Trip to Brussels
I along with other TY students, Sarah Salvin, Caoimhe Byrne, Natalie Bradshaw and our teacher Miss Weir set off for a trip to Brussels early on Tuesday morning last week. We arrived at the airport in Brussels at 9 am. Here, we were welcomed by Billy Kelleher’s team who showed us to our coach where we met students and teachers from other schools in Cork, Limerick and Waterford. The coach brought us to the European Parliament where an EU civil servant and interpreter told us all about life in the Parliament and career opportunities that are available to young graduates. We then met Billy Kelleher MEP who told us about his recent visit to the Ukraine and answered any questions we had. It was a very interesting and enjoyable morning. We had lunch at a restaurant near the parliament and then checked into the Penta Hotel. We had some free time to go shopping and that evening we went to the Grand Place which is the central square in the centre of Brussels. It is known for its amazing architecture and beauty and it didn’t disappoint. We had dinner in a restaurant overlooking the square and had some free time to visit some of Brussels famous chocolate shops, buy some souvenirs and sample their waffles. The next day we visited the Parliamentarian and learnt about the history of the European Union in an interactive tour. We then attended a conference on the future of Europe and participated in a debate on topical issues such as Ireland’s neutrality, the war in Ukraine and Ireland’s defence forces. The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola came to greet us, gave us a few words of encouragement and answered some questions. We then headed off on a bus tour of Brussels. We visited the palace, the Atomium and many other beautiful landmarks around the city. We departed for the airport at around 5pm. It was a brilliant trip and a great experience.
By
Grace O’ Flynn
