Story Written by Emma McElroy ‘25

IHA students and teachers had the opportunity to travel to Great Britain June 20-29, 2024. Twenty-five students and four chaperones traveled across the island for a once-in-a-lifetime experience that we will never forget. Our chaperones included Miss Kerry Carroll '04, principal; Ms. Ellen Donoghue '76, guidance counselor; and Ms. Ana Echeverría P’05, and Mrs. Maria Daly-Valls, world language teachers.

After a long week of finals, we were all ready for a vacation with our fellow sisters to make memories that will last a lifetime! When we first arrived in London, we met our tour guide, Julia, whose Welsh accent made us realize we were not in New Jersey anymore. We then traveled to Kensington Palace, where we saw the monuments of Queen Victoria and King Albert. Victoria, out of pure love for Albert, built him a beautiful monument in a place now lovingly known as “Albertopolis.” While we explored London, we saw street performers and the luxury department store Harrods. That night, we went to a London pub to enjoy a true British meal of fish and chips. The dinner was an interesting experience and enabled all of us to bond and enjoy fun conversations. Afterwards, our group visited some of the most notable sights in London: Big Ben and the London Eye. 

On our second day in London, we explored the beautiful Tower of London. We learned about the legend of keeping seven crows in the tower at all times to stop London from falling and about Traitors' Gate, where many famous prisoners were last seen. We continued our day by crossing the River Thames over the Tower Bridge and traveled to Borough Market, a hub for creativity and fresh food. It has tons of stalls where people can sell a wide variety of different food options. Brenna Auguste ՚25, Keira DeMicco ՚25, Carla Tobin ՚25, and I visited Turnips, the stall known for its famous chocolate-covered strawberry cups! Next, we walked around South Bank, and passed a recreation of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, a preview for our later experience at Shakespeare’s childhood home. Our next destination was Buckingham Palace, where we watched the King’s Guard. At the end of this busy day, we attended the musical Wicked on the West End!

We started the next day with a Sunday morning Mass before loading the bus and heading to Stonehenge, a bonding experience like no other as we tried to use perception to put our hands on the stones. We then traveled to Bath where there were so many different types of street performers. Some played the guitar or piano, others balanced bowling balls on their heads, and another was covered in paint and acted like a statue. There was so much culture and just as many ice cream shops! We also visited the remains of the actual Roman Baths, where men and women relaxed in spas and exercised. We then had our own spa experience, where we all had to lock our phones away and go into the sauna for some rest and relaxation! 

On day four, we traveled to Stratford-upon-Avon, where we saw Shakespeare’s childhood home, the Church where he was buried, and the Royal Shakespeare Company theater. We witnessed incredible views on the road to Caefernon, Wales, and got to bond with our sisters on the four-hour bus ride. The next day we truly explored Caefernon, starting with a tour of Caefernon Castle. We learned the castle's rich history and its purpose, and we also had a Welsh language lesson. We learned how to say “Good Morning” (Bore Da), “Thank You” (Diolch), and the name of the longest town in the U.K., which I still can’t pronounce. Next, we went five hundred feet underground to explore Welsh slate mines. My favorite experience of the entire trip was when we split into small groups and went to Welsh family homes to experience a traditional Welsh dinner. My group went to our host, Judith’s house, where we met Judith, her daughter Neli, and Neli’s friend Anni. We spent the night talking to them about the differences between growing up in Wales and the U.S., and I met two people I plan to keep in touch with for a long time.

The next day was another day of traveling, as we traveled with our favorite bus driver, Chris, toward a ferry that would take us to Ireland. But first, we made an unexpected stop at the beach! None of us knew that this would be happening, and we relished the opportunity to see the ocean. Finally, we departed from Wales and headed toward Ireland by taking a three-hour ferry. During the ferry ride, many of us played Headbands, which was a great way to connect with each other while in the middle of the ocean.

Once in Ireland, we walked around briefly to preview our next couple of days. In the morning, we started off by visiting Phoenix Park, where the wind was heavy enough to almost knock your socks off. We then visited Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, a gorgeous Church with extensive history. Our next experience was on the opposite end of the spectrum, as we underwent a “Gaelic Games experience.” We had instructors who taught us the basics of two Irish sports, hurling and Gaelic football. These sports seemed to be a combination of every sport offered at IHA. 

Later, we had a wonderful dinner and a show. We went to an “Irish Night” where we ate delicious food and also saw a live Irish Band and traditional Irish dancers. We also got to see Carla Tobin ‘25 and Alyssa Bolado ‘25 get on stage and dance their hearts out. Sadly, this was our last day, as we headed to the airport the next morning. I will never forget this incredible experience!