Day 41: Luimneach go Gaillimh

Saturday started off at 5:30 in the morning. I woke up this early to take what turned out to be a fantastic tour of Limerick, Bunratty, Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, and Galway.

The tour started off by taking a train from Dublin to Limerick at 7 am. The train was the perfect way to start the tour because it gave me the chance to get to know the other 6 people better that were on the tour and our tour guide Kevin. After a brief introduction into what our day looked like, we all just relaxed and tried to get some sleep before the day truly got interesting.

The train!!

When we arrived in Limerick we got on the small coach bus, that would be our transportation for the day, and took a small bus tour around Limerick before heading off to Bunratty. We were able to see some of the gorgeous Georgian houses and the pub that was featured in Angela's Ashes. On our way out of the city, we got our first glimpse of the Shannon and our first castle for the day.

Georgian Houses

The bar that was featured in Angela's Ashes

The river Shannon

King John's Castle

Our first stop of the day was Buratty. There we spent a couple hours walking around the Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. Since it was early in the morning and in the off season, it was not busy and very peaceful and relaxing. I was able to walk around at my own pace and there was no congestion when walking up the narrow spiral staircases in the castle. From the top of castle you could look out over the rivers nearby and the folk village.

Bunratty Castle

View from the top of the castle overlooking the river Shannon

The folk village itself had houses and other buildings from the over 100 years ago that were reconstructed there to recreate what it might have looked like. The houses were all from different parts and classes throughout Ireland. They also had brought in a church that they had to rebuild stone by stone on the site.

Inside one of the farmhouses where a woman is making an apple tart

The Ardcroney Church

After Bunratty, we headed north to the town of Doolin for lunch at a local pub and a chance to relax and chat with the other people on the tour. It was here that I got my first view of the Atlantic Ocean and the west coast of the island.

Inside the pub in Doolin. (Yes, that is fireplace keeping us warm on the right!)

Our next stop, which was the main reason for this trip, was the Cliffs of Moher. The weather unfortunately decided to turn nasty the moment we arrived and started to hail and rain. This lead to something not as beautiful but I still was able to get some really nice pictures. I then went on a small walk on the trail around the cliffs but ran into quite a bit of mud and dirt puddles. Thank goodness i was wearing my boots to keep my feet clean and dry.

I made it!!

Panorama of the cliffs with the storm clouds above

My muddy boots :(

That's a long drop down to the water!

On our way to the last destination of the trip, Galway, we drove through a beautiful area called the Burren. It is limestone that has been cut vertically down by the elements and ice. It was really interesting to look at because some had indentations into them that looked similar to animal prints but not quite exact to what is normally seen.

The Burren

Another view and able to see some of the indentations

We then ended this long and picturesque day in Galway with a beautiful view of Galway Bay and a quick look around the city before leaving on the train back to Dublin.

Galway Bay

Day 34: Caisleán Mhullach Íde agus Binn Éadair

Today was a one of a my many trips outside Dublin on an independent tour. I went on a half day trip to Malahide Castle and Howth. Both of these places are about a 30 minute drive north of Dublin.

Malahide Castle is a beautiful property of land that was owned by the Talbot family for 800 years. While there I was able to get a tour of the castle and then have some free time to stroll around the grounds and soak up the sun.

View of the castle from the front

Front lawn that goes on forever

After that, I had some free time in the beautiful fishing village of Howth. I started off by going to the local food market where I was able to pick up some fresh seafood for lunch and other local foods that the vendors were selling. I then walked down one of the piers and found one of my favorite spots in Ireland. It was very beautiful there just looking out over the water and seeing Howth Lighthouse, Ireland's Eye (island), and very faintly Wales. There was a street performer playing the acoustic guitar and singing beautiful melodies, it was then that I felt like I could stay there for hours enjoying the whole setting. Unfortunately, I had get back on the bus heading back to Dublin so I could get back in time for dinner and the big rugby match.

Panorama from the end of the pier

Seal in the water eating his lunch

Food market where I found my lunch

Fishing boat cleaning up after gathering its catch for the day

Howth Lighthouse

P.S. Today was Valentine's Day and I hope that everyone had a special day and remembered that they are loved by all their friends and family around them. Sending my love from Ireland!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Day 27: Béal Feirste

Today I was able to visit Belfast City and the Titanic Museum. This was a planned trip created by the study abroad office at UCD, Our bus driver/ tour guide did a great job providing the political history and problems that are accompanied with Northern Ireland.

When we got into the city, we took a 30 minute tour of the different murals around the city wall and some of the big attractions in the city center. When visiting all of the murals, we looked at the ones on the nationalist and loyalist sides of the city. There was one wall that had pictures showing support for many different political battles around the world. They also had several memorials painted to remember the deaths of nationalists. On the loyalist side of the wall, we were all able to sign our names onto the peace wall with all of the people that have visited before us.

some of the many murals

the 10 people who passed away from the hunger strike

the Peace Wall

what I wrote on the wall

some of the things that people have written on the wall

After that, we had some free time to explore the center of Belfast on our own and to grab some food. A couple other people and I went to St. George's Market. It is like a food market for local farmers to sell their products, a bunch of mini food vendors to buy a snack, and some local craftsmen. After buying some delicious garlic focaccia bread, I sat down and listened to some music and enjoyed a small lunch.

view from the entrance of the market

local musician putting on a show

focaccia bread

freshly caught seafood

outside of the market

On the way back to the bus, we passed City Hall and outside we saw a bunch of Royalists protesting for the flying of the Union Jack on the building. They do this everyday for about 1-2 hours. The difference between the two sides is still there as shown through this demonstration, but has become much calmer.

the City Hall

protesters outside City Hall

When everyone regrouped after that break, we all had the opportunity to visit and walk through the Titanic Museum. Belfast is actually where the Titanic was built and on the shipyard where it was built, they created a museum for people to walk through the whole process and history of the Titanic. It started with the process of it being built to the aftermath of the sinking, to the discovery of it in the ocean. It was very fascinating to learn about the ship and the complexities of building it to designing all of the space inside, to figuring out what happened at the time of the sinking.

company that funded the building of the Titanic

part of the layout for the D deck of the Titanic

Titanic launching

last messages recieved from the Titanic

video of the discovery of the Titanic

view of the Museum; each corner is a replica of the front of the Titanic

Overall, the day was full of learning and fun. I came back very exhausted, but ready to face anything knowing that the people here have lived through much worse. I am excited to see what the rest of my time here is like and the other journeys that will occur in the following weeks around Ireland and western Europe.

me at the Harbor where the Titanic first started its journey

sunset view on my way back from Belfast

Day 20: Amhráin agus Scéalta

One thing that I have learned about people that live here is that they love to tell stories and anecdotes whenever they have a conversation with somebody. This had lead to some really great conversations and moments with people. I feel that this is a huge part of the Irish culture and is something very special that I will cherish while here.

One of the places where you will hear a lot of stories and really experience the Irish culture are at the pubs and smaller bars. This past Thursday night, I went to a local pub called The Merry Ploughboy Pub. It is a pub run by a couple musicians and has a live show of traditional music and dance every night.

support beams holding instruments, jugs, and signs

bunch of paraphernalia and old records of past Irish musicians and pop culture

view of the stage

The band played several drinking songs and a couple Irish ballads. I actually knew several of them and tried my best to sing along. There were also a couple songs of audience participation and joking around. Some of the songs that they performed are: "Ferryman", "Whiskey in the Jar", "The Rocky Road to Dublin", "Four Green Fields", and "Tim Finnigan's Wake". After about 10 songs, they had 5 people perform some traditional Irish dancing in both hard and soft shoes. They were very talented and performed to some other tunes.

the band on the stage

(L-R): Brian (irish bouzouki), Tom (fife, recorder, and bagpipes), Ken (guitar and lead vocals), Jim (bass guitar)

closeup of the bagpipes

the female dancers in soft shoes

male dancers in hard shoes

the whole cast after the final dance