Alexis's Essay

Why is the connection between New Orleans and Ireland important in 2013?

      The connection Ireland and New Orleans may not be apparent to some but there are strong, distinctive qualities that bring both places together in ways that are still important and relevant in 2013.

      Both New Orleans and Ireland have faced hardships head on and have come back with a resilience that has made them stronger than they were in the past. The collapse of Ireland’s economy in 2008 parallels New Orleans going through Hurricane Katrina. Ireland’s economic crash caused a huge spike in unemployment, foreclosures, and expensive bailouts for big businesses, sending them into a recession.  Hurricane Katrina had similar impacts; the misplacement of residents and billions of dollars of destroyed infrastructure. Though Ireland’s and New Orleans’ loss wasn't a disaster of the same origin, both places came crashing down from being the best. The restructuring done by both places is inspiring and sheds an even greater light on the importance of their connection. New Orleans has come back with a fighting spirit, quickly building from the ground up.  Since Katrina, New Orleans has rebuilt many of their blighted neighborhoods, has hosted major events like Super Bowl, and survived the Gulf oil spill. Ireland has also come back in amazing ways, such as changing g in banking structure and reform of the labor market and taxation.

      Also New Orleans is trying new measures in education, just like Ireland. The connection between these two efforts is that both places are moving away from private institutions and beginning to strengthen their public education system.  This connection is especially in that both are taking the risk which will affect many students’ education and future. New Orleans can take a valuable lesson on what does and does not work when it comes to education and the same goes for Ireland.

      In 2013, this connection is important because as two very different places going through similar things of equal relevance, both Ireland and New Orleans can learn from each other and grow beyond belief. The connection between Ireland and New Orleans is stronger than most and is more important than ever. This connection is a great resource for both places, which is probably the best part of the alliance between them, and   is greatly appreciated this just shows how the most unlikely of relationships can work out to be truly magical and helpful to both parties.

Alexis Calderon, 2013