TK Tour Two

On April 30, 2013 we took our second of three "Tom Keith" tours. This second tour lead us to the Butler Castle and elsewhere. The tour was extremely interesting and in typical Tom Keith fashion extremely informative. While on the tour we got to see the Butler castle and learned a great deal of interesting facts with regards to the overall structure. An interesting fact about the castle was that the river near the castle once extended much further than it currently does.

Another stop on the tour took us to perhaps one of the coolest parts of Ireland that I have been able to see and that was the cave. It took 88 steps to get down to the bottom of the cave. The cave was perhaps one of the warmest parts of Ireland that we have gotten to experience as it maintains a constant temperature of 57 degrees all year. The boulders within the cave were so fascinating! At one point during the tour the guide actually turned off the man lights and the cave became pitch black. We were told that our eyes would actually never adjust to the darkness. As the tour progressed the guide allowed our group to sing on one of the rock formations. Needless to say we should probably never pursue careers where we will have to sing. 

The next part of the day trip was to some of the Irish countryside where we saw a lake from the distance. The lake was rather cool as it was both wider and deeper than it appeared from our perspective. The lake attracts many visitors to the area as it is the source of many legends. 

The last attraction that we got to see on the day trip was to the grotto. This grotto is particularly interesting as it is believed that on one afternoon the Virgin Mary came to visit young children at this sight. The message that she gave to the boys was "Peace and Prayer and tell the people that the water is blessed." We had an opportunity to meet one of the girls who was a child when the event occurred. I believe that she was there only hours prior to the event happening. It was such a beautiful place and you truly felt so close to God while there, as the grounds just felt different. 

Poem Recital

In the midst of having so much fun exploring Ireland I also was busy learning the finer points of memorizing a poem. I never knew that a simple poem could actually be so difficult to memorize! I would find myself getting one line right only to stumble the next line or so. It finally came to the end of the Literature class and we were required to present the poem of our choice in front of the class. I chose to present "To an Isle in the Water." by William Butler Yeats The poem reads:

Shy one, shy one,

Shy one of my heart,

She moves in the firelight

Pensively apart.

 

She carries in the dishes,

And lays them in a row.

To an isle in the water

With her would I go.

 

She carries in the candles,

And lights the curtained room,

Shy in the doorway

And shy in the gloom;

 

And shy as a rabbit,

Helpful and shy.

To an isle in the water

With her would I fly.

Our class had a really cool idea in that we decided to have a potluck dinner and then recite our poems over delicious food. I decided to bring a carrot cake to share and it was delicious! What was perhaps the most delicious part of the meal was the traditional Irish meal that Dr. Reed made! That was one of my first times eating a traditional meal while in Ireland and it was delicious!!

Horseback Riding

Howdy blog! Hope all is well! After several long days of studying for exams and finally writing the exams I was extremely anxious for a break. This break came in a big way as I got the opportunity to go horseback riding while in Ireland. I had never been horseback riding before and was extremely nervous to say the very least. When we got there and finally got suited up we met our horses. My horse was a beautiful white one named Marley. She was a big, strong girl and extremely friendly.

We began the afternoon by riding around the stable learning the basic techniques. I had thought that possibly we would only be riding around the stable. Oh how I was wrong!! As quickly as we learned the proper technique we were then lead by one of the local boys on a breath taking trail. This trail lead us up and down hills were we were surrounded by lots of trees. I truly had to pinch myself for I was on a horse riding through the Irish countryside! Never in my wildest dreams did I guess that could ever happen.

At first I was extremely anxious and was very scared. Yet, towards the end of our one hour trek I actually began to understand the techniques of riding a horse! I was very excited seeing as I have ever done anything quite like that before! I hope to one day get the opportunity to ride again!

WIT

This trip is flying by! Hard to believe that it is already nearing the end of March. It truly feels like just yesterday that I was saying my goodbyes and boarding a plan that would allow me to call Europe home for the next several weeks. Things are really settling down and have even begun to call Dungarvan my home! 

Going to Waterford Institute of Technology on Tuesday's has begun to feel fun in a way. It is rather interesting to see the differences in their university as compared with ours. WIT almost feels as that of a high school in a lot of ways. One reason for saying that is that we learned that unlike Mercyhurst where classes are scheduled throughout the day WIT has a scheduled lunch period where all students are able to eat at a scheduled time. Also, there seems to be many packs that form within the hallways. The library is forever packed with students!! Upon exploring the campus I found this really cool staircase!! 

The experiences though have become very enjoyable at WIT! Learning Irish is too cool!! I wish that I had know even a single word of Gaelic before I came abroad. It is a beautiful language and the way in which they use vowels and accent marks truly fascinates me.

Yeats

Hello long lost blog, 

Amongst all of the fun that I am having both in Dungarvan, and greater Ireland in general I keep forgetting that I actually must do work at times. After a great weekend in Dublin with the group I was extremely tired for class on Monday Yet, as they say the show must go on! On Monday April 11, 2013 I did a presentation on William Butler Yeats for Literature class. I learned an awful lot about him that I did not know prior to doing research for my presentation. For example, I learned about his rather strange love affair turned obsession with Maud Gonne. 

What else was most fascinating about presenting on Yeat's was that since he is such an important figure in Irish history there is an exhibit in his honor in which we got the chance to go through. It was very interesting! Overall I was a bit anxious to present to the class on Yeats. I hope that I did okay!!

I took particular interest to the quote on display. This particular quote reads "cast a cold eye on life. On death horseman pass by." 

Dublin Round Two

Hello!
The third weekend in Ireland was St. Patrick's Day weekend!! This was a dream come true as although I am not Irish it has been one of my favorite holidays for as long as I can remember. I love having the excuse to dress in funny clothing and be crazy!

We decided several weeks prior to departing America that we would venture on our own to Dublin to run in a 5k road race as part of The Gathering celebrations. This required us to figure out how to get to Dublin using public transportation. We chose to take a bus to Waterford City, and then on to Dublin. This was not nearly as difficult as I had thought it might be. It ended up being about a five hour trip, and were anxious to finally get to the city. Europe just does public transportation right!!

That day we explored more of Dublin that we had not had time to do the previous weekend. It was so great to actually have some idea of where things were. Although we were still tourists, I almost began to feel as that of a local. That night we were invited to a dinner to officially kick off The Gathering festival! Come to find out this dinner was only for those who are not from Ireland. It was really neat to mingle with others who came several miles for the same reasons. The dinner was held in the Mayor's Mansion and we even got to here him speak!!

That night we had the chance to see the outer city limits as we got to sleep at a family friends house of Megan. It was truly amazing! They live on the top of a large hill where you could see all the city lights!! Again, it was a great way to see another part of Ireland. Pictured below is a nighttime view of the city from the top of the hill near the home we stayed at: 

The next morning we woke up ready to run the 5k! Again, it was very fun, and got to see EVEN more aspects of the city during the route. There were SO many people who raced. The winner of the race completed it in 14 minutes!! Upon completing the race we boarded a bus to come back home. On Sunday Dungarvan had a great parade and was so honored to be apart of it!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!! :) 

Week Two: Tackling Dublin

The second week abroad we took a group trip to Dublin, Ireland! It was a great weekend in a great city. In fact, this was the first weekend that I ever had the experience of staying in a hostel! This was not nearly as scary as I had thought it would be! I got a great glimpse of the perfect balance of tourism and culture. It was neat to see great landmarks such as Trinity College (as seen in the picture), The General Post Office, and streets such as Grafton Street. Possibly my favorite part of the weekend was seeing Parliament. Being a Political Science major it was extremely interesting to see how European Governments operate. They were in session the day that we got to take a tour, yet had ended for the day just moments before we arrived! Below is a picture of the Irish Parliament!

The next day we got a tour from a local historian. It was extremely interesting, and got see lots of the city centre that would not have been explored on our own. Furthermore, it was interesting to get the history from a professional who is an expert. We saw a breath taking church, castle, and several statues! We also got to see a beautiful green space in the city with a reflecting pond. Although the weather had been bad, and therefore had left debris in its path the space was still breathtaking. It was really beautiful to take a moment of silent reflection in the midst of a hustling and bustling major city.

 The final part of the trip included a trip to the world famous Guinness factory. I have a new found love for this great drink! It was such a nice self guided tour of the factory which is actually used to make this beer which is truly an Irish staple. We got to "pour the perfect pint," and try two different pints of Guinness. Guinness just tastes so much better when you get to pour your own pint!!

After the tour it was time to head back to our new home away from home Dungarvan! I was extremely excited as I was VERY exhausted!!!

Hello blog,
Week one came as quickly as it had left us. It was great to be in our new home for a week and get settled in. Part of the settling in process meant starting classes which I happened to forget was the real reason why I was in Ireland. I suppose I am "STUDYING abroad!" The three classes that I am taking are a Comparative American Government, Ethics, and Anglo Irish Literature. Irish class is moving quite fast as it is only four weeks long. The first story that we read was "Castle Rackrent" by Edgeworth. It was rather difficult, yet was interesting to understand the history of rackrenting in Ireland.  All of the classes are going well, I just must stay focused!!

Welcome Home

As quickly as day one had come to a close day two wasted no time quickly approaching. After having trouble falling asleep the previous night when I finally got the opportunity to do so the day began much sooner than anticipated. This day began with a morning tour from our relentless leader Dr. Hosey. I recall being again so excited to explore yet so confused as to where things were. How was I ever going to remember how to get to school? And then the way to Dunnes? I could remember hearing so much about local landmarks from previous groups that had come to Fungarvan and was anxious to see exactly what the hype over such places actually was. All in that moment that seemed important was following the group for fear that I truly would be lost in a foreign city. I would quickly come to realize that Dungarvan is extremely simple and have found myself now even being so comfortable with this great little town that I even have given directions to landmarks multiple times.

Ireland Welcomes You

On February 28, 2013 my life would forever change. After so much excitement for nearly a year about the possibility of studying abroad in Ireland it finally had become a reality. I packed 46 pounds of clothing, a carry on bag, and a pack that would last me for two and a half months. This was all that I had left of what I knew as I would be leaving my beloved homeland for an over 3,000 mile journey to a northern island which seemed so far. After many unsettling nerves, excitement, bouts with exhaustion, and two plane rides I was finally in my new home.

Upon taking my first breaths of Irish air I instantly knew this place was just too cool. I recall the long trek to the bus which seemed nearly endless as I was carrying far too many articles of clothing literally on my back. When we got to the bus I could not help but stare at cars that were completely backwards from that which I was used to. It literally blew my mind that someone could drive on what would be the passenger side of a car in virtually every other corner of the world. After my initial shock with regards to the cars (which has still not gone away) I settled into a cozy Irish breakfast. I instantly noticed that this food was similar yet worlds away from what I was used to eating. I recall eating a lot of bread, drinking a lot of coffee and looking at the black and white pudding with much confusion.

That day we also had the pleasure of going on our first castle and church tours. That would only be the start of our adventures throughout southern Ireland exploring all that is left of the past. After exploring Kilkenny we made it down to Dungarvan where I anxiously anticipated a nice shower (must turn on the immersion to get hot water)  and a bed as although I did well fighting the jet lag was rather exhausted!!