URI Students Explore Irish Sports Culture
KINGSTON, R.I. – Oct. 7, 2026 – Nine students from the University of Rhode Island’s Harrington School of Communication and Media spent two weeks in Ireland this summer, immersing themselves in the country’s rich sports culture. Their journey was not just about reporting on games; it was a transformative experience that deepened their understanding of community and culture.
Led by Associate Professor Matthew Hodler, the inaugural study-abroad program took the students through Dublin, Howth, and Belfast, where they visited iconic venues like Croke Park and Aviva Stadium. The trip provided a unique perspective on sports as deeply intertwined with local communities, contrasting sharply with the more corporate nature of American sports.
“Sports in Ireland are very participatory and community-based,” noted Hodler. “Students often compare it to the corporate and commercially driven sports culture in the United States.”
For Harry Hunt, a sports media major, observing the loyalty of athletes to their hometown clubs was particularly striking. “In the U.S., players often transfer clubs, but in Ireland, if you play for a club as a kid, you stick with it for life,” he explained.
Eliza Smith, a communication studies major, found inspiration in the passion of Irish sports fans. “They truly live and breathe their sports,” she reflected. “It challenged me to reconsider our own sports culture.”
Students documented their experiences in various formats, including social media, journal entries, and multimedia projects, focusing on what made Irish sporting culture unique. For Hunt, writing daily journal entries and a final project solidified his insights. Smith creatively used Instagram to highlight amateur Gaelic sports and enjoyed conducting interviews at local tournaments.
The trip fostered friendships among the group, with memorable moments including attending a Riverdance performance where Smith even joined the dancers on stage. Both students emerged with a broader perspective on their future careers in sports media, contemplating the possibility of living and working in Ireland.
Hodler emphasized the importance of students gaining confidence in navigating a new environment, a skill that extends far beyond the classroom.
“This experience has opened my eyes to many career opportunities,” Hunt said, while Smith expressed a newfound ambition to explore the world and its cultures through her work.
This article was written by Sydney Capello, an intern with the Harrington School of Communication and Media’s Social Media Agency.
