So last weekend a group of us went on a tour, led by the amazing Tom Keith, around the near by towns of Dungarvan. It was a long yet interesting day and, while the weather may have been windy and freezing, I would do it again in a heartbeat. Basically we toured many of the old historic churches and ruins in the surrounding area close to Dungarvan. Tom, as always, had many interesting facts and stories about each and every stop.
Our first stop took us up into the hills of Waterford County to see an old church and monastery. The view was amazing and the church was beautiful. Our next stop was Lismore Castle. Sadly we were not able to go in. The reason being that a Duke actually lives in Lismore Castle. I would imagine it would be a bit weird to have your home invaded by a group of foreign college students. We got some great pictures of the outside of the castle though.
We then went to see several other churches, some dating back to around 600 AD if I remember correctly! Our last stop took us near the sea; St. Declan's Well. From what I can remember, St. Declan used to retreat to this area by the ocean for reflection and prayer and he built a small stone building there (now only one wall remains) and there was also a well built there. Nowadays, once a year people come to St. Declan's well and they take a small stone and etch a cross into the last remaining wall. We did this as well while there. The amazing thing about this was that you could see just how long people have held this tradition...some of the crosses etched in were a few inches deep due to the many many times the cross had been written there by visiting people. Wow right?!
Over all it was a very enjoyable way to spend a Friday and I cannot wait until the next trip Tom may plan for us.
Till then!
Friday, March 29, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Volley Ball in the Parking Lot Anyone?
So this past weekend, while many from our group were in Dublin running the 5K race, I was here in lovely Dungarvan. It was actually a very nice weekend of relatively sunny weather.
Saturday morning was a very interesting, yet fun, experience. I had gone down stairs in my townhouse and heard voices outside my door. So I went out to say good morning only to find one of my professors, his nephew, and one of my friends playing some sort of ball passing game. I of course joined in the fun. After a little while playing one of my other 2 professors and his two young sons came out and joined in the game as well. It was then that it was suggested by the boys that we play adults vs. kids.
We then set up a court made up of imaginary boundary lines and played a makeshift version of volley ball. We played for at least a good hour and a half. We put up a valiant fight but in the end, at game point, the kids got the upper hand and beat us.
I guess this just goes to show you never quite know what will happen when you step out your front door. You might just end up playing volley ball in a parking lot with 2 of your college professors.
Saturday morning was a very interesting, yet fun, experience. I had gone down stairs in my townhouse and heard voices outside my door. So I went out to say good morning only to find one of my professors, his nephew, and one of my friends playing some sort of ball passing game. I of course joined in the fun. After a little while playing one of my other 2 professors and his two young sons came out and joined in the game as well. It was then that it was suggested by the boys that we play adults vs. kids.
We then set up a court made up of imaginary boundary lines and played a makeshift version of volley ball. We played for at least a good hour and a half. We put up a valiant fight but in the end, at game point, the kids got the upper hand and beat us.
I guess this just goes to show you never quite know what will happen when you step out your front door. You might just end up playing volley ball in a parking lot with 2 of your college professors.
A Weekend in the Big City (part 2)
So the next morning we all met up in the lobby of our hostle and met up with our tour guide again. He then took us on a 3 hour walking tour of Dublin. It was very interesting (for the parts that I could here at least). He took us to Trinity College and told us a bit about the college and the when, why, and how it was built. Unfortunately my camera chose that very moment to die on me and I had forgot to pack any replacement batteries; so no fun pictures this time around.
We then walked around town and took pauses at significant statues or street addresses and were told the stories behind them. We eventually made our way to Dublin Castle. We were not able to go into the castle since, for the next 6 months, Ireland is housing the president of the EU and they were preparing the castle for an event. It was a beautiful place though with a lot of history.
After that we walked even further up to a lovely old chapel deep within Dublin. We then walked down to the water and made our way over to what had once been the post office where the Easter Rising of 1916 had taken place. For anyone who doesn't know much about the Easter Rising, a group of rebels took over the post office in Dublin to upset the British. It wasn't until about 6 days in that the British really did anything. But when they did begin to retaliate they did it on full strength. They bombed the post office and eventually captured all of the leaders of the rebellion.
Once they had been captured they were taken to execution. The Irish people were not really upset or outraged until the story of how the injured James Connolly had been dragged out and tied to a chair in order to face a firing squad. Some attribute the beginning of the fight for Irish independence on this event. W. B. Yeats wrote a poem on this rebellion and the people involved.
It was very cool to not only learn some Irish history and visit such significant places, but to walk to, and see, places and street ways that were referenced in important literary works of those such as Yeats and James Joyce.
After the tour we were given the day to ourselves to enjoy. I, and many friends, decided that it was a perfect time for shopping! We found this wonderful shop called Penny's (no not JC Penny's) where there was tons of cute clothes at very good prices. After that we found a side street full of shops and spent our day checking the majority of them out.
We then went to dinner at this little pub Malloy's. There we ate, talked, and watched the rugby match with a few of the locals. It was, overall, a very good day.
On our third and final day in Dublin we had most of the day to ourselves. Only rule was be back at the hostle by 4. Easy enough. A friend of mine, Ricardo, and I walked ourselves over to St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was so incredibly gorgeous! Such detail, color, and beauty in one place. They had several statues and small exhibits on the sides of the Cathedral. Ricardo and I spent plenty of time in there taking as many pictures as we wanted of everything we could see.
Then we walked around, saw a few sites, and did a little shopping. Then made our way back to the hostle and got on the bus to make our way back to Dungarvan. My weekend in Dublin was incredible and I will never forget it.
We then walked around town and took pauses at significant statues or street addresses and were told the stories behind them. We eventually made our way to Dublin Castle. We were not able to go into the castle since, for the next 6 months, Ireland is housing the president of the EU and they were preparing the castle for an event. It was a beautiful place though with a lot of history.
After that we walked even further up to a lovely old chapel deep within Dublin. We then walked down to the water and made our way over to what had once been the post office where the Easter Rising of 1916 had taken place. For anyone who doesn't know much about the Easter Rising, a group of rebels took over the post office in Dublin to upset the British. It wasn't until about 6 days in that the British really did anything. But when they did begin to retaliate they did it on full strength. They bombed the post office and eventually captured all of the leaders of the rebellion.
Once they had been captured they were taken to execution. The Irish people were not really upset or outraged until the story of how the injured James Connolly had been dragged out and tied to a chair in order to face a firing squad. Some attribute the beginning of the fight for Irish independence on this event. W. B. Yeats wrote a poem on this rebellion and the people involved.
It was very cool to not only learn some Irish history and visit such significant places, but to walk to, and see, places and street ways that were referenced in important literary works of those such as Yeats and James Joyce.
After the tour we were given the day to ourselves to enjoy. I, and many friends, decided that it was a perfect time for shopping! We found this wonderful shop called Penny's (no not JC Penny's) where there was tons of cute clothes at very good prices. After that we found a side street full of shops and spent our day checking the majority of them out.
We then went to dinner at this little pub Malloy's. There we ate, talked, and watched the rugby match with a few of the locals. It was, overall, a very good day.
On our third and final day in Dublin we had most of the day to ourselves. Only rule was be back at the hostle by 4. Easy enough. A friend of mine, Ricardo, and I walked ourselves over to St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was so incredibly gorgeous! Such detail, color, and beauty in one place. They had several statues and small exhibits on the sides of the Cathedral. Ricardo and I spent plenty of time in there taking as many pictures as we wanted of everything we could see.
Then we walked around, saw a few sites, and did a little shopping. Then made our way back to the hostle and got on the bus to make our way back to Dungarvan. My weekend in Dublin was incredible and I will never forget it.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
A Weekend in the Big City (part 1)
So this past weekend we all went to visit Dublin. Dublin was more of a big city then I had originally expected to be honest. I mean I guess I knew that it was a big city in the back of my mind but it was still a surprise. And there is so much to do in that city. One weekend is just not enough to get everything in.
The first day we were there we all got invited to see the Parliament building. So after driving for a few hours we got off the bus, loaded our belongings into a room at our hostle (no I did not just spell hotel wrong) and met up with our guide.
He then took us on a nice walk into town down to the Parliament. We had a few hours to explore on our own before we had to split up into two groups and tour the building.
While most people went off to eat or explore or shop...I went to the National History Museum. Surprise, surprise I know. It was a very interesting museum (and free to boot). It had tons of artifacts from several eras of Irish history. I also was able to get a few good pictures of bog bodies for my up coming presentation in my Irish Literature class. When I was done there I finally went exploring a bit and got something to eat at a cool cafe down the street.
We all then met up and split into two groups. One group would go into the Parliament building while the other could do what they wanted (but it was suggested to go next door to the library to see the Yeats exhibit). I was in group two and therefore had to wait even longer to get to see the Parliament building. I and my group mates all went over to the library to see this Yeats exhibit and I have to admit it was better than I had expected. It had a lot of his original papers mixed in with tons of pictures and copies of his work. While some things had wonderful explanations and information, there were other things that didn't have much beyond a title and date in which it had been written or taken, so that was a little disappointing. It was also very dark in there; there is a difference behind mood lighting and just plain dark. (ok I'll take my Public History hat off now) Overall I enjoyed the exhibit and would recommend going to anyone interested in Irish literature.
When we got into the Parliament we got a very interesting tour. We got to see where the lower house meets and discusses their business. We also got to hear some interesting tales about President Kennedy during his time in Ireland as well as see a few artifacts that are important to Irish history.
After that we all got the rest of our day to ourselves and it was a nice relaxing night. A huge group of us found this great pub and had dinner and then just walked around and enjoyed the city.
More to come soon....
The first day we were there we all got invited to see the Parliament building. So after driving for a few hours we got off the bus, loaded our belongings into a room at our hostle (no I did not just spell hotel wrong) and met up with our guide.
He then took us on a nice walk into town down to the Parliament. We had a few hours to explore on our own before we had to split up into two groups and tour the building.
While most people went off to eat or explore or shop...I went to the National History Museum. Surprise, surprise I know. It was a very interesting museum (and free to boot). It had tons of artifacts from several eras of Irish history. I also was able to get a few good pictures of bog bodies for my up coming presentation in my Irish Literature class. When I was done there I finally went exploring a bit and got something to eat at a cool cafe down the street.
We all then met up and split into two groups. One group would go into the Parliament building while the other could do what they wanted (but it was suggested to go next door to the library to see the Yeats exhibit). I was in group two and therefore had to wait even longer to get to see the Parliament building. I and my group mates all went over to the library to see this Yeats exhibit and I have to admit it was better than I had expected. It had a lot of his original papers mixed in with tons of pictures and copies of his work. While some things had wonderful explanations and information, there were other things that didn't have much beyond a title and date in which it had been written or taken, so that was a little disappointing. It was also very dark in there; there is a difference behind mood lighting and just plain dark. (ok I'll take my Public History hat off now) Overall I enjoyed the exhibit and would recommend going to anyone interested in Irish literature.
When we got into the Parliament we got a very interesting tour. We got to see where the lower house meets and discusses their business. We also got to hear some interesting tales about President Kennedy during his time in Ireland as well as see a few artifacts that are important to Irish history.
After that we all got the rest of our day to ourselves and it was a nice relaxing night. A huge group of us found this great pub and had dinner and then just walked around and enjoyed the city.
More to come soon....
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Classes
So unfortunately it is not all fun and games here in Dungarvan. We do, in fact, have to take classes, hence studying abroad. So far all of my classes seem like they will be enjoyable. Which is surprising because I usually don't care for politics classes and yet here I am taking American politics as one of my 3 courses.
Basically I have class from 8:30 till 4 except for Tuesdays when we are in Waterford (mentioned in last post) when I have a class pushed back to 6 - 8 at night. And like I said they all seem like they will be good.
One of the classes is called Irish Literature Heritage. And so far it is really good. We are looking and novels and poetry from well known and/or important Irish authors and poets. We are currently reading Castle Rackrent and, while a little confusing at first, it is not entirely awful. While definitely not a new favorite there are worse things we could be reading.
In fact today's discussion on the first part of the book actually brought to my attention things I hadn't fully caught onto while reading it the first time. And this actually helped make the book a tad more interesting I suppose.
Until next time.
Basically I have class from 8:30 till 4 except for Tuesdays when we are in Waterford (mentioned in last post) when I have a class pushed back to 6 - 8 at night. And like I said they all seem like they will be good.
One of the classes is called Irish Literature Heritage. And so far it is really good. We are looking and novels and poetry from well known and/or important Irish authors and poets. We are currently reading Castle Rackrent and, while a little confusing at first, it is not entirely awful. While definitely not a new favorite there are worse things we could be reading.
In fact today's discussion on the first part of the book actually brought to my attention things I hadn't fully caught onto while reading it the first time. And this actually helped make the book a tad more interesting I suppose.
Until next time.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Dia Duit!
So today we all piled onto a bus in the early morning and made our way to WIT (Waterford Institute of Technology) in Waterford. We met with our Irish Language and Culture professor Seamus O'Diolluin. He then took us on a tour of the campus of WIT and it ended with us getting our student ID's for WIT.
Then we took a few minutes to officially start class where we learned our first few Irish Gaelic phrases; including "Dia duit" which is the formal greeting for "Hello" which translates to "God to you". I can already tell this will be an interesting class.
We then got almost 2 hours to ourselves to explore campus. I'm afraid that what I did was rather boring (homework) in comparison to what I could have done. Fortunately it was just a reading assignment so it was actually not that bad.
We then left Waterford to head back to Dungarvan where I had another class from 6 till 8 but it's ok. We watched a movie tonight to help ease us into the idea of a class that late after a long day in Waterford. Waking Ned Divine was the name of the movie. It was funny and interesting and worth going to such a late class.
Well I must return to homework for now so I will teach you one last word (goodbye) Slan!!
Then we took a few minutes to officially start class where we learned our first few Irish Gaelic phrases; including "Dia duit" which is the formal greeting for "Hello" which translates to "God to you". I can already tell this will be an interesting class.
We then got almost 2 hours to ourselves to explore campus. I'm afraid that what I did was rather boring (homework) in comparison to what I could have done. Fortunately it was just a reading assignment so it was actually not that bad.
We then left Waterford to head back to Dungarvan where I had another class from 6 till 8 but it's ok. We watched a movie tonight to help ease us into the idea of a class that late after a long day in Waterford. Waking Ned Divine was the name of the movie. It was funny and interesting and worth going to such a late class.
Well I must return to homework for now so I will teach you one last word (goodbye) Slan!!
The Story Begins
We've been in Eire for 5 days now and they have been a blast. I have four wonderful roommates and have made so many new friends since this trip has began. This country is so beautiful and the people of Dungarvan are so kind and welcoming to us all.
First a quick rundown of what has been going on...
After one long layover and flight we finally touched down in the lovely land of Ireland. We were greeted by some great people including Tom Keith and Joe O'Flaherty. We then piled onto a bus and headed towards our very first traditional Irish breakfast. It was, shall we say, interesting to learn just what exactly the black and white pudding was.
We then stopped off again in Kilkenny and saw some awesome churches and Kilkenny castle. A castle on the first day...go us! Sadly pictures were not allowed inside but it was an amazing place. (p.s. the picture is of one of the churches)
After more driving we finally made it to Dungarvan and had a small photo op with the mayor.
The next few days were spent exploring the town and orienting ourselves with our new home. The second night there we were all invited to Merry's Pub where we talked and laughed with each other over a pint (or two) of Guinness. Later on a group of us headed over to the club, Anchor, and danced the night away.
More to come soon, for now...Slainte!
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