Excitement in Lead Up to Ireland Trip

June 26, 2025

When eight of Mercy Home’s young people, accompanied by four coworkers, embarked on a 10-day journey to County Cork, Ireland, they began a once-in-a-lifetime adventure trip filled with new beginnings.

For Tyreese, it was his first time on an airplane. For Julian and Aaron, it was their first trip outside of the United States. And for all 12 travelers, it was their first experience in Ireland.

“I’m most excited for all the new experiences,” Aaron said days before the group left for O’Hare International Airport. “I’m excited to see the cliffs, the green lands. I haven’t seen the ocean before.”

While the trip itself has been a life changing experience for our young people, it is the result of months of preparation that included an application and team building activities. The kids were asked to write about what excited them about visiting Ireland and what they were looking forward to getting out of the trip. Their therapist, advocate, and education resource coordinator also had to write letters recommending them.

“We had a kid during the application process that said I don’t know if I deserve something like this,” Keli Shllaku, director of boys campus programs, said. “We had to tell him that [he] automatically deserves it, he just has to commit and follow through with it.”

The preparation began with a visit from Ger Power and Derry Cronin in March. Cronin runs a tourism business in Cork named Specialized Travel and Power is chairman of the Cork/Cook County partnership, whose relationship with Mercy Home has resulted in several groups of our young people visiting Cork since 2010.

Their visit to Mercy Home allowed them the opportunity to introduce themselves to our young people, provide an overview of what to expect on the trip, and answer any questions they may have.

“They made me feel comfortable,” Aaron said. “It helped me know that I knew two people from Ireland and got to know some of the people going on the trip with me.”

While the trip brought lots of excitement for our young people, it also evoked feelings of anxiety. One of the young people said that they are most nervous about being in a new environment with new people. But since the group began preparing for the trip, the nerves have decreased.

“At first, I was a little bit nervous and didn’t want to go, but now I’m really excited,” Julian said. “We started doing the preparations and it was fun.”

Power and Cronin stressed that the young people will not be forced to participate in any activities. Even small exposures such as flying on a plane for the first time or learning an Irish Dance provides the young people with chances to tackle new challenges head on and find fulfillment in overcoming the fears of the unknown. These skills can be applied to other areas of their lives when they come home.

The trip’s itinerary is catered to accommodate young people with different comfort zones. Most of the days include hiking, swimming and exploring different areas of Ireland.

“It’s all about their sense of self and developing their sense of self,” Shllaku said.

Throughout the last few weeks before departing, Shllaku and other coworkers have taken the young world travelers to the pool to test their comfort level in the water, walked to Lake Michigan from Mercy Home and hiked at Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County, Ill.

They also held an informational session with the parents that included a PowerPoint presentation filled with pictures and videos from past Ireland trips.

“We wanted the parents to get an idea of exactly what the trip is going to be like,” Shllaku said. “We want them to get to know the adults that they are trusting with their kids.”

In addition to preparing for the physical aspects of the trip, the activities also helped the young people and coworkers build relationships with each other. Julian said that he hoped to bond with some of the coworkers he doesn’t see daily at Mercy Home.

Mercy Home’s relationship with County Cork is an outgrowth of an international trade partnership between the governments in Cork County, Ireland and Cook County, Illinois. The bond between County Cork and Mercy Home, its adopted local charitable organization, strengthens every year.

You can read daily dispatches from the Ireland trip can be here.