Sixth Week

Brace yourself: pictures are coming.

Ma & I at the Cliffs of Moher

Blarney Castle!

Kissing the Blarney Stone

The parents at Inch Beach - Dingle Peninsula

You can still feel the community pack
This place: it’s like going into a turfstack,
A core of old dark walled up with stone
A yard thick. When you’re in it alone,
You might have dropped, a reduced creature,
To the heart of the globe. No worshipper
Would leap up to his God off this floor. -In Gallarus Oratory by Seamus Heaney

The Cliffs!

One of the oldest pubs in Ireland, if not the oldest. Dad had to stop and get a drink.

Bunratty Castle

 

From the pull off on Conor Pass

Even after an exhilarating and exhausting trip in Berlin, I still had to wait 2 days for my parents to arrive in Ireland! Dad said they would be in Dungarvan in the afternoon, but when it started to get later I was worried they got lost. As it turns out, they did miss a few turns here and there, but at last they got to me. It was so nice to spend some time with my parents who I've missed so much, and that they got to spend their 25th anniversary here in Ireland. It has long been my mother's dream to come to Ireland, which made it that much better. The forecast called for consistent rain all week, but we managed to get lucky with a couple days of sunshine!

Due to the jet lag, on Sunday when I saw them we went to Merry's to eat, but after that, it was bed for them! They missed out on some great live traditional Irish music at the Park, but I couldn't blame them. It was like trying to have a conversation with zombies, and they only have a couple days to recover, whereas I had weeks. The next day I had class, and without Dr. Reed's, I got out at 12:30. My parents and I drove over to Blarney to see the castle and gardens. The castle itself is an awesome sight, but the grounds are just as beautiful. Blarney House was closed but there was the riverwalk, the fern garden, the poison garden, etc. and all of them were gorgeous. We got some hot chocolate for our climb, which in hindsight was a bad idea because it was difficult to keep your balance with one hand. Somehow Winston Churchill had made the climb, and he's my hero, so I felt encouraged. At first, I had no intention of kissing the stone, I mean that's pretty gross, but after climbing several stories and squeezing through passageways, how lame was it that we were just standing on the roof? If I had known ahead of time that kissing the stone involves hanging over a 50 foot drop upside down, I'm sure I wouldn't have done it. But it happened so quickly that I didn't have time to think about it. Plus, it helps when you have guys hanging onto you and these metal bars next to you to grip. 

When we'd climbed back down, we were all pretty starving so we asked the woman who'd given us hot chocolate to get her opinion on places to eat in town. She said just across the street was the Blarney Castle Hotel and the food there is "lovely". And it definitely was. My parents had their first homemade Irish brown bread there. That bread is my favorite; it's absolutely delicious and it is even better when you break it into pieces and let it soak in your soup. We got done with our meal around 6:30, and when we walked outside it was pouring. Better yet, the car park next to the castle where we'd left our car had been closed up and locked. We could get in, but we couldn't get the car out the way we'd come. Luckily, we managed to find another way out, otherwise we would have had to call the Garda! We got home safely and I spent the night at the 'rents casa. I loved being able to hang out with them and being able to talk for more than say 10 minutes at a time via skype.

Tuesday I was able to spend all day with my parents. We drove up to Waterford city to tour the Waterford Crystal Factory. All of the pieces were gorgeous and it was really fascinating to see how everything was made. The tour walked you through the whole process from start to finish and you were able to get up close and personal with some of the workers. Toward the end, we got to see these rare and custom made, intricate, complex pieces. After the factory, we walked around the city for a bit, through the small and winding streets. We stopped in McLeary's for lunch. The food was SO good, I got potato and leek soup and chicken goujons.

After we were sufficiently stuffed, we went to the Medieval Museum and learned about one of the oldest cities in Ireland. Waterford was first established in 914 by the Vikings. We also learned all about the huge port rivalry between Waterford and New Ross which tried to steal Waterford's monopoly. The museum was also home to some old vestments made of gold thread which were worn during High Mass in the Christ Church cathedral and they were the only pre-reformation vestments to survive in both Britain and Ireland. To say they were beautiful is an understatement. Right before you walk in to see them, you see a wall with Yeats' poem, Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven:

 "Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light..."

That night after I parted with the parents, a decent sized group of us Mercyhurst students were able to get into a little concert at the Local for free thanks to Joe O'Flaherty. The name of the band was Solas, they're Irish-American, and they are a cross between traditional Irish and country western/bluegrass. Their music was AMAZING and a lot of their songs focused on the huge movement of the Irish to Butte, Montana to the copper mines to find work earlier in American history. I had a blast out with everyone!

Wednesday was my parents' solo day. They drove around and explored Ireland while I was in class. We met up for dinner at The Tannery, which was voted the best restaurant in Ireland a couple times and best chef in Ireland, etc. I have to say, it really didn't disappoint! The food was delicious...like an explosion of flavors. I ordered the Tannery Bellini (a drink, it was yummy!) artichoke soup, and ratatouille with fried chickpeas. When I came back to the townhouse I was raving about it. If we have any money left to speak of at the end of our trip, Danielle, Lauren, Maire, and I might go there, but I would wager that it probably won't be happening.

Thursday after class, my parents and I embarked on our two day journey west. We stopped again in Blarney to visit the Blarney Woolen Mills, Ireland's largest store. It was closed when we visited the first time, and I really wanted some wool socks! We also had lunch there. Mom and dad weren't going to get anything, but I saw the Blarney Beef Stew on the menu and I really wanted to try it. I wasn't expecting the crazy amount of food I got in return. Literally like six scoops of mashed potatoes and a huge pile of beef stew with carrots and celery. When mom and dad saw what I got, they decided to order the same thing! It was delicious and super filling. We then departed Blarney and headed west toward the Dingle Peninsula. Because we had some trouble with the roads it took us a little longer than expected, but we managed to get there. We stopped at Inch Beach to hang out and take pictures and see the views. Even though it was pouring earlier that day, the sky had completely cleared and the sun was shining. That beach was one of the most beautiful I've ever been to. No offense to Hilton Head or anything, but this beach combined everything I love: fields, mountains, and sea. 

In my literature class, we talked about Gallarus Oratory because it was in the title of one of Seamus Heaney's poems. Gallarus Oratory is in the Dingle peninsula and it is believed to be an early Christian "church" though it is way too small. Archaeologists aren't quite sure of what the purpose of the structure was, or even when it was built, since estimates range between the 6th and the 12th centuries. Well, since we were in Dingle, I wanted to see this famous structure! The building and how it was constructed is really brilliant, but I'm not an architect, so I really can't explain it well enough. 

At first, we were planning on staying in Dingle for the night, but because my mom wanted to see the Cliffs the next day, we decided we would stay a little closer in Tralee. From there, we would drive for a little bit to take the ferry across the Shannon to go up to the Cliffs. The man who was working in the visitor center for the Oratory told us we could take the route we'd taken in, all the way back out of the peninsula and up (basically backtrack) or we could take Conor Pass. The way he said it so nonchalantly made it seem like no big deal, but when he said it cut across the mountains in the center of the peninsula to the other side, that should have been the moment where we all had warning sirens going off in our heads. When we got to that fated roundabout where we were forced to decide whether or not to take the route or Conor Pass, somehow, for whatever reason that I've forgotten, we chose Conor Pass. Now, roads in Ireland are narrow enough as it is, and it started out the same way for this road that apparently is traversed frequently enough. Then, we started going up, and up, and up. I was distracted, because from the backseat I was getting pretty cool shots of Dingle Bay with the camera. I didn't notice quite what was happening. Before I know it, we're in the mountains, and before we know it, the cliff drops off, there's no guard rail, and...this is the best part...IT BECAME ONE LANE. On one side was a part of a mountain, and on the other side of us, hundreds of feet below, was a valley. My mother, to say the least, was not taking kindly to this route. The road winds throughout this mountain, and it is only one lane, but there's two-way traffic. I'm pretty afraid of heights and I get some bad vertigo, but I was trying to pass it off like it wasn't a big deal, still taking shots of the mountains and the expanse below us with the camera, but I was starting to lose it. Mom had already lost it. In the middle of this mountain, there was a little stop, a pull off where there were already a few cars waiting. Dad pulled over and I got out to take more pictures. There was a lovely orange sign that said TURN BACK NOW in big black letters. To be fair, the sign only refers to busses and larger trucks, but still. It really warms the heart to see signs like that. Some other people were climbing up the huge, jagged rocks into the hills, or checking out the waterfall. After a few more minutes of gathering our wits, we left the safe little turn off and went back to the one lane. Thankfully, it wasn't long after until it turned back into a two-lane, and not much longer after that when we started to descend again. While it may have been one of the scariest moments of my life, I have to say, I don't regret the views. Coming down, you could see out into another bay, with rolling green hills and beaches. 

We at last made it to Tralee, checked into a nice hotel, and started to relax. The three of us got a drink at the bar and got caught up on the Masters. Only a few doors down from the hotel, we stopped in an Italian restaurant for dinner. The food was really good and the three of us enjoyed a nice bottle of pinot grigio. After the day we'd had, we were pretty much spent. We were ready to get rest before our long day tomorrow.

Early, but not too early, the next day, we grabbed some breakfast and headed north toward the Cliffs. It took a while to get there because we had to wait for a ferry, take the ferry ride, and then take a winding road all the way up the coastline. Again, there was hardly a cloud in the sky. The Burren sure looked very different from the more wooded and green area of Ireland I was staying in. There were hardly any trees and much of the grass was a more golden color. It was still beautiful, of course. Walking up to the cliffs took a lot of effort because the wind was insane! I really thought I might get blown away. The Cliffs of Moher are truly a sight to see. You get the feeling that you're standing at the edge of the world. The sea was bright blue that day, and with the sun, it made for some nice shots! My mother and I walked up the hills in both directions...it's safe to say we had our workout covered for that day. There were new paths built, though, a little further back from the edge because there were signs that warned that the cliff edge was unstable. It's a good thing since mom and I both had our fill of cliff edges. Even with the crazy wind you could still hear the waves crashing against the sides. 

Although my mother was hoping we would be able to get to Galway, we decided we would just drive back that night, or at least get closer to it by stopping in Limerick. We figured out a better, less winding and quicker route to head back, and right on the way was Bunratty Castle. Since we did still have some afternoon to kill we decided we would stop to check it out. When we got there, we only had about an hour and a half until the park closed, and even less until the castle closed. There's a lot more than just the castle, but again dad and I climbed up these small, steep, and winding staircases several floors. The castle was designed with four towers, so multiply that by four! Again, we just couldn't comprehend how people, especially women, moved around back then on such staircases. Everything about those homes was based upon defense which is pretty crazy to think about. For example, you will find that most staircases run clockwise from the ascender's point of view. This is because most fighters would be right-handed, and the asymmetry of such staircases meant that their swords would get "caught" for lack of a better word in the central pillar, giving the advantage to the defender.

After seeing the castle, we walked around the park which has all kinds of buildings from back in the day and farms and a church that was moved brick by brick from Tipperary. Bunratty House was closed, but we saw plenty enough in what little time we had left. I was obsessed with all of the farm animals around and walking about up close and personal. I tried to make friends with a donkey, but he/she rejected me. Same with the sheep. There were also a couple of Irish wolfhounds and I immediately decided that I want one, or two! As we were leaving Bunratty, we drove by this pub that was right next door. It was called Durty Nelly's and it was established in 1620. I noticed the sign and I told my dad, who had a mission of his own to go to the oldest pub in Ireland. Durty Nelly's isn't the oldest, but it is one of the top, so we stopped and got a drink. When we'd finished, we were ready to head all the way back to Dungarvan. The rest of our weekend before my parents headed back were for the most part spent just hanging out, enjoying great food and each others company. By the time my parents had to leave came around, I was sad to see them go. But it's okay, we had a wonderful week, and I only have a few more to go!

Fifth Week

I'm halfway through my experience abroad, and what a way to mark it than by spending the week in Berlin, Germany!

The Reichstag/Bundestag (German Parliament)

Topography of Terror: Remains of the Berlin Wall and the center of Nazi Germany

the famed Ampelman!

Berliner Dom

At the Checkpoint Charlie Museum with my favorite man, Winston Churchill

Checkpoint Charlie...where people could cross between East and West during the Cold War

Outside of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp

To my girl Mary Schaaf: I apologize for the delay! Here, you may officially stalk my life :)

Berlin certainly was not my first choice when I learned that the Ireland group always takes a little excursion around Easter. At first, Dr. Hosey thought we would be going to Paris, and I was crushed when she informed us we were going to Berlin instead. I could not be more pleased to be wrong! Berlin is an absolutely wonderful city. We were there for three and half days and I still feel as if I didn't cover half of what I could have! About half of the time I spent getting scolded for doing stupid touristy awkward American things, but it's okay, the fun I had makes up for it.

By 3:00 in the morning, we were all up and on the bus to the Dublin airport. Tom and Carmel Keith were awake and standing in the cold to see us off. They both gave me such big hugs and kisses on the cheek...I definitely teared up! We were on our way to the Deutschland, another hour ahead from home (that makes 6, if you're keeping track). When we were about to land, I looked out the window and to my surprise, there was snow! This was my first real snow since I've come overseas, and it was overall chillier in Germany than in Ireland. It's safe to say that I was really layered up...so much so that others in the group have identified me as the master of layering! (The maximum I've hit is two on the bottom and 5 on the top) Dr. Hosey hooked us up for the trip with three day passes on the U-Bahn AND the S-Bahn, and three day Berlin and Museum passes that basically got us in everywhere...I spent the majority of the trip with Lauren, Danielle, and Maire, and we took advantage of the passes. We walked from the train stop at the zoo to our hotel and dropped our things off. We got to relax for about an hour before we were off again, walking all around the city.

We saw the Brandenburg Gate which marked the official divide between East and West Germany. During the Cold War, an actual curtain was hanging up so that the citizens of either side couldn't see each other. Nearby is the Reichstag/Bundestag...the building has a million names, but it houses the German Parliament, and it is a huge, gorgeous building with a dome at the top. Apparently you can see everything there is to see from up there, but I didn't manage to get there. You need to reserve your place far ahead of time and give all this information just to get into the building, and we only had a few days! After seeing the building, we walked halfway across the city (at least that's what it felt like, but Berlin is honestly huge) to eat dinner near the Hackescher Market. Dr. Hosey was so sweet and got all of our tables a pitcher each of four different types of beer that the restaurant made! Too bad I'm not much of a beer drinker, but at least I gave them a try...but the fact that I haven't converted is a sign that I am just not a fan of the stuff.

The rest of the day was spent sleeping, since we were all exhausted! But the next day we began our epic travels around town. We went to the Topography of Terror, which stands on the remains of the center of Nazi Germany, and just in front of the building is a stretch of the Berlin Wall that wasn't torn down. You can still see the graffiti...a message to a mother, goodbyes, etc. You could have spent hours in the museum, but we had a limited amount of time because we were on to the next stop: the holocaust memorial. A long series of gray rectangular columns are laid out and from far away, they look to be about the same size, but it is an illusion. The ground slopes down and up throughout, so when you're standing in the midst of them, they can reach up to 15 feet or so. It is like a labyrinth in there, and you can lose your way. There is one column for every page of the Talmud. Our next stop on Dr. Hosey's custom tour was Checkpoint Charlie. It was the third official spot for people to cross from East to West Germany (there were two others, Alpha and Bravo). The signs are still up, and there are parts of the wall still standing there as well. There, Dr. Hosey let us go to go around the city on our own. Danielle, Maire, Lauren, and I went into the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, which was packed! Like the Topography of Terror, this one was so full of information, we could have spent all day in there. Before we left to wander, we ate at McDonald's, and just to let you know, if you're ever in Germany, maybe you will be brave enough to try the McCurrywurst. It sounds like the worst thing ever, but who knows!

Next, we hopped on the S-Bahn to the Pergamon. Inside, they have reconstructions and original structures of ancient buildings like the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and the Pergamon, an Ancient Greek temple. Being a huge fan of all things Ancient Greek, I was basically in heaven! They still had a significant amount of the friezes depicting the Gods and Goddesses and Titans intact, and they were a sight to see. Luckily we were able to see enough of the museum before we had to sprint to the train and through Kurfaustendam Street to meet Becky, Rachel, and Christina for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe! I know, it's definitely not German food, but with our Berlin Pass, we could get a free dessert or soft drink with our dinner so we figured we would take advantage of it. Plus, I had never been to a Hard Rock before. It seems like one of those things you should do at some point in your life. Our waiter, Roger, was a really interesting character. He kept shouting "Aye, aye, aye, LOVE YA!" I got the haystack chicken salad and it was delicious, even though Danielle picked on me for getting a salad and not a burger...she called my dinner the dinner of her dinner. Even though we split a sundae between the seven of us, we went to Haggen Daas after to get more delicious ice cream (like we did the rest of the days as well...) We stopped by the Ampelman store. Here's the story behind that: you know when you're crossing the street and there's a sign flashing go or stop and it's usually a person or a hand, or sometimes just a light, obviously. Well the sign in Berlin is the Ampelman. He has a hat, and his arms and legs are in motion, and his stopped version just has his arms out. Yes, they have entire stores dedicated to him, and I got myself a t-shirt! I'm ashamed to say I didn't experience too much of the night life while in Berlin. It is exhausting to walk an entire city all day long and then try to go out at night, but at least I wasn't the only one. Most of our group actually stayed in!

As if we didn't visit enough museums that first day, we really went all our our second day! We visited the Naturkunde (natural history museum), the Anne Frank museum where we saw her actual diary on loan from the museum in Amsterdam, the Humboldt Box, and the Alte national museum. We were also scolded by some scary German people at every place we went today. The language barrier was a serious problem! Danielle was set on seeing some Monet paintings, and although I was only expecting one or two at best, they had all of the Impressionists there, including my two favorite: Degas and Renoir! They were just as beautiful in person as they are photographed, if not even more amazing. For dinner that night, again, we didn't go anywhere German. Instead, I had some of the best Italian food I've ever had eating out (because nothing can compare to my mother's or Nana's). Is there anything better than some classic thin crust pizza margherita with fresh basil leaves and gorgonzola spinach penne with a glass of pinot grigio? After dinner we went to this way fancy bar, ordered way too expensive drinks, had some maize (fried, spiced corn) and then went home. I was tempted to try the absinthe just to say that I had some...but I chickened out, unfortunately!

On our final day in Berlin, a big group of us students along with the McFee family took a 40 minute train ride out to one of the earliest constructed concentration camps at Sachsenhausen. I only took a picture of the outside, and I don't know if I will describe anything about it here. All I can say is that it was truly a terrifying, sad, and yet memorable experience. Afterward, we traveled back into the city and walked around to do some retail therapy and get some ice cream to lift our spirits. Lauren finally got to visit the epic Christmas store on Kurfurstendamm, which is basically three floors of winter wonderland. It was so pretty in there...but like 20 some dollars was the cheapest ornament! I did a little shopping of my own after searching for some really good deals...a dress and a sweater (seriously I'm addicted to sweaters) as some new additions to my wardrobe. On our way back to our hotel we decided to make a visit to the BMW store we'd passed several times before. We played some games, sat in the cars, and talked to the nice man who was probably trying to sell us something. At least I got a little German toy car out of it as a souvenir. I seriously love free stuff and I'm a hoarder so I'll end up with that thing forever. The four of us also stopped at this little organic food market near the hotel where I got a meal for our travels back since we weren't really going to have time for breakfast. I got organic popcorn, granola bars, and an apple for a little over 2 euro. Who would have thought that organic would be cheaper than the stuff in the grocery store? If only it was like that back home.

All in all, I would say that Berlin is a must-see. I never would have thought before, and I never would have come on my own, but I had the best time there. Even with three and half days, there is so much that I didn't do, including the zoo (one of the best in Europe), the inside of the Berliner Dom, about half of museum island, and so much more! I had a blast...and more to come on my parents' visit to Ireland!

Twenty-Eighth and Twenty-Ninth Day

Lauren, Josh (Dr. Peterson's nephew) and I at the Vee

Me standing on the edge of a drop-off in front of the glacial lake.

Butler family mansion - Ormond Castle

Cahir Castle

Classic patchwork Ireland in County Tipperary

After sleeping in, I got up and headed to the gym to get a little work out in. There I saw Dave and he asked me how my exams went. I told him I thought they went fine, but I guess we'll see, and I think he said something along the lines of knock on wood. I'm assuming this because Dave mumbles and I can't understand anything he says, but he was tapping on the wooden counter, so...After that, Lauren, Danielle and I got a small lunch at the bar. We found it strange that everything was seafood and that the alcohol was all covered up, but it's Good Friday, so it makes sense. It's days like these when you can really see how connected the Catholic religion is with their culture and laws. It's another bank holiday, just like the day after St. Patrick's Day, and the schools are all off for two weeks for Easter. No one is selling alcohol anywhere and all of the pubs are closed!

Yet strangely enough the movie theater is open, so Lauren, Danielle, Nikki, and I went to go see The Host. I really liked it, the story was prety interesting. Later that night, Ricky threw a house party so there were a ton of people from the town and our classmates there. I had an awesome time but I got myself to bed somewhat early because we had a TK tour the next day. Those are notoriously rough!

At 9:30 am we piled onto a bus to begin our lengthy day trip. We started off back at Mount Melleray again, only this time we stopped at the grotto. It's down a hill, kind of in a ravine. It is a very holy, sacred place with a statue of the virgin Mary placed in the side of the cliff and at the top of the hill above her there's a large cross. People traveled from all over Ireland to pray for peace in the 1980s when it was placed there; that was a rough and violent time for the country.

When we were done at the grotto, we hopped on the bus and traveled to the border between County Waterford and County Tipperary. We passed these massive hills, which I'm sure the Irish would refer to as mountains. The landscape was doted with sheep somehow moving up and down these steep inclines. On one side of the road were the hills and on the other you could see a deep valleys. It was a nice and sunny day, so that only improved the views. We were traveling to the Vee, which is the point where the two counties meet. It is called that because two hills (the Knockmealdown mountains) cross each other and beyond that in the distance there are some snow-capped peaks and a huge expanse of fields. One of the hills has a glacial lake nestled into its side. TK explained that the lake is actually much deeper than it appears. From the picture above, it looks quite small, close by, and that hill looks small as well, but that isn't the case, it's just that we're standing on our own hill on the opposite side of a valley. The lake is supposedly haunted by a spirit called Petticoat Loose, who was a woman who lived in the 19th century. So beware any of you lustful men, it is believed that she lures such men into the lake to drown. Here's a cool link about her life and the reason that lake has been the location of so many drownings: http://www.vee.ie/page27.html

Our next stop was another cathedral in Clogheen that was home to Father Nicholas Sheehy who opposed the Penal Laws that were put in place to suppress everything that was Irish, including Catholicism. Because he opposed the British, he was accused of high treason and murder, and although he was acquitted for treason, immediately after, he was accused of murder. In a sham of a case, he was found guilty, and executed in a not so pleasant way. Outside of the church is a statue of a celtic cross with detailed engravings which serves as a memorial to him.

Unfortunately for you, the next place we went didn't allow any photography, which is a shame because it was one of the cooler spots I've been to. We went to the Mitchelstown caves. No one ever lived inside there, instead they were left because at one point, some indeterminable number of years ago, there was a river flowing through it. We went down about 200 feet into the ground. Thankfully, the path they take the public along isn't too small, so my claustrophobia didn't kick in. The caverns were absolutely gorgeous with reds, whites, brown and black, and our guide explained exactly what made the colors and how stalagmites and stalactites were made. When, over a long, long, long period of time, the stalagmites and stalactites connect, it becomes a pillar or column. She pointed out one in particular and told us it was at least a billion years old, but because radioactive dating would involve drilling into the core of it and therefore ruining the structure, they don't know the actual age of it. At one point on the tour she told us she was going to shut off the electricity to show us what absolute darkness is like. This was by far the creepiest part of the tour. I couldn't see my hand when it was right in front of my face. It is the type of darkness, as she told us, that your eyes would never adjust to. The man who originally found the caves was trapped in that kind of darkness for 12 hours. I don't know how he lasted through that!

After the caves, we traveled to the Cahir Castle, another one of the castles that would come into the possession of the famed Butler family. It is situated right on the river that travels through the town for defensive reasons. Our tour guide showed us exactly how every inch of the castle was built around some defensive strategy or other. Its defenses were so strong that it was only beseiged twice in its history, and only one cannonball made it past the outer walls (which is still stuck in the side of the building, and I got a nice picture of it!) I couldn't imagine what the times must have been like if everything about your home is designed for defense.

Our last stop of the day was at the only Tudor-style mansion in Ireland, located in Carrick-on-Suir in County Tipperary. Thomas Butler (are you seeing a pattern here?), the 10th earl of Ormond constructed a the Tudor homestead and attached it to the Ormonde Castle that was already there. Again, it was built right on the river, which used to surround the property for defense. Throughout the house are pictures of Elizabeth I engraved into the moldings on the ceilings and along the walls. He was a big fan of Elizabeth, and there's speculation that the two were more than just friends, but that would have been treason to suggest of the virgin queen. He was such a fan of her, in fact, that he killed two of his brothers in her name!

All in all, it was a fun day. I was too tired to do anything else that night. Tomorrow is my last day of rest before we leave bright and early for Berlin on Monday. I will not have my laptop with me, so this is going to be the last blog for a little while!

Twenty-Seventh Day

Two midterms in a row today! It was pretty stressful and I think my wrist is broken, but at least it is done, and then for over a week we don't have much to worry about except experiencing Berlin! During my government exam, Dr. Peterson came up to me, WHILE I was trying to finish his essay and said, "You have been writing vigorously for the last hour and forty-five minutes" and I respond with an abrupt, "Yeah." Well of course! 4 IDs and 2 essays...there was a lot to write about! At least he got some amusement out of the fact that I didn't stop writing once...oh well! 

Today was Dr. Reed's last day in Ireland so we threw a surprise going away pot luck party for him. He really looked kind of shocked when he walked in...we even got Joe in on it to get him to show up. We all signed a Yeats' book for him to keep and Mimi wrote a nice note inside. In other news, Josh (Dr. Peterson's nephew) and I are now best friends. We even have a secret handshake, but he practically breaks my fist every time we do it, and he likes to do it repeatedly. Maybe I will build up an immunity.

After the get together, a group of us went to John Keane's pub where there was some good live music, cheap drinks, and some great craic. I had an awesome time, and I can't wait to have all day to myself tomorrow without having to worry about assignments or exams! Slan!

Twenty-Second, Twenty-Third, Twenty-Fourth, Twenty-Fifth, Twenty-Sixth Day

St. Declan's well

The view from the bridge leading up to Lismore Castle

Lismore Castle

View of the ocean...it was a rough day!

 

 

 

I apologize for falling so far behind on my posts! Here's some pictures to make up for it. It's midterm/final week here in Dungarvan and the professors are really piling on the work for us. On Saturday, a sizable group of us got on a bus to travel around West Waterford. We went to Lismore, Ardmore, all kinds of cathedrals and St. Declan's Walk. Let me tell you, it was a COLD COLD COLD day, though when I skyped my family later they said it was still colder back home. The only difference is that I didn't pack clothing here that is good for cold weather. I was walking around in 40 degree weather with a pair of jeans, thin boots, and a sweatshirt on. It is safe to say that although I saw these really amazing sights, I was too miserable to fully enjoy it (not to sound like too much of a brat!) Even when TK was explaining the history of all these sights my mind just kept shouting: MUST get warm, MUST get warm. My mind was just not in the right state to be traveling all over the country, even though at the most we were about a half hour away.

The area I'm currently residing in is also known as the Deise which I may have already mentioned. The Deise people were a Gaelic tribe settled in Ireland, which is why the region is known as such. It includes all of County Waterford and some of Tipperary. We learned a lot about their history in Lismore and Ardmore, and the history of Lismore Castle which saw a lot of invasions from the Vikings to the Normans. That area was also home to a group of monks who provided an education to boys who would travel from other countries to Lismore.

 Unfortunately I'm blanking right now on what else happened. We saw more churches than I could count, probably more than I've ever been in in my life. We saw another round tower similar to one we saw on the first day in Ireland which was used as a bell tower and as a means of defense and this one in particular was used to keep an eye on the coast for invaders. Also, our bus driver was amazing. More than once we went up some scary hills that were right on the edge of these pretty huge cliffs and we almost got stuck and went off. Luckily, I'm still alive, but on the way to St. Declan's well, I did not enjoy looking out my window into the ocean far below with nothing in between.

On Sunday, some of the group went to a hurling match, but I didn't sign up for it because I was smart and I knew that I wouldn't have my ethics paper done ahead of time. As it turns out, neither did anyone else really, which is why a lot of people skipped out. That is basically my Sunday in its entirety: work, work, and more work. And let's be honest, that was my Monday, too.

Today (Tuesday), I stayed home from Gaelic because he kept the class from 9:30 until 4:30 and I'm auditing, and I have plenty of other work to do. I decided to get up and go for a run to the beach...it's a long way and it was snowing, barely, but still. I'm glad Sarah and I found that nice walking path it leads straight from Dungarvan through Abbeyside and out. Before I got out, TK stopped me in his little purple van to ask me if I knew where Lauren's family was staying, for how long, etc. I couldn't answer most of his questions, so he asked me if I was a part of the mafia because it's so difficult to extract information from me. I replied, "No, I'm just clueless, mainly." That made him laugh! I told him (again) that my parents were coming just after we got back from Berlin, and he's happy to have them come along to the Waterford Crystal factory and the JFK homestead.

After my run, Lindsey and I worked all day on our comparative government study guide. We were actually really productive for a change! I don't regret not going to Gaelic that day. At 6:30, the Literature class went to Dr. Reed's townhouse for a pot luck/poetry session/review night. He made bubble and squeak- it has cabbage, potatoes, and pork. Someone made grilled cheese, pizza dip, a nice salad, pizza, mushy peas, garlic bread, chicken nuggets, carrot cake, chocolate cake, I brought a cheapo package of cupcakes and then hid them in the corner and took them home since no one ate them.....all in all it was a fun night. I had already recited my poem so all I had to do was sit back, relax, and listen. Oh, and eat, of course.

Wednesday! Class, Dr. Reed's crazy challenging and long final, and study sessions ALL night for my two exams tomorrow.

So, as you can see, I've really been living it up here. At least from now on I will have one less class to worry about, and next week we're in Berlin, so cheers to that!

Twenty-first Day

The hurricane continues! I can tell you right now, I will be avoiding going outside at all costs. The weather is absolutely insane. I hope it gets better before our trip tomorrow! Luckily, or not, I have plenty of work to do to keep me occupied, but I'm torn between watching West Wing and actually doing it. 

Since it's not likely I will actually have anything worth telling today, I should mention some small things about living here. Off of the top of my head, you should know that the number one thing that annoys the Irish about us Americans is the fact that we go up to one of them to speak and begin with, "Um, I have a question..." or "Can I ask you a question?" They tell us that we should just spit it out and be done with it, or for the second one, they just say no in response! (they are kidding, of course) Good to know, since I always do that, and so do the rest of us girls at least. We always catch ourselves as we're about to say it.

Also, some more information on my trip at the end of the term: 

We will be leaving Thursday, May 2nd for London. We'll have all day Friday there, as well as Sunday. On Saturday, we are hoping to be taking a day trip to Paris. It's pretty expensive, like 230 euro but it includes the train from London to Paris and back, lunch at the Eiffel tower, a tour of the city, and a cruise on the River Seine, so I think it's actually worth it. On Monday, we will fly to Barcelona and spend all day Tuesday and some of Wednesday there! Our flight from Barcelona is on Wednesday, which brings us to Dublin. From the airport, we will take a bus back to our little Dungarvan on May 8th, so we have all of the next day to say goodbye! Side note: I will probably be sustaining myself on scraps of bread with water by then, since this will cost me most of my money, and I would rather spend 50 euro on the Harry Potter tour in London than eat!

Tonight is the kickoff party at the Dungarvan Sailing Club for the Maritime Festival, which actually isn't until May 3rd, and I won't even be in Dungarvan! I'm going along with a few of the other girls. It was an absolute blast this evening. Two words: OPEN BAR. We sat and chit-chatted with Damien Geoghagan whose birthday it was! He is a hilarious guy.  Dr. McFee and Dr. Reed were also there, and it was nice to hang out with them as well! I had a great time in Dungarvan!

Nineteenth Day - Twentieth Day

Hey everyone! Just a quick post today, since I've got SO much work to do. Yesterday (Wednesday) was a very slow day. Honestly, nothing really happened, except we got the final schedule for Friday's trip to West Waterford. Unfortunately, today (Thursday), the weather was absolutely terrible. It is literally monsooning outside. Therefore, our Friday trip has been moved to Saturday. That's fine with me; hopefully the weather will be better. I plan on using Friday to get some serious work done. I've got a paper for ethics, three exams to study for, and a 16 line poem to memorize. I chose "To Some I Have Talked with by the Fire" by W.B.Yeats:

While I wrought out these fitful Danaan rhymes,

My heart would brim with dreams about the times,

When we bent down above fading coals;

And we talked of the dark folk, who lived in souls,

Of passionate men, like bats in the dead trees;

And of the wayward twilight companies,

Who sigh with mingled sorrow and content,

Because their blossoming dreams had never bent,

Under the fruit of evil and of good:

And of the embattled flaming multitude,

Who rise, wing above wing, flame above flame,

And, like a storm, cry the Ineffable Name, .....(Right here is what I've got down so far!)

And with the clashing of their sword-blades make

A rapturous music, till the morning break

And the white hush end all but the loud beat

Of their long wings, the flash of their white feet.

Dr. Reed was very nice to us today. He eliminated some of the poems, and because Seamus is keeping us in class from 9:30 to 4:30 on Tuesday, our class has become a pot luck! That should be fun. He said to us today, "When are you guys even gonna study?" We all said we had no idea because we're in class LITERALLY all day Tuesday, we have class Tuesday night, and we have two classes before his exam on Wednesday. Oh well, we will see how this goes. 

On the upside, I've just booked my flights to London and Barcelona for the last week we're here in May! I am so excited to travel and end it somewhere warm. I would have loved to go to Greece and Italy, but that will have to be saved for another time!

Eighteenth Day

It was back to WIT with Seamus today! He is one of the funniest guys I've met. Today, Mimi told him that he looks like Corey from Boy Meets World, and of course, he had no idea what Boy Meets World was. Lindsey brought up a picture on her iPad, he studies it for a minute then says, "I can live with that." We learned plenty of Irish today. I have to admit, it's a little awkward for me in class. Because I'm auditing, I don't have to get the book or do homework or take tests, so I am sure I will fall behind in my speaking capabilities since Seamus still decides to call on me for answers! At least I'm not the only one. On the upside, Seamus taught us how to say I like boys in Irish: Is maith liom buachailli! Now watch how I write these out to pronounce them, its kind of amusing since I'm clearly clueless/confused: "Iss mah lyum bohalley" See if you can figure that out! Also, "Would you like a drink?" is "Ar mhaith leat deoch?" or "air (wy? - still confused about the second word) ly-at deeochk." I will probably never ask someone that in Irish.

Dr. McFee came with us to Waterford because he was invited to give a lecture. He's an ethics teacher and I'm not sure what his major was, maybe religious studies or philosophy, but the lecture was on humanism or something like that. Dr. McFee is a hilarious guy...really all my professors here are so funny, we lucked out. He is also a fan of CCR which is a bonus!

After class, I worked on my presentation for Irish Lit. I presented on Modernism, which was a major movement, but I obviously decided to focus on modernism in Ireland specifically. I learned some really interesting stuff about it, actually. Modernism in Ireland was unique because Ireland was still under the rule of the English when it began. The political and cultural movements that sought to gain independence were also the movements that desired to hold on to the Irish past (before suppression) and revive it. Modernism as a movement overall, by definition, was a breaking with the past, which seems contradictory to the very conservative situation in Ireland at that time. Ultimately, Irish modernism appeared to be a combination and at the same time, there was a tension between the old and the new.

Mitchell, Dr. McFee's nephew, arrived today from Dublin. He's from Colorado and he's staying until Friday, so a few of us took him to the pub next door and had a pint. I had water, because I'm 1) getting sick, 2) tired, 3) have class tomorrow, and 4) have yet to finish my homework. How lame is that? Oh well, there's always Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Yes, I am rubbing it in that I have long weekends here!

Sixteenth Day - Seventeenth Day

St. Paddy's parade in Dungarvan!

Us banner girls! Mimi is upset because she's not in the sorority!

Mimi and I. Thanks for the headband, Dr. Reed!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Sarah and I had spent the weekend inviting fellow Mercyhurst students over for kegs and eggs on Sunday morning, which turned out simply to be eggs because we were too lazy and poor to provide the kegs. Furthermore, a few of us were going to go to mass at St. Mary's, so we didn't want to drink alcohol and then sit in a house of God. But we, and by we I really mean Sarah made breakfast for the two of us, Lindsey, Anna, Sara, and Katelyn. After that, the six of us and a few more from our group went to meet Tom Keith in front of the Park Hotel to go to mass. Unfortunately, many of us believed that mass was optional, but there was a flag-raising ceremony with the mayor. We were under the impression that it wasn't a huge deal, but apparently it was, and not only does it look bad for TK if there are only a few Mercyhurst students, it also looks bad for the mayor. I was horrified! Lindsey, Sarah, and I went in Tom's car to the Civic offices where the mayor was already waiting wearing his traditional garb. Tom had given me a bowl of shamrocks to hold onto, and his driving was causing water to spill all over my pants! Anyway, rather than being upset or angry, (although TK was a little more than ruffled) he and the mayor decided to do the flag raising after mass.

Here's an interesting fact: it's the shamrock, NOT the four-leaf clover that is the symbol of Ireland. Plus, the shamrock wasn't even really the symbol of Ireland (the harp is) but in the later 1800s when Americans were using it as an Irish symbol, it went BACK across the seas where it became more widely recognized in Ireland today. The story is, though, that when St. Patrick arrived, the locals questioned how there can be three beings in one God. St. Patrick then plucked up a shamrock and pointed to the three leaves: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; three leaves connected as one on the shamrock. 

When we went to the mass, we were the only ones wearing green, and in fact, for most of the day, we were the only ones wearing green! The priest welcomed us specifically, of course, and after we got a picture with him and with their figure of St. Patrick. The mass, being almost entirely in Irish, was entirely beyond my comprehension. I had no clue what was going on most of the time. When the mass was over, so many of the townspeople came up to us and welcomed us and shook our hands, saying it was so nice to have us here, which was just awesome. 

After the mass, TK made us run (literally) back across town, through the square where the stage was being set up, to the civic offices where the rest of our group that slept in was waiting. We took more photographs, raised the flags, witnessed some acrobatic stunts from TK and Dr. McFee (not really), and then we headed back to townhouse 8 to pre-game, I MEAN...wait patiently and quietly until the start of the parade. Let's be real here, guys, I'm of age in Ireland on St. Patrick's Day. Ricky, James, Rachel, Lindsey, and Maire came over and Sarah made everyone grilled cheeses again, while I did so much work in grabbing Lindsey a bag of chips from the cupboard. At 2:30 we all met up in front of the Park, I held the banner in the front of the group, while TK provided us all with a bunch of flags to wave. The parade started in abbeyside, went back across the bridge in through the square, where we were announced and people cheered for us! Earlier at the civic offices, TK was handing out the flags, and he points to Ricky (Ricardo) and says, "since you're nice and tall, we will hand you the American flag to wave, you'll be special!" We all start laughing and TK looks at us and says "what?" And we tell him it's funny because Ricky is Honduran, not American. Lindsey screams: "He's Latin American, Tom, he's about as American as you are!"

During the parade was the first time I'd realized how big Dungarvan actually is. There was a whole part of the town that I hadn't even been through yet. The parade was lovely and there were plenty of people there. Lindsey made friends with the small schoolchildren who were marching behind us, and they knew all the American songs and they were some of the best Irish dancers I've seen. At the end of the parade, we were shepherded to the sailing club to have some snacks and a free drink (YAY!) The best part of that was getting to sit with my professors and have a drink. We spent our time persuading Dr. Peterson to move the next day's class up to 9 am instead of 8:30 (we really wanted it cancelled, but TK was going to give a lecture on the Irish system of government) and trying to get the other two professors to cancel as well. It's safe to say we were unsuccessful, but I enjoyed hanging out with them anyway! 

When we were done with our drinks, Lindsey, Rachel, Sarah, and I headed back to the townhouses to change and then we went out to Downey's where there was a group of teenagers playing traditional Irish music. I got a rum and coke, but it was 5 euro (aka 6.50 in U.S. dollars) which discouraged me from purchasing any more drinks. At that point, our roommates Nikki, Lauren, and Danielle, were finally back from the 5K in Dublin. So we went BACK to the Park to get some dinner, and there we met the nicest Irish family: Veronica, Cathall (pronounced Cah-hall), and Fiona, a little 11 year old who is obsessed with Harry Potter). Danielle, Nikki, Lauren and I spent a good hour at least talking to them about where we were from, about harry potter of course, about where they were from, about where we should go in Ireland, about music and about weather and about everything. That night we ordered the Guinness Cake for desert and while we ladies were eating, Cathall said, you ladies know how many calories are in that cake, don't you? His wife then scolded him and said we can eat whatever we want, which we did, and let me tell you, the cake was AMAZING. After telling Fiona what book series she should take up since she's done with Harry Potter, and discussing which characters we like best and who we're most like, we parted ways. After dinner, we all met up at the Anchor, which was packed, and there was a live band, but they were playing all older American songs. There, we danced, and celebrated, but because we had school the next day, Danielle, Lauren, and I decided to head home early.

That brings me to today, Monday! I've got a lot of work to do, but of course I took time to catch up on my blog. It was all work and no play today since I had to catch up, and also sit through three long classes. TK came to lecture in government though, which made up for the fact that we had to be there early. I would just like to mention that TK, while talking about the government and comparing their president to ours, made a reference to the West Wing. I am obsessed with that show, I'm already in the last season! Anyway, he began a quote frequently used in the show: "I serve at..." and I promptly finished it, "at the pleasure of the president" making myself look like a huge nerd. Dr. Peterson actually laughed at me, but it's okay, because he already knew I was obsessed with the show, so did half of the class. It's worth mentioning that our president, who is quite powerful, is nothing like the Irish president, who cannot, as stated in Article 13, section 11 of their Constitution, take ANY action without "the advice of the government" which is just the polite way of saying he does what he's told by the House/prime minister.

I had an amazing weekend, I hope everyone had a good one!

Thirteenth - Fourteenth - Fifteenth Day

Roomies getting ready to go out!

It's the weekend, and we've been having gorgeous weather! Unfortunately, I've had a ton of homework, but at least Sarah and I have gotten outside and done some bike riding and walking. For the past few nights we've hit up the pubs, mostly just Downey's and the Anchor and I've gotten to know some of the locals. A bunch of us girls who didn't go up to Dublin for St. Paddy's have been having such craic and we danced our hearts out! Sarah and I also found this amazing beach when we decided to go for a walk over the bridge to Abbeyside (which Tom Keith says we shouldn't even associate with them!) I found some seaglass and some awesome shells and the weather was so warm I was just glad to be outside. The beach looks out into the bay and beyond you can see across to some green hills and to the right there are some small marshes, and the water was all glittery and pretty!

Other than that, there hasn't been much of interest, it has been a slow sort of weekend. One thing I will mention is that because in America we drive on the right, when you're walking down a sidewalk or a hallway we tend to go to the right when passing other people. Well I've noticed, and I can't believe I haven't mentioned it before, that people here walk on the left! This is why I bump into so many people. I should really try harder to remember to walk on the left I suppose.

Also worth mentioning: Tom Keith has stopped by townhouse 8 a few times this weekend to say hello and to chit-chat with us. I think we're his favorites, and we even got him to admit it! He was dropping off banners and flags and such for when we walk in the parade on St. Paddy's day. Everyone kept asking us around town if we were going to be in the parade, and Dave, one of the locals I met even threatened to throw some eggs, although he was just joking...hopefully. It's going to be a busy day so I hope I get enough of my homework done ahead of time!

Twelfth Day

We've been having some nice days here with plenty of sunshine. Yesterday was a bit chilly but today was much warmer. So us townies decided to take a walk along the quay past Dungarvan Castle because we hadn't been out that far before. If you keep walking, you can look out into the bay, and just a little farther to the left, the ocean! I got some great shots, but right as we got there, some ominous clouds rolled in and we lost what little sunshine we had. We ran back to the house when it started to rain. Luckily, it wasn't pouring, and it stopped before we even got all the way home.

Today I also signed my parents and myself up for a day trip Friday April 12th to go to Waterford to see the crystal factory and JFK's homestead, led by Tom Keith, of course! I'm pretty excited because my mother especially was interested in Waterford crystal.

As for what we did in Dr. Reed's class, we went over more of Yeats's poems. This one is officially dedicated to my mother, Julie:

The Song of the Old Mother

 I rise in the dawn, and I kneel and blow
Till the seed of the fire flicker and glow;
And then I must scrub and bake and sweep
Till stars are beginning to blink and peep;
And the young lie long and dream in their bed
Of the matching of ribbons for bosom and head,
And their days go over in idleness,
And they sigh if the wind but lift a tress:
While I must work because I am old,
And the seed of the fire gets feeble and cold.

This sounds like something my mother would say! Since this past Sunday was mother's day here in Ireland, I suppose I should say happy mother's day to her with this lovely, kind of depressing poem.

Eleventh Day

It was back to Waterford today for my Irish Language and Culture class. I packed my lunch as a part of my new attempt to budget everything, which, come St. Patrick's Day, probably won't matter! Not much happened today, but we learned some basic phrases in Irish like hello, goodbye, how are you, what is your name, where are you from, etc. We found it really hard to pronounce some of their longer d's like "duit" but on the other side of it the Irish can't really pronounce "th" the way that we do because for the most part their h's are silent. 

From 6 to 8 I have my literature class, but we are really good at finding ways to get off topic, so class in the sense that most people would think of it is really only about half of that time. Today, we read one of Yeats' poems titled "A Faery Song" and it's about Diarmuid (dear-mid) and Grainne (grahn-ye), two lovers who ran off away from Grainne's fiance, Fionn, a warlord. Fionn was much older than Grainne, and so she didn't want to marry him; instead she fell in love with Diarmuid (not sure about the spelling) who was one of his soldiers, and the pair ran away, searching for places to rest at night to hide away from Fionn. The poem doesn't even refer to their names, except in a short footnote, so when I was talking about it, the rest of the class including Dr. Reed were thinking I had a different version with better footnotes. Earlier, however, our professor for Irish language was talking a little bit about the story, and I explained that we heard it earlier, AND the story is from the movie Leap Year. Suddenly Dr. Reed goes, "I have heard so many references to that movie recently and I've never heard of it!" and then he looks at me and points and says, "Every single one of those references were from you!" I reply, "Of course it was, I'm obsessed with that movie. I've only seen it a million times!" So I explained some of the background of the movie, that it takes place in Ireland, and Declan tells Anna the story of Diarmuid and Grainne. I thought it was pretty funny that every reference he'd heard in the past few days was from me.

I spent a lot of time on homework today, unfortunately. This is pretty much how things will be going for March until my literature class ends and leaves a lot more time open in my schedule. But for now, it's saving money and getting stuff done (for example, I avoided the pub tonight and am trying to get a head start on my presentation!) Sorry for the short entry, but if I think of anything else I will be sure to put it in the next one!

Seventh Day - Eighth Day - Ninth Day - Tenth Day

THE BOG BODIES! Check out the hair!

The Townies in front of the Dail

Dublin Castle, the center of English domination over the Irish

The House of Mercy, established by Catherine McAuley. The beginnings of Mercyhurst University! Notice how the door is open!

Dublin night life

Oscar Wilde :)

Irish famine statue

the second bar in the hostels pub crawl, there were some scots wearing kilts but it might be hard to see!

 

As the first week of classes at Mercyhurst University in Dungarvan came to a close, the 32 of us, plus professors and families traveled to Dublin, Ireland's capital city, for one tiring, fun, crazy weekend.

I've decided to combine my weekend in Dublin and the Monday back in Dungarvan all at once, so bear with me!

Where do I begin? Unfortunately, because I didn't have my laptop, I couldn't update my blog each day, so we'll try and see how much I can remember off of the top of my head. We left early Friday morning, arriving at Jacob's Inn which was a hostel right near Talbot Street on the northern side of the River Liffey that runs through Dublin. I have to admit, I was so uncomfortable with the idea of a hostel, but if you put that thought to the back of your mind it becomes a lot easier. The sheets looked/smelled/felt clean, and I'm not suffering from any skin disease or sickness so I will take that as a positive sign. We had a cold, cold, cold weekend, and despite all my layers I was still freezing, although the hours and hours of walking helped to marginally warm me up. It was so cold here, that in fact it was snowing a few small flakes on Sunday and today in Dungarvan there have been some flakes (but there's also sunshine, finally!) Back to the hostel: Sarah and I lucked out and got a room to ourselves with our own bathroom which also appeared to be relatively clean, whereas some of the other girls were stuck in rooms of 10. We were on the third floor, though, which meant we had to walk up quite a few stairs...this would become a pain after walking around the entire city (and on my part, for two nights in a row, doing it in heels...beauty is pain, everyone). There were lots and lots of other people staying in the hostel. I saw a few people who appeared to be older but for the most part everyone was around my age. Other international kids looking for a cheap way to get by. Everyday the hostel provided some breakfast which included corn flakes, coffee/tea/juice, bread and a toaster, but it was packed full of people from all over the world, literally, all speaking different languages. Side note: the Oxford boys' rugby team was staying there...and they were a sight to see!

All we had time for at the hostel was to drop our bags off because after that, we were whisked away by Dr. Billy O'Brien, a history PhD and just about the fastest walker I've ever met, to the Dáil Éireann, or the Irish parliament located in the former palace of the Dukes of Leinster. When we got there, we had about two hours until the first tour started (because there were too many of us, we were split into two groups) so the townies (Sarah, Nikki, Lauren, Danielle, and I) along with Rachel, Lindsey, Suzanne, Mackenzie, and Maire our neighbors went to Grafton Street which is located just across from the Dail (pronounced like Doyle) basically to look for food! We found a four-story Bewley's, the same restaurant we ate at the first day we were in Ireland, and had a nice lunch. We ate on the James Joyce balcony, which probably has little to no significance, but the food was good.

When we were done with lunch, we headed back to the Dail, but we still had time to check things out. The interesting thing about the Irish parliament is that the building is surrounded by some of the more interesting places to visit in the city like the National Library which has a nice Yeats exhibit that I got to see. There's also a sizable art gallery, but most importantly, there's the national museum. As a former archaeology student, I studied the Bog Bodies in my Intro to Arch class. My first day in Dublin, we went to the National Museum of Archaeology and History, and guess what I saw. THE BOG BODIES! (Yes I was actually this excited.) Just a little background info: bodies and other organic material including cloth decays, and it decays rapidly. But when bodies end up in peat bogs, the lack of oxygen combined with the right kind of minerals preserves the bodies really well. Several of these bodies still had organs intact, hair that was even kept in the same style that was worn (the age of the bodies was between 400 B.C.E. to 300 or so C.E.), teeth, skin, fingernails, and even jewelery was preserved! Unfortunately for these folks, they all faced brutal ends including dismemberment, (one of the bodies was just a torso, poor guy had his head chopped off, but you could see his spine was completely intact which was nice) decapitation, strangulation, multiple stab wounds from axes and impaled with spears! The bog did its job so well that the scientists determined that one man, whose diet typically consisted heavily of meat actually had some grains and milk as his last meal! Sarah, Maire and I wandered around the rest of the museum and there were plenty of awesome things to see, but the bodies were by far my favorite.

At last we got into the Dail. If anyone is interested in learning about the Irish system of government, which is a parliamentary system, check out this website: 

http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/about/dail/

Something that's interesting is that in my comparative government class I've been reading about our government compared to those of other democratic nations. There has been an overwhelming trend of democratization, moving more and more toward some elements of direct democracy such as referendums, one person with one vote, electoral systems decided by popular vote, and more recently, eliminating unequal representation in government. For the Irish, this is the Senate, which there has been discussion to abolish. Similarly, the UK has been wrestling with getting rid of the House of Lords. Both houses are essentially pointless anyway, since the majority of the power resides in houses where members are directly elected by the people. The Irish Senate is made up of about 60 members, 6 of which are actually picked by graduates of Trinity College and the National University of Ireland, can you believe that?! None of the Senators are elected by the people, but the Senate is practically pointless, so I wonder if the Irish will become a unicameral legislative system in a few years. The inside of the building is gorgeous, of course, and our guide had plenty of interesting stories about it. For instance, one of the staircases was built entirely for the purpose of President Kennedy's arrival there, but he ended up going around it! So much for that. The copy of the Irish Proclamation of 1916 that hangs in the entrance to the Dail was actually found in an attic. There are only about 30 original copies left out of the 1,000 or so that were issued. Also, one of three flags of the New York 69th, aka the Irish Brigade which fought in the Civil War on the Union side is being kept there. The Irish have held on to it, despite the U.S. consistently asking for it back. In fact, President Clinton was shown the flag, and when he asked when it would be returned, the guide merely said, "Not today, sir." 

When we got back to the hostel, we all got ready for the evening. A large group of us went to O'Sheas for dinner, then we separated, and Lauren, Danielle, Maire and I wandered into Mother Kelly's pub. There was hardly any room there, so we went back to Molloy's which was just down the street from our hostel, where we ran into the education majors. That's what we call them, because it's a lot easier to say than all of their names. After that, the four of us tried to find Sarah, Lindsey, Rachel and some others who were supposedly at The Pint. When we left Molloy's, however, we were disoriented and started heading in the wrong direction. I will be the first one to say that certain neighborhoods of Dublin are SO SO SO sketchy in the evening. When we stopped to ask a man where The Pint was, he must have thought we said The Point, which was a 30 to 45 minute walk away, and the Pint was only a few minutes from our hostel. After walking around in some uncomfortable areas, and me nearly being pickpocketed, we ended up at the Pint just to find out that our friends had moved on to Lanagins. Good thing, too, because I was happy to leave the Pint. I'll leave it at that. The rest of the night was unremarkable, but I managed to sleep easy in the hostel.

The next day we got up bright and early for a lengthy 3 hour walking tour led by Dr. O'Brien. I had some blisters on my toes from heels the night before and my rainboots weren't making it any better. We crossed the river to see Trinity College, which was amazing, we saw the old parliament building, up to Dublin Castle where the English ruled over Ireland, the Christ Church cathedral, through the Temple Bar area. Unfortunately I couldn't hear the professor for the most part and it was so cold that I got really distracted so I for the first time can't give you too much information about all of the things that I've seen in Dublin. We also went to see Daniel O'Connell's statue on O'Connell street, continued up past the Abbey Theater to the Garden of Remembrance which commemorates the lives of those who were sacrificed in the pursuit of freedom.

Following a group photo at the Garden, we were set free for the rest of the day. Danielle, Lauren, Maire and I did some shopping around O'Connell street. We went to Carrolls, the main store to do all your Irish souvenir shopping; they have everything from the classic Irish wool sweaters to nice guinness tankards, from shot glasses to goofy t-shirts and celtic jewelry. I got myself a nice McDonald crest keychain, an Ireland scarf and a sweatshirt to keep warm while in Dublin! (yes, I also got some stuff for the fam :)) We also went to Penneys which is like Forever 21 and JC Penneys combined, and it's very cheap so I also bought some goodies there. After, we decided to try and locate the National Leprechaun museum, a sort of goofy joke museum a few streets down from O'Connell because we didn't have time to get to the Guinness factory and back before we were going to meet up for dinner. When we got there, we found out that we'd have to wait until 4 to get a tour, and it cost 10 euro to get in, which is pretty expensive and we'd all already spent so much money. We nixed that idea and when we turned away from the museum we looked across the street and found ourselves in front of an indoor shopping mall. GREAT! We went inside, found a little Irish soccer shop that was playing Harlem Shake on repeat (WHY?!). Yes, the Irish call soccer soccer, not football, because they have their own sport called Gaelic Football, which is also called hurling I think. We then wandered into a 3 story Forever 21, but we saved each other and got out without going broke!

When we got back to the hostel, a large group of us headed to Molloy's for dinner. We sat and chit-chatted and watched the big rugby match between Ireland and France that was taking place in Dublin. There were TONS of French people wandering around the streets in morph suits with the French flag, wearing berets, shouting and singing, wrapped in capes colored like the flag. I really thought they were asking to get beat up, but maybe it's not as big of a deal as I think it is. The match ended in a tie but it was crazy right up until the end. After dinner, I headed back to the hostel and we all got ready for the impending hostel pub crawl. OH YES, that's right, a pub crawl. Starting at 8 and for some, lasting until 2 or 3 am, although I got back to the hostel around 1 am because my feet were killing me and it was getting sketchy, but more on that later. Just before 8, a massive group of us who had signed up and paid 5 euro into it headed into the Temple Bar area to our first pub. We were led around by James and Paul who took down our names and gave us wristbands. Lots of other kids our age were participating which only made it more fun. The crawl entailed discounted drinks, a free Guinness, free shots, and some games of beer pong at one of the pubs. Unfortunately, the discounts weren't too great, and I swear they watered everything down! Also, the free Guinness was less than half of a pint, and the shots were apple schnapps and bailey's with caramel. Don't get me wrong, they're delicious, but they don't contain much alcohol and they weren't even full shots. After spending over 10 euro I decided to give up on trying to get....nevermind. Enough of my complaining though, I had a grand time, it was some great craic! There was live Irish music, I met all sorts of people from all over Ireland and even the world since it was a hostel pub crawl. I actually met a few guys who were studying abroad in Florence from Kent State in Ohio. The second pub was my favorite because Kellie and I decided to go upstairs (the entire hostel group was shepherded downstairs so it was practically like a college party so it was a little boring). Upstairs we heard some classic Irish songs like Molly Malone and the Irish Rover, and there were a group of about 6 guys from Scotland who were decked out in kilts. They were absolutely hammered. One man had a song dedicated to him, and he got in the middle, with two different beers in each hand, and he half-sang half-slept on the floor. One of his friends leaned in toward me and shouted, "you've just met the Justin Bieber of Scotland!" When we headed to the next pub, it was absolutely PACKED. It was impossible to move. Again, there was music, and they played a mix of Irish and American songs. As the time passed, I was really starting to feel my feet and how much pain they were in. Furthermore, there were suddenly some older foreign men following us girls around in the crawl. Also, Christina, one of the girls from Mercyhurst, had her wallet and iPhone plucked right out of her purse. So Kellie and I made an executive decision for the two of us to cut out early. The rest of the group went on, but we were happy to head back. Unfortunately, we were smack in the middle of Temple Bar past the point of the evening when it becomes rather shady. Luckily, we only had to walk through one alley to get back to the River. From there, we knew our way back. I was never so happy to see my bed!

I got to sleep in a bit on Sunday while some of the girls went to mass. Lindsey, Lauren, Maire, Danielle, Nikki, Sarah and I went to this place called Rasher Behans (pronounced beans) after running into Paul from the bar crawl of all people! There, I had one of the best chocolate muffins of my life, hands down. After that, we met up in the lobby of the hostel to check out while a group of about 15 of us went with Dr. Reed to Baggot Street to find where the Sisters of Mercy began. To be honest, I didn't even originally want to go because it was absolutely FREEZING outside and my feet still hurt, but I didn't want to get left behind so I went anyway. I am so glad that I did. As it turns out, I learned a little bit more from Dr. Reed who wasn't a professional on Dublin than I did from the pro the day before. We saw the statue of the Irish famine, whose sister is in Boston. The faces are so vivid (see the picture above). Dr. Reed took us on a longer route, which he was sneaky about and didn't tell us because he wanted to see the chemist/drugist spot Sweny's that's referred to in Joyce's Ulysses and snap a picture in front. He also brought us to see the Oscar Wilde statue. Although it meant more time in the cold, it was actually really amazing to see. When we finally got to the Mercy International Center and I took a picture with the statue of Catherine McAuley, the great founder of the Sisters of Mercy, we found that the door was open as it always is! The large group of us walked in to find one woman, shocked. A small mass was being carried out entirely in the Irish language, so we tried to stay quiet. The woman was so kind. She brought us to the back of the house to see Catherine McAuley's grave which is rarely shown to visitors at all. Downstairs, there was a small museum depicting McAuley's work and the spread of the Sisters worldwide. She also showed us Catherine's room which is almost NEVER open. We saw the pages sent from around the world to the International Center, including the one from Erie, PA! The sisters of Mercy, especially Catherine, set out to try and educate the underprivileged and they focused on educating women in particular, and they did so much work for the poor. It was humbling to see exactly how they spread across the world and to realize that my University started right there in that spot! If there was no Mercyhurst, I certainly would not be here in Ireland now, so I can't help but be so grateful. After our little tour, we met some of those who were in the mass who spoke fluently in Irish. Everyone was so kind to us, and we tried to explain how we ended up there at the center, and even in Ireland. I think they were a little confused about why 32 Americans would be spending 2 and a half months in Dungarvan.

When we left the Mercy center, Dr. Reed brought us to St. Steven's green, a beautiful park in Dublin. There were ponds and swans and everything was green and there was even a little sunshine! The best part was snapping a picture of the bridge from Leap Year where Declan tells Anna about his former fiancee and his mother's ring! When we got through the green we were right at the beginning of Grafton Street which is a walking area full of shops. Rachel, Sarah, Maire, Lauren, Danielle and I found ourselves in another mall where we stopped and got lunch and I went to Carrolls again to get more souvenirs. Here's a side story: before I left, Maggie asked me to get her, and I quote, "the official sweatshirt of Ireland." I told her that I didn't think there was such a thing. So when I walked into Carrolls, and I didn't really find anything official of any sort, I went up to some of the workers and asked, "This may sound like a stupid question, but do you have any official sweatshirt of Ireland?" Both looked at me incredulously and replied no, they did not. I told them of my sister's request, but I was limited in my choices, since a lot of their sweatshirts were crew necks and didn't have hoods and Maggie is picky and has to have a hood. The other sweatshirts had weird designs on the front and weird strings and I was certain Maggie wouldn't like those either. One woman who worked there was nice and patient with me and said, "As long as it says Ireland and it's got a shamrock on it, it's as official as it can be." Finally, I found one, and she's happy with it, thank God.

At 5:00, we all piled onto the bus, and it took us no time at all to fall fast asleep. The entire weekend was fun, but a little disconcerting especially with some uncomfortable situations. I wanted to be back in my little Dungarvan, and many of the others felt the same. We got back, headed immediately to the pub at the Park for dinner, and sat and listened to some live Irish music. When the Townies and I were done eating, we ran back to our townhouse. Danielle and Lauren were a little slow, so they got back a few moments after us. When they opened the door, I saw that someone was standing behind them, and who should walk in but Tom Keith! We all came to talk to him. He told us that he was at a dinner with some acquaintances and he meant to meet us at the Park at 7:30 when we got home, but like a typical Irish person, he fell behind. He asked us to be patient with his tardiness, and I found it easy to forgive him. He welcomed us back and asked us about our time in Dublin. I told him it was fun but I was so glad to be back home. He gave a great big smile and said, "I can't tell you how glad I am to hear you say home." He stayed for a little while, told us the history of the land where the Park was built, and offered to spend an evening with us to explain Dungarvan's history. I hope to take him up on that offer some time!

Monday morning, we woke up to sunshine but there were flakes of snow! UGH. It was funny to see all the Irish people running about. For them, this is unbearable freezing cold weather! We had a nice long day of classes, and nothing much happened. This evening, while sitting by our fireplace and reading some Yeats, Sarah made me an egg and cheese sandwich with tea. My favorite poem so far is The Stolen Child because it's so sad but it's beautiful at the same time, and it's part of the old Irish culture that Yeats was trying to revive. The egg yolks here are dark orange which I've discovered means that the hen has a very good diet, and these eggs are especially delicious! Finally, my legs are still in pain from walking around Dublin for three straight days, two nights in heels, so hopefully the pain goes away soon. It should be a relatively quiet week from here on out but Sarah and I are hanging around Dungarvan for St. Patrick's Day, which should be plenty of fun...looking forward to it!