Kevin Murphy
IARD 4960
Professor Hobbs
I applied and eventually chose to come to Cornell and more specifically CALS to study international affairs and trade, business, and agriculture in order to better develop my knowledge and skills in those areas. I felt as though CALS offered great coursework in those respective areas and I knew that the international experience would be a key supplement to my learning experience in Ithaca. I have a strong interest in European agribusiness and international trade and therefore saw the international trip as an opportunity to expose myself to such areas before venturing out into the workforce. For my experience, I chose to spend this past summer in Dublin, Ireland to spend time there working, enjoying the culture, and gaining relevant skills to supplement the classroom learning I’ve had at Cornell.
In the beginning of June I flew from Chicago to Dublin and embarked on an 8+ week Western European journey. I stayed at the University College Dublin with 5 other international students, 4 Swedes and an Italian. I initially tried to gain an internship with an agribusiness firm however due to newly signed European restrictions and Irish agribusiness laws it made it hard to gain one because the industry is experiencing a lot of change at the moment as they prepare for the aforementioned laws to take place. Therefore, I ended up working for an accounting and asset management firm located in the Dublin city center to gain business skills and to allow myself to still enjoy the Irish culture.
I practiced basic accounting, auditing, and asset management principles for the firm and performed tasks within Microsoft Office quite often. I also made calls to clients to check in on their respective portfolios and accounts. Also, I had the privilege of making an on-site visit with the firm’s leading auditor to one of Ireland’s leading engineering firms. We spent a couple of days on site and worked long hours to review the books of the company and to ensure that they were a financially sound company. This was the most exciting experience I had while working in Ireland because I genuinely felt as though I was performing fulfilling work. We were able to run through the books of a family-owned, prominent, and well-established engineering firm who were also very nice people. I learned the relevance of Excel and auditing work as we detailed all of the firm’s assets and made sure that their accounts correctly balanced to provide them with the piece of mind and information that their firm was financially sound and in order.
However, it was not only working with an engineering firm on an auditing project that provided me with key insight. One day I had the pleasure to strike up a conversation during lunchtime in the city center with an Irish entrepreneur in the food and beverage industry. He told me that unfortunately the Irish dairy business would be taken over by larger, corporate farms in the years to come but that many people were trying to get into the emerging whiskey market in Ireland. He told me that he was starting a whiskey firm in the west of Ireland and that Ireland was a great place to be for an entrepreneur because of their generous laws towards business regulations. I learned a lot about the process of starting a business in Ireland and more specifically one in the food and beverage industry- which is something that I would like to think about doing in the future. He gave me key insight into the necessary procedures and laws that one must abide by, tips on how to start in Ireland without a great deal of initial financial capital, and also future trends in the agribusiness and food and beverage industry of the island.
I also was fortunate to have access to great recreational and outdoor activities during my stay. I stayed a couple blocks from Dublin Bay and every other morning I would run on the Bay for sunrise. I was located in a village called Blackrock, about a 20-minute bus ride to the downtown area of Dublin, and this village provided myself with arguably some of the best views of the Dublin Bay in the greater Dublin area. In the evening I had the privilege of observing the sail boat regattas that occurred quite often due to the unexpected, warm and dry weather that they experienced this past summer. In addition, this location provided me with abeautiful view of a mountainous peninsula across the bay.I also played on a baseball team in the countryside and was able to take the train through the country land and observe picturesque villages and homes. On one particular day I enjoyed an Irish breakfast in the village and was able to spend a couple hours eating, walking, and meandering around the village to expose myself to life in the Irish countryside.
Lastly, my summer experience was one that I could not have asked more from and will relish those memories for the rest of my life. I gained relevantskills in the business realm and knowledge about the Irish economy and entrepreneurship. I established a network in a foreign country and a friendship with a like-minded international business student. Most importantly, I had some of the most fun I’ve ever had, and it left me with even a stronger urge to go back.