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
Kevin Murphy
IARD 4960
Professor Hobbs
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 industrywhich 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
Kevin Murphy
IARD 4960
Professor Hobbs
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 20minute 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 a beautiful 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 relevant skills 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.