Just got back from our first exam this afternoon, it was an hour long test on the history and political structure of the European Union and the Republic of Ireland. It also covered the Irish Constitution, the court system, and how that court system interprets that Constitution. It was kind of amazing how similar the issues dealt with by the Irish and E.U. courts were to some of the cases we read in U.S. Constitutional Law back at Pierce, be they social (for example, the right to privacy) or commercial (the E.U., being a free-trade zone, analyzes competition between members much as our federal system interprets the Commerce clause.)
Anyway, the test. Everyone I saw after leaving the room seemed pretty satisfied with how they did, so we'll see. One thing is for sure, nothing beats learning Irish and European law from Irish and European professors. Ordinarily, I'd try to incorporate the phrase "straight from the horse's mouth" here, but for all I know that is a grave insult in Irish culture, so I'll just leave it alone. There is talk of heading to the pub and tossing back a pint or two tonight to celebrate the test being over, a plan to which I am not opposed.
Good night from Eire. Within the next day or two I'll write about the trip a bunch of us took on Sunday to Cobh, last stop of the Titanic and home to an enormous cathedral. (Spoiler Alert: It was awesome!)