Today marks our 9th day in Ireland! We visited many rural areas and worked a bunch on our project today. Specifically, we visited the Fanad Lighthouse, where we were introduced to the rich history of Irish coastal navigation. Before the invention of LED lights, the use of constantly manned whale oil lamps was prevalent. This was one of the reasons why the occupation of a “Lighthouse Keeper” was a thing. Many died in this occupation; I believe most likely because of how oddly short the steps were leading up to the top of the lighthouse.

• This morning took you to Fanad, a quieter, more rural stretch of Donegal than what you’ve seen so far. Carrigart is the closest town to people living on this peninsula.
  Given what you’ve observed about Fanad’s environment and pace of life, what do you think Carrigart means to the people who live here – as a main street, a gathering place, a lifeline for goods and services?
• This afternoon you visited the Tyrconnell Tribune, a local newspaper that runs on a community-sourced model for gathering news. It’s a far cry from the algorithm-driven media most of you grew up with. What was your reaction to seeing news gathered this way? Could a model like this work back home, or does it depend on something about this place that doesn’t easily translate?

Afterwards, we visited two farms. The Mulroy Meadow Farms and Gáinne Mór Alpacas, both rather prominent farms in Donegal. The quaint, rural stretches of land that we visited were so peaceful. From fresh produce that tastes like candy, to roosters that will constantly peck at your shoes, to alpacas that will devour your food in seconds, I can understand why people would want to live on farms now. This is rather similar to our consulting place, Carrigart. As a gathering place, it brings together people from all different areas of the world and places them into one melting pot. This usually includes American or British industrialists who seek refuge from their busy lives in the form of golf and sightseeing. Carrigart serves as the antithesis to Fanad in its peak season, as it’s bustling with activity and tourism.

Then, this afternoon, we visited the Tyrconnell Tribune, a local newspaper in Milford that runs on community-driven news. Anything that happens within the community is either sought out by Ralph or informed by the locals. This would seem like a great idea at first glance, but I believe misinformation could spread easily. However, it would not be as easily as our media is back home. Our town is rather similar to Fanad, as it’s quaint and full of farmland; however, it’s extremely divided. Driven entirely by political factions that aim to outdo one another, no one can fully agree on one thing without turning a civil conversation into an argument. That being said, this approach to news would not work, as there’s an extremely high chance that citizens would say two entirely different things.