just to see the architecture.

Sweny’s hosts readings of texts authored by famous Dubliners. It also displays old books and artifacts as they would have been a hundred years ago.

The place reminds me of the old general store my parents photographed in, I think, Virginia’s Giles County, when I was a kid. (It may have even been near Dublin, Virginia — which would be a fun coincidence!)

Their clients were building a detailed model of the general store, to scale. I loved perusing the shelves and investigating the old-time shoes, not yet sold, looking for a home.

I’m going to try giving you a panoramic view of life here, working and living as a researcher in Dublin. I’ll make a stab at posting a panorama or reflection shot every few days. As a Fulbright, I tried to catalog my experiences. These days, I have to reserve my computer time for solid work. But a quick post from my phone shouldn’t take much time….

Today I’m learning about programs and achievements of the European Research Council (ERC). The organization’s president has been speaking at the Royal Irish Academy (RIA).

The RIA headquarters includes a lovely library about property ordinance surveys and the history of Ireland and Irish architecture. Before the event, I was flipping through a book and happened across a house that I think I’ve seen next to the Joyce Tower.

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