Friday in the City

After a full week of classes and field trips, it great this morning to get a few extra hours of sleep! Melissa and I went into the city for a few things in the afternoon. I've been starting to think about packing for spring break next week and have realized my Northface backpack just isn't going to cut it. Melissa has a hiking backpack, and I figured it might be a good idea for me to look into getting one, considering that living out of a backpack for 8 days may get pretty interesting! Below a picture of the one I found and bought today.

Speaking of spring break, we booked our hostels this week! Here's the run down of our plans:
* March 5,6,7-Rome
* March 8 &9- Florence
* March 10-Venice
*March 11,12,13- Paris

Two countries, four cities, two flights, three train rides: all in eight days! There are five of us traveling together, I'm getting really excited!

We did a little shopping, grabbed some food and then went to see Leap Year. I'd already seen the movie, but Melissa hadn't so I figured why not see it again, considering we are in Ireland! It was cute, and I'm definitely glad we went to see it. Turns out the film was shot in Dublin and Dingle, one of the small towns we visited a few weeks ago on the southern coast.

Tomorrow, four of us are headed to Galway and the Aran Islands for the weekend! I'm pumped and can't wait to head back to the west coast and see the beautiful islands we've been hearing so much about! Check back Monday for an update and photos!

A Show & the Houses of the Oireachtas

Last night, for our Contemporary Society class, we went to the Abbey Theatre in the city centre for the premiere of Thomas Kilroy's Christ Deliver Us! Set in the 1950s, the show tells the story of a Irish teenagers growing up in a strict, Catholic Ireland. It was really interesting, I'm not sure we all caught a lot of the symbolism throughout the show, as it was a little challenging at times to understand between the accents and the story line. Today's field trip to the Houses of the Oireachtas was really informative. We got the opportunity to sit in on both the Seanead (the Senate) and the Cabinet (similar to the House). I was really surprised at the casual and harsh language the cabinet and senate members used when addressed their constituents. The trip brought back some fond memories of fields trips in elementary school to the state house in Trenton. After our visit, Seanead member Joseph O'Toole. It was great to hear firsthand about the daily activities of an Irish senator. He made sure to make a few sly comments about the United States and our system of government during his talk too. Colleen and I swam in the sport center's pool today after class. It's a pretty nice facility, although it's not the same as the FitRec (BU's gym). We ventured into their steam room, sauna, and the tepidarium. I'd never heard of one before, but made sure to ask someone what it was exactly. It was the Roman's version of a bathroom, but today it's used primarily for relaxation purposes. Basically, a tiled room with large circular bench seat with a under-the-floor heating system. It was really nice, and I'm sure we'll be back for some relaxation time again real soon.

A few of us are headed back to Galway this weekend for a night, and then to Inis Mor, the largest of the three Aran Islands!

Dóchas

At the beginning of the semester, we asked our society professor to give us one or two Gaelic words per class, in hopes we'd learn some of the native Irish language. Today's word: Dóchas, means hope. While it didn't necessarily hit me in class, I was thinking about the word a few hours afterwards, and it reminded me of a video I watched a few days back.

Right before and during our journey across the pond nearly 6 weeks ago (tomorrow actually, yikes!), a tragic sequence of events took place in the Caribbean Sea. Haiti was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, leaving over 220,000 people dead and nearly 1 million people homeless. An estimated 52 aftershocks were felt over the following two weeks, leaving the country and its people reaching out to the rest of the world for help. While the coverage of the aftermath of the earthquake surely hasn't been up to the same level as it probably is back in the States, the images captured in Haiti of those people affected are horrific and terribly saddening.

A remake of 1985 hit "We Are the World" written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, was performed by a collaberative group of artists under the title "We Are the World 25 for Haiti." Top recording artists, including Janet Jackson, Celine Dion, Sugarland, Lil' Wayne, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Adam Levine, Barbra Streisand, Kayne West, Carlos Santana, Josh Groban, Pink, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Jamie Foxx, Haitian-American Wyclef Jean and many other worked together on the single, under the leadership of Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones.

You may or may not have seen the video. Or maybe you saw it air during the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver a few weeks ago. If you haven't seen it, or heard the remake, take a few minutes to watch the video. It definitely inspired me, and gave me a reason to hope. "Dóchas"

Democracy in Ireland

Today in Contemporary Society we discussed the Ireland's democratic system of government. While the system is similar to that of the U.S., it does differ slightly. The country struggled for nearly 60 years to gain Home Rule, where they'll be able to govern themselves, instead of England. Here's the breakdown of some facts for you:

- In 1800, the Act of Union with Westminster did away with Home Rule, giving the British crown control over Ireland.
- Ireland's political parties:
Labour Party, Fine Gael, Fianna Fail, Progressive Democrats, Sinn Fein, Green Party and Indepedents.
- Today's Dail (government) is comprised of 166 members. Breakdown of those members: Labour Party: 20
Fine Gael: 51
Fianna Fail: 78
Progressive Democrats: 2
Sinn Fein: 4
Green: 6
Independent: 5
- If any party were to have over 83 members in the Dail, they can practically run the country.

Other interesting facts: The current Irish President, Mary MacAleese, is the second consecutive female President. She's currently in her second 7-year term. The Irish president is really a figurehead, elected to represent all people, despite prior allegiance to any political party. But, is it really possible for someone to remain unbiased politically, after being elected to represent the people? The main head of the Irish democratic system is the Taoiseach (Prime Minister). Ireland's current Taoiseach is Brian Cowen. Each Taoiseach has to be elected first by the people and then second to the parliament by the representatives. While Irish government also has two houses, the system is bicameral and is more similar to the British Parliament than to the U.S.

We're scheduled to visit the Dail (pronounced Do-al) on Thursday for a field trip, and we'll hopefully get to speak with some of the politicians. After visiting Stormont, the home of northern Ireland's government, I'm interested to see how much the Dail differs from the northern system of government.

Irish Music

We had a lecture about the music industry in Ireland last week, and I figured it'd been a interesting topic to write about. Big name artists such as U2, Enya and the Cranberries are all Irish! Who would've thought? Bono, U2's main vocalist and songwriter, was born and raised in Dublin. Other members of U2 also grew up in Ireland, and the band is known to make frequent trips to the country. No, no... I haven't seen U2. Just thought you'd find this info interesting. I received a recently published article in an email from one of my BU professors a few days ago about a shoot in Belfast for a film/documentary about Bono's life last weekend. Apparently, they were looking for extras for the 80s era film. Looks like U2's roots are definitely seeded in this country!


Van "The Man" Morrison is also a famous Irish artist, originally from northern Ireland. While he's had a few hits, "Brown Eyed Girl" may be considered his best track. I grew up listening to it, as it's one of my uncle's favorite songs. I've heard it a few times in several of the pubs, and it always reminds me of home. Here's a covered version of the song, enjoy!

Snow in Ireland

Just as we were getting ready to leave for the city centre last night, it started to snow. Now, if you're familiar with Ireland at all, you know it just doesn't snow on the island. I was skyping with my mom when I glanced out the window and there it was: SNOW!

Because Ireland is located in the gulf stream, the country has chilly winters, cool summers and loads of rain. It snowed a week before we arrived mid-January, and everyone has been telling us that the country practically shut down as a result of the whooping 2-3 inches they received. The snow came down in almost marble-size flakes for a good 20-30 minutes.

As we were walking out of our apartment building, several of us were hit by flying snowballs. Several of the Irish students who live a floor below us were in the middle of a snowball fight and saw us as the perfect target. I didn't make it very far outside before having to dodge a few snowballs, and that's when Elizabeth, Colleen and I decided to run back upstairs, change and come back outside to join in on the snowball fight. We made some snowmen, countless snowballs and new friends with Irish students who were equally as excited as us to see the snow!

Flag Football

Elizabeth, Colleen, Jack and I headed down the road from campus to play some flag football this morning. One of the guys we met during the DCU Superbowl party a few weeks back invited us to join their flag football team on Saturdays to play some ball. I'd say the guys on the team were pretty happy we showed up, since they were short some players today.

We ran some routes, and then played a game of 4 v 4. I can't say I received my father's talent on the field, but I was able to score a touchdown and blitz the QB a few times. It was a lot of fun to run around outside for a few hours. It was a chilly morning, but the sun came out in the afternoon and it warmed up a little.

I spent the afternoon researching and getting books from the library for my next essay. This one's for Contemporary Society. I've chosen to focus on the topic of Irish Women in Sport. I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the history of Irish females and their participation in athletics. My idea was to focus on their involvement in college sports, although I'd had some trouble finding more information in that area. After spending a semester interning with a college athletic department in the States, it's hard to put aside my knowledge of NCAA athletics and try to learn about college sports in other country. I feel like this one will give me more trouble than the last one, but I think I'm up to the challenge.

Croke Park

Let me just start by saying that today was amazing! After being away from Dublin for three straight weekends, I think it's safe to say most of us were excited to do some more exploring this weekend.

Eight of us walked to Croke Park, the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association this afternoon. With the sun shining, few clouds in the sky, and a little cool breeze, we arrived just in time for a stadium tour.

(The Stadium was renovated between 2000-2006. Each stand was rebuilt in one of the three-phase project. This allowed Croke Park to never miss a match!)

Our tour guide was hilarious, and asked us all to pretend we were members of one of the teams preparing to play in today's match. We walked through the tunnel underneath the Cusack, Davitt and Hogan stands before getting a chance to sit in the player's lounge. Here, players from both teams would have the opportunity to socialize after their match, together.
(Incredible Waterford light fixture in the player's lounge.
We were told they can easily change the colors of the bulbs
to match the colors of the teams playing.)

Then we headed into dressing room, where all 34 team jerseys were on display. It was really neat to see each jersey; hopefully we'll be able to start identifying which one belongs to what team now!

We moved into the warm-up room, where players would have the opportunity to hit the sliotar (hurling ball) or throw the football around before the start of the match. Our tour guide acted almost like our coach, giving up a little pep talk before heading into the tunnel to lead us onto the pitch. They even had a simulator of chants, cheering and music playing in the tunnel as we walked through, getting us ready to play. Although we didn't get a chance to actually walk onto the pitch (field), the view from the pitchside was incredible.

After walking up a few stories, we headed into the press room, and out into their seats in the stadium. Their view of the pitch is perfect, almost guaranteeing no obstruction of seeing any part of the game.

View from the Ulster Bank Group box

Last stop on the tour was one of the many corporate boxes. This one, the Ulster Bank Group box, is located right above the Cusack Stand. What a great view, huh? For only 1 million Euro, companies can rent out one of these private boxes for 10 years (not including the rugby and soccer matches, or the cost of food bear in mind).

The museum was really informative too. It was neat to see and hear about the G.A.A., especially after just writing one of my essays about the association.

We all headed into the city centre for food afterwards. The girls went to a great place near city hall called "Queen of Tarts." Everyone filled up on homemade tarts, yummy sandwiches, fresh salad and heavenly sweets. On our way back to the bus stop, we decided to go to the XD/4D Theater. It's located right next to the bus stop and we've been saying we should try it for weeks. Although we may have looked a little old for this, the five of us joined three 9 year old boys in the theater for 7 minutes of laughs, screams and 4D glasses-wearing fun!

Sounds like tonight is an ice cream & movie night with the girls! What could be more perfect than a great ending to another great day!

One Paper Down & Weekend

The weekend is here! We turned in our history essays this afternoon, and realized we only have four classes left before our exam. Yikes! I can't believe we've been here for five weeks, it really feels like we just arrived yesterday.

We talked some about the Irish War of Independence today, and watched a short clip of the film The Wind that Shakes the Barley. It looked pretty interesting, I'll have to look into borrowing it from the professor.

Another field trip tonight: to the Millbank Theatre. We're seeing Playboy of the Western World. It sounds pretty interesting, and we're scheduled to hear someone talk beforehand. We're headed into the city centre tonight to celebrate another 21st birthday. One of the guys in my suite, Mike, turned 21 today so we'll all planning to head downtown after the show tonight!

"Going to Jail.."

No class today, instead we went to jail. That's right, we went to Kilmainham Gaol (Priosun Chill Mhaighneann, in Gaelic). Over 200 years old, this jail once housed those Nationalists responsible for the 1916 Rising . Some of its most famous prisoners include: James Connolly, Joseph Plunkett, Grace Gifford, Michael Davitt, Charles Stewart Parnell, Edward Daly and Éamon de Valera. Fourteen of those who led the Rising were later executed for their crimes inside the prison yard at Kilmainham.

Built in 1796, this jail at one time housing over 9,000 inmates, men, women, and children. With only 110 or so cells available, overcrowding became an immediate problem. Kilmainham Gaol became the home for many Irish affected by the famine, as fathers, mothers and children alike who were arrested for stealing food or clothing became its prisoners and were sentenced to months or even years of hard labor.
The jail shut down in 1924, as another jail was built in Dublin. Kilmainham remained closed until the 1960s when a group organized in hopes of restoring the old jail. With six inches of dirt caked on the main room's floor and trees growing almost to the ceiling, it took nearly two decades for the restoration process to be completed, and when it was reopened to tourists, then Irish President Éamon de Valera, a former prisoner, entered and toured the jail where he previously spent several months of his life.

The jail has been made even more famous in recent years. It's been used in scenes for several films, including In the Name of the Father and The Italian Job. It's Victorian wing has great acoustics, and many artists have recorded songs there. U2 also shot its music video for "A Celebration" inside the jail.
It was pretty neat to get a chance to walk through the jail and yard, and to see where so many of those who fought to make this country what it is today were kept until they were executed. The museum was pretty interesting too- one exhibit featured several of the last letters the Rising leaders wrote to their families before they were killed.

RTE & Pancake Day

Today in our Mass Media class we had a pretty interesting discussion about RTE, Ireland's national TV and radio broadcaster. We talked about the overarching influence of both the U.S. and Britain in helping to shape and mold what content airs on Irish television. Here's the breakdown of RTE:

- RTE is a non-profit organization, owned and partially funded by the Irish people.
- It consists of:
Two TV channels- RTE 1, RTE 2
Four Radio stations- RTE radio, RTE 2FM, RTE lyric fm, and RTE Raidio na Gaeltachta
One magazine- the RTE guide (similar to the State's TV Guide?)
One teletext information service- RTE Aertel (enables you to read news story headlines on TV)
A Web Site- www.rte.ie
- The first RTE radio station, 2RN, launched in 1926. (American radio started around 1922)
- RTE's mission is to promote an Irish culture of nationalism, while providing its readers with programming that reflects the diversity of all people in Ireland.
- 40% of all content aired on radio stations in Ireland must be news/current affairs, as per the law.
- It's also mandated by law that everyone pay the RTE license fee of 160 Euro for an annual subscription for this programming. The license fees in turn help to pay for broadcasting costs.

Vincent Murphy, a broadcast journalist from RTE's Morning Ireland radio show, came to speak to our class today. He's a graduate of DCU, and has several years of experience working in the public broadcasting sector. It was real interesting to hear his own opinions about the benefits of public broadcasting. We realized that there isn't necessarily something equivalent to RTE in the states. Murphy, along with our professor for that class, are both moving to the U.S. in the next to take jobs in New York and Washington, D.C.

I've got a long night ahead of me: We have a 2,000 word essay for our History class due on Thursday, and another essay for Contemporary Society due next Tuesday. I think we're all starting to realize that the semester is coming to a close quickly, even though it feels like we just started classes not that long ago.

Today is Fat Tuesday in the U.S. In Ireland, Fat Tuesday is known as "Shrove Tuesday" or Pancake Tuesday. Up until yesterday, we couldn't find any pancake mix in any of the grocery stores here. But last night, there seemed to be a surplus of different mixes and syrups flooding the store. Now I finally understand why exactly. Shrove Tuesday was nicknamed Pancake Tuesday because years ago (and still today) Catholics would make and eat foods made with sugar and eggs, as a way to use up whatever ingredients were left in the house before the Lent season began. It sounds like some of my suitemates were headed to the store to buy mix and syrup; looks like we'll be joining in with the tradition tonight. But before I decide to fill up on pancakes and sugary syrup, I'm headed to the gym!

The Rainy Walking Tour & First Time at the Movies

We all met up at Trinity College this afternoon for a walking tour of Dublin depicting specific parts of the city that were affected during the 1916 Easter Rising. The tour was also a field trip for history class, as we've recently been talking about this tragic yet monumental day in Irish history. Our tour guide pointed out several of the famous statues throughout the city as we worked our way from the college up O'Connell St. to the General Post Office (commonly referred to as the GPO) to Dublin's City Hall and finishing up at Dublin Castle. Throughout the tour it rained, which I'm starting to begin to accept as normal Irish weather. The tour guide was hilarious and really made the two-hour walk interesting. He pointed out the bullet holes left in the columns outside of the GPO and a plaque placed on the outside of city hall to commemorate those who lost their lives during the 1916 Rising. It was really informative, although the rain didn't really help to make walking around the city very exciting.

Before the tour, Melissa and I went to a local farmer's market downtown. Apparently, the market is open seven days a week! We found some great deals on fresh produce: apples, bananas, carrots, celery, lemons, and a pineapple for under 10 euro. I think we might start buying our fruits and vegetables in the city centre from now on.

After the tour we went to Brewley's, a local chain cafe on Grafton St. for soup and brown bread. We ate early so we could make the 5:30 showing of Valentine's Day. Only a day late, we figured it would be fun to go to the movies. Tickets for the movie cost 6.50 euro with a student id, since the showing was before 6 o'clock. (6.50 euro is about $9.75). We were both surprised by the set up of the theater: it reminded me of an actual show theater, no stadium seating and walls were covered by a long red curtain. When it came time for the film to start, the curtains opened and the previews ran. The Blindspot was advertised to be coming soon (it came out before Thanksgiving in the U.S.). After the previews, the curtains shut again. We thought may be there were technical difficulties, but no one in the theater seemed to be surprised by the curtain. After a few minutes the curtain opened again and the movie ran on the gigantic floor-to-ceiling screen. It was a cute movie, and I think we both enjoyed the experience.

Weekend on the Southwestern Coast, part 2

Seventeen of us got up a little earlier on Saturday morning to take a boat trip out in Dingle Harbor and into the Atlantic Ocean. In 1983, a wild bottlenose dolphin swam into the harbor and decided to make it his home. Since then, "Fungie" the Dingle dolphin hasn't left the harbor. We took two separate boats out and got a chance to see the dolphin up close. It was an absolutely beautiful morning, the sun was out and the water was incredibly clear. group photo on the pier before heading out into Dingle harbor

I wasn't quick enough with my camera to get a picture of Fungie, but had a great time! At one point, he was swimming between the two boats only a few feet from us.

After heading back to the hostel to grab the rest of our stuff, our whole group headed out for a tour around the Dingle Peninsula. For anyone who's ever driven down Route 1 in California, I'd say this was pretty similar: steep cliffs, beautiful blue water, little shoulder on the road (if any). It amazed me how sheep were grazing in pastures on the cliffs overlooking the ocean!


We stopped along the way at Cathair na gConchuireach (Caher Conor), a stone cashel of ringforts (stone monuments built and enhabited in 1200 AD). The architecture of these beehive huts reminded me of an igloo, as stones were placed in a circular shape to construct a dome-like structure.
Our next stop was Slea Head Beach. Not only was I thrilled to get a chance to walk in the sand, but also to stick my feet in the Atlantic Ocean! We brought packed lunches and ate along the cliff before heading down toward the water. A few of us even got a game of capture the flag going. We spent a few hours on the beach, before leaving. Cold, sandy feet and wet clothes, but tons of memories! This definitely had to be one of my favorite things we've done since we arrived in Ireland.
Some of the people from our group wrote "What's the Craic?" in the sand. This phrase is really common in Ireland; it means "What's going on?" or "What's fun?" Jack, me, Jake, and Tara

We stopped at one other beach, Coumeenole Beach. There were a bunch of surfers in the ocean when we drove by. Coumeenole is also the site where scenes from Far and Away starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise were filmed.

We completed the circle around the peninsula, and headed to Killarney. After arriving, a few of us headed into the town to find some hot chocolate and coffee. We wound up walking into a pub and watching the last few minutes of the France vs. Ireland rugby match. I have to say the atmosphere reminded me of being in a bar back home watching a football game on a Sunday.
We ate dinner at the Granary in downtown Killarney. After dinner, most of us had car bombs. A car bombs is a glass of Guinness with a shot of Bailey's Irish Cream. I wasn't so thrilled about the idea, but when in Ireland... It was surprisingly really good. From there we headed to a pub/nightclub that reminded me a a vampire's lair, red and black walls, dim lighting. We didn't last long there before we headed to McSorley's a bar and live music venue. We heard a great band, Amoric; they did a bunch of covers to familiar songs most of us knew well. Another great finish to a great day on the coast! Downtown Killarney

Sunday morning we left Killarney and headed to Blarney in County Cork. We visited the Blarney Castle. We walked around inside the ruins of the castle before making our way to the top to kiss the Blarney Stone. Legend has it that everyone who kisses the stone receives the gift of gab, or eloquence. The jury's still out on whether I actually received the gift, but what could be more appropriate then to kiss the Blarney Stone on Valentine's Day?
Blarney Castle
About to kiss the Blarney Stone


We also made a trip to the Blarney Woolen Mills. I made sure to pick up a knited hat and scarf to commorate the occasion!

Weekend on the Southwestern Coast, part 1

Another great weekend. It can't really be summed up in words, and the pictures don't do the scenery any justice. We started out on Friday with a rescheduled field trip to Glendalough in County Wicklow. Right before we arrived in Ireland, the island received a few inches of snow. While it doesn't sound like a lot, especially considering what the east coast has been receiving over the past couple weeks, it caused many businesses and historical sites to shut down. The snow also caused a flood and destroyed a bridge at Glendalough. Anyway, after an hour drive we arrived on site and took a quick walk through the indoor museum before venturing outside to view the historical monk settlement.
Glendalough means "the valley between two lakes." Glaciers created this valley that monks settled on hundreds of years ago. We walked down to see each of the lakes, stopping to take photos along the way.

The Upper Lake
A group of ducks followed us across the lake. It's fair to say we fed them, so of course they would follow.

Caroline picked us up at Glendalough and we then set off for Dingle, our first stop for the weekend. We drove through Wicklow National Park on our way, where one of the scenes from P.S. I Love You was filmed. We spent a total of seven hours on a bus on Friday, but got to see some beautiful scenery. We ate dinner at Murphy's, a local place located near Dingle Harbor, and then made stops at two other pubs. The second was An Droichead Beag, which means the little bridge in Gaelic. They did have live music, although most of it was American covers. We had a great night chatting with locals and even met some other American college students who were studying abroad. Most of us decided to walk back to the hostel. The sky was so clear and all of the stars were out. It was absolutely breathtaking, and one of my favorite memories from the weekend for sure.


The Rainbow Independent Hostel

An Interview, Soccer & the GAA

Three of us got up early this morning to head into the city centre for our internship interview. Jack, Lauren and I all were placed to intern with the Marketing Network, a marketing agency based in Dublin. We were pretty early (almost an hour) so we spent some time hanging out in a local coffee & bagel place before heading across the street to meet some of the people we'll be working with starting in March. The interview was informal, more of a let's get to know you type of conversation. It was great to hear more about the agency and made me excited for the next phase of my study abroad experience. The commute will take close to an hour, and we'll be interning with them starting in March, four days a week.

We missed class today for the interview, but our professor was understanding (everyone in our program has an interview, so I think he's used to hearing the excuse now). We had the afternoon off, as we had a guest lecturer tonight instead of the regular history lecture. So after lunch, a few of us headed outside to play soccer in Albert College Park next to campus. Our apartment overlooks the park, and we've seen people playing on the fields but hadn't gotten a chance to play yet. The fields were pretty muddy (I'm guess this is normal for Ireland since it rains pretty much everyday?). We had a really good time, even though the air was chilly, the sun was out for the entire afternoon, something we've come to love because it rarely happens. I fell twice and my clothes and sneakers got pretty dirty, but I had fun. It was great to get outside for a little bit and kick the ball around. It was another reminder that my high school soccer days were a while ago.

Tonight we had Donal Mac An Ailin, a member of the Ulster GAA, speak to us about the GAA and how it has shaped Irish history. I found his talk really interesting and helpful, as I'm writing my history essay about the same topic. It was neat to here about its foundation and development over the years.

Tomorrow we have another class field trip to Glendalough County Wicklow, just south of Dublin. From there, most of our group will be headed to the southwest of Ireland for the weekend with Caroline for another one of her trips. This time we'll be visiting the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry and have the opportunity to kiss the Blarney Stone. I'll be sure to write up a full report on the weekend's activities on Sunday!

While in the Library..

Today was pretty uneventful. I spent a few hours this afternoon at the library on campus researching the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) for two of my term papers. I chose two topics similar to one another, and I'm pretty excited to read more about each of them.

For history, I chose to write about the significance of how the GAA has shaped Irish history. The Gaelic Athletic Association started in 1884, when three of its patrons, Charles Stewart Parnell, Michael Davitt and Thomas Croke wanted to develop an organization to promote and protect Irish traditional sport. While Gaelic football and hurling are the most well known Gaelic games, handball and camogie (women's hurling) are gaining popularity.

My sociology essay is a little different. I wanted to focus on Irish women in sport, with a concentration in collegiate athletics. What sports are available to women? When were women first allowed to compete in the GAA? What are the differences between hurling and camogie? What is the country doing to promote women's involvement in athletics? I'm hoping to get more of a grasp on the topic over the next few days.

To get into the library, you've got to use your student id on a turnstile that resembles a grocery store bar code scanner. I started on the first floor, researching women in Irish sport, but quickly moved upstairs to pick up a few books about the GAA and its history. I tripped walking down the stairs to return a book I wasn't using. Luckily, a few people from our group were also there at the time and had the opportunity to witness my stumble. I'm just glad they were there to laugh with me; I'm pretty sure we were the only ones on any of the floors talking at the time. Don't worry, a few steps down I tripped over my own feet again, but managed to catch myself before anyone saw me, I think. It that wasn't enough: I went to sign out several books but quickly learned they have another self check-out bar code scanner for books. It took me a minute to figure out how to use it too. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with the technology.

I took spinning again tonight. I'm starting to really love the exercise classes here. It's so nice to show up a few minutes before class, sign up and go. I have yet to have the same instructor, which could explain why tonight's class felt easier.

I interview tomorrow morning with the Marketing Network, a med-sized marketing agency based in Dublin. There are two other people in our group that will be interning with them next month as well, so we'll all be headed down into the city together tomorrow. I'm excited to see what I'll be doing and who I'll be working with during my last 8 weeks in Ireland. It's hard to believe we've been here for four weeks tomorrow!

Northern Ireland, part 3; Today's Field Trip

Sunday Feb. 7

We got a later start on Sunday morning, but managed to spend almost an hour roaming the streets of Derry before leaving to head home. We bought some warm cinnamon scones at a local coffee shop and walked along the Derry walls for a little bit. It sprinkled some, but the sun came out before we left.

Our group made one stop on the way back to Dublin, in Drogheda. One of Ireland's oldest and most historical city, Drogheda is home to nearly 35,000 people making it the island's third largest town. As it was Sunday, most of the shops were closed. We visited St. Peter's Church to see the famous shrine of St. Oliver Plunkett.

The shrine's located in the sanctuary and features Plunkett's preserved shrunken head. We were told it resembled a small leather football, and if you are to look closely you can still see his teeth. A little weird, I know.
The shrine is in the glass and gold case you see in this picture.

To catch you up to speed: Today (Tuesday), our group had another field trip. This time, we visited the National Museum of Ireland at Collins Barracks. Collins Barracks is a former military barracks that housed both British and Irish forces for three centuries. A group of us decided to walk to the museum (which took about an hour after walking from campus). We had a sheet to fill out for class, but spent almost two hours walking through the Soldiers & Chiefs exhibit. We also went to St. Michan's Church, a 900-year old church and basement crypt. While the inside of the church wasn't anything too special, the crypt held the preserved remains of several people 400 and 800 years old. They have some of the caskets open for viewing, and I thought it was pretty remarkable that one women (400 years old) still had intact fingernails! Also, I didn't know that hundreds of years ago, if you died and were too tall to fit in the standard-sized casket, they simply cut off your feet! (I guess you can say this is a funeral director's daughter talking).

Superbowl Sunday in Ireland

I'm not sure if I've mentioned before, but most stores and businesses, including grocery stores, are closed on Sundays in Ireland. Most of the pubs are open, but close earlier on Sunday nights. We only receive a limited number of channels on our TV in our suite. With all of this in mind, what were we Americans going to do in order to watch the Superbowl?

Fortunately for us, a few of the DCU guys we met a few weeks ago invited us to come to their Superbowl party in the city centre. The game started at 6:30pm in the States, which means it started in Ireland around 11:30pm. It was a late night for us, we managed to make it to the party before kick-off and we spent the night meeting some of the DCU American Football club members. That's right, they have a club on campus that's comprised of a bunch of Irish students who get together one a week to practice and they compete against other university's teams. Our two friends are on the team, and we thought it would be a great way to get to know some other DCU students. All four of us received free beer and appetizers! Everyone was very welcoming, which seems to be the trend in this country. We stayed until almost the end of the fourth quarter before heading back to campus. I think we got home around 2:30am, but it was well worth going.

It was fun to watch the game in another country, although I missed the American commercials tremendously! Because the game was broadcast on a British network, they only showed European ads. I guess I'll be spending some time watching the commercials on youtube later. It was great to make some new friends, and I'm sure we'll be attending at least one of the DCU Saints games this season.

Make sure to read my post from earlier today about Saturday's visit to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, Giant's Causeway, and Derry! (Below)

Weekend in Northern Ireland, part 2

Saturday 6 Feb. Derry

Saturday morning came very earlier for a few of us. 6:30am. We ventured outside in the rain to walk 20 minutes to St. George's Market. Most of us were starving, and got scones, pastries or potatoe & cheese pancakes and coffee/tea from the vendors. Can't really describe the different smells from the market, just know that they were incredible!


I had a really good breakfast sausage roll and caramel latte.
We left Belfast around 9am and headed to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. The bridge is over 350 years old, and is typically used by fishermen during the salmon season. It's also open to tourists, if they dare to walk across it. With the "I only live once" attitude, I crossed the bridge which is suspended 30m above the sea. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be!

The views were breathtaking and the air was chilly, but it was exhilarating.

Next stop: Giant's Causeway. There's an old Irish legend told that explains how this beautiful site was created: A giant, Finn MacCool laid the causeway out over the Irish sea to serve as a path to his lady love in Scotland. Today, this strange rock formation resembles stepping stones and appears to even be man made (it's all natural). The columns you see in the pictures are made of basalt, a common volcanic rock, and are hexagonal-shaped. We spent about an hour climbing over and through the causeway.

We slowly made our way to Derry (Loyalists commonly referred to this city as "Londonderry"). On the way, we drove through Portstewart, a town where some of my ancestors are from!
After checking into the hostel, one of Rick Steve's tour guides took our group on a walking tour of the city. He explained how the city is still very much divided into Catholic and Protestant areas. Many of the housing developments feature bold murals, some of which you'll see below.

Note: I chose not to take pictures of some of the murals, as several were pretty graphic. I was amazed that people live in these neighborhoods and see these images everyday.

This says "You are know entering Free Derry." This mural features the eyes of one of the people who were killed on Bloody Sunday, January 30, 1972, when 13 people died as a result of being shot for participating in a civil rights protest. The famous U2 song Bloody Sunday is discusses that horrific day in Irish history.


The hostel put on a barbque for us Saturday night, and we all sat underneath a makeshift tent in the backyard huddled around heat lamps. There were plenty of hamburgers, veggie burgers, and sausages to go around. Everyone headed out to Peadar O'Donnell's, one of Northern Ireland's most famous pubs. We met and talked with some locals, and heard some traditional Irish music. The band played one song about Derry, and most of the men in the bar stood up and starting singing along with them, one typical form of Irish patriotism. The owner of the pub bought the bar next door years ago, and put a door connecting the two bars to allow customers to move between the two bars without having to walk outside. We floated between the Irish music and the rock band was performing. A few of us went to one of the nightclubs in the city called Sugar for a few hours as well. Overall, another great, jam-packed day.