My Ireland connection comes from my dad’s father’s side of the family. The same lineage that contains my last name. Legend has it, my last name used to be O’Carmody. My parents honored that past with the classic Anglo/Celtic Liam. With my last name being Carmody, I have always been recognized as having Irish heritage, and have thought of myself as Irish. However, I am most likely 1/8th Irish at most, and primarily German/Italian. Regardless, I and many others in my family are very excited that I’m returning to the homeland. I heard about it countless times before I left on the trip. This lineage really did not play much of a role in my decision to enroll in the program because I just love to travel, be it Pittsburgh, Ireland, or anywhere. That said, my family thought it was great for me to be going there because of our history and were very jealous.