More Dublin!

Our first real day in Dublin started pretty early. I started my day out with a nice Irish complimentary breakfast at the hotel, eggs, rashers, and a danish, yet I told them to hold the black and white pudding. Then, as a group we went to Christ Church which was right across the street from our hotel. It was a beautiful church, really nice detail and intricate statues and stain glass. I think it is actually one of the oldest churches in Dublin, next to St. Patrick's Cathedral.
You could actually go down into the basement of the cathedral, where there were tons of displays telling about the church's history as well as other historical artifacts like golden dishes, holy garments, and the costumes of those in the TV series The Tudors, which is filmed in the church. Next we walk down the street to Trinity College, where we saw The Book of Kells. The campus was beautiful and there were people everywhere. I couldn't imagine going to school at a tourist attraction. The Book of Kells was actually pretty neat. Everyday a page would be flipped to show a different passage and detailed illustrations. I was actually able to recognize a lot of the symbols since at the time I was taking the cross-cultural symbolism class. Next, we went to the Old Library in the long room. It was full of very old books stacked as high as the ceiling and statues of scholarly people.

After a while everyone started out on their own excursions around the city. A small group of us then proceeded to go to the writers museum. I wasn't particularly interested in this at first but decided to check it out and broaden my horizons of Irish writers. The museum was pretty small but had a lot of displays for the major Irish writers. I didn't recognize hardly any of them until I got to James Joyce. The display told about his life and the books he wrote. This actually helped me to get to know and understand Dubliners a little bit better now that I had more insight in to his life. After going through the museum, I felt like I saw James Joyce things everywhere. There were statues, plaques, and buildings dedicated to him all over the place, which makes me think he must have been quite a honorable man in Dublin.

The day soon ended and our night was just beginning. Melissa, Lindsay, Taylor and I were getting ready for our first night out in Dublin on our own. We dressed ourselves all up and first headed our for dinner. I was craving Mexican the entire trip so we tried to get into this one place,Acapulco, but the wait was way too long for us so we settles for Cuban across the street. The place was packed as well but we managed to get a table right in front. After having two pitchers of Sangria, an authentic dinner, and some major goofing off, we headed out to Temple Bar.
Now although everyone told us not to go there, we went anyway. The first place we tired was The Quay Bar. We walked in and the place was packed from front to back, you had to literally suck in to get through the crowd and to the bar. Once we bought our six euro drinks, we headed closer to the front where two guys were playing guitar, mostly covers. After we finished those drink we decided to head out and look for a new location. In the mean time, one of our friends from Dungarvan contacted us because he was staying in Dublin that weekend as well. We met him and his friend, and continued searching for the perfect place to go. While walking around, these girls on the street stopped us and said that if they stamped our hands that we could get in to this night club called Madonna for free and get a free shot at the door. What a could be better? So we headed for the club, got in and had our free drink. As soon as we got down the stare, I felt like I was in a bad music video. The bar had an 80s theme so there were disco balls everywhere, colorful lights, and bad music. Lets just say we moved on from that place pretty fast. The next place we went was the best of the night. The one guy we were with was really in to reggae music and knew of a place where this ragga DJ would be playing. Once we found the place, we had the best time. The vibe was really laid back as we jammed along to the reggae beats. We spent the rest of the night there just dancing and having a good time. Unfortunately our night had to end early since the clocks sprung forward that night and we had to be up the next morning at 8. Damn, day light savings! We headed ourselves back to the hotel just before grabbing a Cadbury egg as our midnight snack.

The rest of my time in Dublin was spent doing a little shopping, walking around the city, and going to the Guinness factory, where I learned to pull the perfect pint. Over all, I really enjoyed the city and it was nice to see another side to Ireland that you don't get in Dungarvan.

Welcome to Dublin

We headed out on the bus to Dublin at 8 AM Friday morning. Tired from the night before, I fell asleep as soon as we left and didn't wake up till our first stop an hour and a half later. Only about another hour and a half to go before we would reach the big city.



Tom and Fearghal accompanied us on the trip and would be our tour guides of the city. When we arrived, everyone was matched up and given their room keys. I was put with Monica and Caitlin, who are my roommates back in Dungarvan as well. We had a little while to freshen up then we were off to get a feel for the city. Tom of course had a great story for ever site we visited. I don't know where he gets all his knowledge from but man he knows it all. We hit a ton of historical sites that day from the outside of the Dublin Castle to the Natural History Museum, where we saw these awesome bog bodies. These ancient people's bodies were so well preserved that scientist could tell how old each one was when he or she died, how tall he or she was, and even what each of them ate for breakfast. It was really amazing to see. Most of their skin was still on the bone and even their finger nails stayed completely intact.

Next, we were able to go in to see Parliament, which was actually a really big privilege. And of course we took a group picture in front of it. Tom, besides being an impeccable tour guide, he also was our photographer. He would stop us in front of every historical sight or scenic view in order to get a group shot, even if it meant putting some one's life in danger. He obviously didn't want us to forget anything. Of course it was all good fun, especially for Fearghal who would just walk out of the frame after Tom's 4Th shot of us. But at the end I know I'm really gonna appreciate those picture. Especially because there has to be over 70 of them, which will make for a good laugh one day.

After a day of running around town, we came back for a quick rest to get ready for a night on the town with Fearghal. We first went out for dinner at this Asian noodle restaurant, Wagamama, that literally served gourmet Ramon noddles. The seating was setup with long rows of tables kind of like a cafeteria. It was actually way different than I expected but the food was great. We started the meal off with some warm Saki shots. I ended up with a noodle dish called chicken chilli men, mostly for the name. And with just a touch of hot sauce, it was perfect. I even ate the whole thing with chop sticks, which actually was pretty sloppy but definitely fun. This was just the start of my weekend full of binge eating, I literally wanted to try everything. After dinner, we were off to the posh bars, just after me and Melissa stopped off for a Cadbury egg, which became a regular occurance on this trip.

The first place we stopped in at was very sheek. There was all sorts of fun lighting, beads hanging from the ceiling and a good music. We all had a round and enjoyed the stylish atmosphere. After a while we headed off to another bar just a couple doors down. It was even better than the first one. Really, there was so much going on in this place I didn't know where to look first. You first walk in to this pretty grand entrance where there are cozy little tables along the wall. The first bar is pretty crowded with people, everyone one dressed up in high fashion. As you walk a little further and look up there are huge plants, chandeliers, and lights hanging from the ceiling. It was very bohemian. There were three different floors to the place, yet although it was big there were plenty of private little nooks you could have a drink in. We stayed there for a while, and as time went by the group got smaller and smaller.


When we left this place there was only six of us left. We started on our way home but just before that Fearghal decided to take us through the Temple Bar area, and man was it nuts! Lets just say I saw a lot of skin, puke, and falling all over the place. I mean don't get me wrong I like to have a good time, but this was pretty sickening. It was around 12 midnight when we were there and ever bar looked to be packed to the max. Now I know what they mean when they say Temple Bar is crazy and to stay away.

The last place we went that night was actually really great and seemed to be hidden from the tourists. It was a theater bar where they played a lot of indie films. It was great place to go have a drink, a meal, and even a movie. We sat down had quick drink and a few laughs before we called it quites for the night. I really would have liked to go back there but I never had a chance to. It's definitely on my list for next time though.

A Night To Remember

It all started off on Thursday, the day before we left for Dublin. Everyone was getting ready and packed before the long weekend. It was at this time that a few of us, Lindsay, Taylor, Eoin, and I decided it would be a good idea to go out for a few drinks. So mid packing, I got dressed and we headed out to the Local. When we walked in, the atmosphere was pretty relaxed and we found a table in the back. We sat there for a while as I proceeded to try every type of Irish whisky, the top three being Jamison, Paddy, and Powers. We had a great time telling stories, laughing, and trying to master the coaster flip. This is played by placing a coaster half way off the table then you hit it up with the back of your hand and catch it. Yeah it sounds easy, but try it after a couple of rounds, it could keep you busy for hours. After realizing the only thing I packed for Dublin was a tooth brush and some socks, we decided to head back to the Park. When we reached the townhouses it was about 1 AM.

We sat around for a while just chatting when Melissa got a text message from some friends from the Gaeltacht, who were in the bar at the Park Hotel. They wanted us to join for a couple of drinks since we wouldn't be there that weekend. I decided that would be a good idea and that I would pack later. So Melissa and I headed out to find that the Park doors were shut. We stood there for a while trying to figure out if we should find another way in or just forget about it and head back. Then a man popped his head out the door. We told him we were meeting some friends at the bar and after some convincing he deiced to let us in. The place was pretty empty there were only about two other older men at the bar besides our group. We sat down and enjoyed some nice Irish conversation. After a while our Gaultacht friends wanted to order another round and with a little convincing I got one, too. Guinness's all around! The night continued in this matter. At about 2 AM by some new people came in and sat at the back corner of the bar. They order themselves some Guinnesses and started playing some traditional Irish music.
Excited to see such music being played, we decided to move to a table right next to the group. The atmosphere was perfect as we sat cosily next to a fireplace pints in our hands and live music being played. The night couldn't get any better. One of our friends even got up and played the flute along with them. At around 3 AM Melissa and I decided that we should probably make our way back home in order to get a few hours of sleep before the trip to Dublin. As we started to leave we thanked them for their great music. The two women, Claire and Catherin, who played the flute and he man, Killian, who played the bodhran were from Belfast and were traveling through Ireland on holiday. As we talk a little longer they asked me if I would like to learn to play the bodhran, which is a Irish drum. of course I said yes, especially because i think it's one of the coolest instruments. They gave me the counts and as I started beating, the two flute players joined in. It was one of the greatest moments I had on the trip so far. We finally reached the townhouses at about 3:30 AM. We only had 5 hours left to pack and get a few hours of sleep before we would be heading out in the morning. When I finally did lay down in bed I smiled to myself a bit as I thought back on how great the night was.

Game Time

In order to get us into the really Irish spirit of things, we have been set up to do a multitude of sport activities. We had a choice to do hurling, rugby, gaelic, equestrian, sailing, surfing, and hill walking. As a group we decide to do a crash course in rugby, hurling, and gealic. Rugby was our first sport to try so a group of us hit the field and took on the challenge. When they recommended that we all buy mouth guards, we knew they weren't going to take it easy on us. We learned the basic throwing techniques, did drills, tackling skills, and rules. When all was said and done we played a mini game to become more understand of the game but of course with no blood thirsty tacking involved. It was real great time learning one of Ireland's greatest sports.

That weekend we were exposed to Ireland's top game of choice, Hurling. This game I would say is a cross between lacrosse, soccer, and a bit of baseball. Each player has a hurley, which is a wooden stick that has a flat end. The goal is to get the small ball to the opponents goalpost, where a player can either score above and between the goal posts for one point or below the goal posts into a net that is being guarded by a goal tender for three points. This may sound kind of easy but as this is being done, players are being slapped with sticks as they are trying to balance this small ball on the end of a flat stick. Player's can catch the ball but are only able to walk four steps with it in their hand before they have to throw it up and hit it away. Until recently helmets were not mandatory. It has been said that hurling is the fastest field game in the world.

The game we watched was Waterford verses Limerick. Since the teams are still in preseason alot of the rookie players got to play in order to prepare them for the season which doesn't start till summer around May or June. There are two 35 minute halves with no stops unless someone gets hurt, which there was a lot of. With in the first half of the game an ambulance had to be called to attend to one of the many injured players that day. The vulgar screaming and cheers from the crowd added to the excitement. In the end Waterfrod won 26 to 16 and the town was very happy.

An Rinn

Wednesday March 10th.

Today we went on a bus ride through An Rinn, a city where they speak Irish/Gaelic as their primary language. It was really interesting to hear the people speak to each other in this language because for most of Ireland, this is a lost language. Since we've been in Ireland we have heard some of the Gaelic language, mostly phrases or short expressions. Slainte is the Gaelic word for cheer or to good health. They told us every time we cheers with a Guinness this is the phrase to say.

Also, when we visited this area we were invited to an Irish television station,Nemeton TV, where they showed us a documentary they created called Kennedy's Cadets. When Kennedy visited Ireland he saw some of the Irish honor guard perform and he absolutely loved it. Then when he tragically passed, these same 18 or so soldier performed at his funeral. This would have been very unusual to have a foreign honor guard perform at a presidents funeral, but lucky for them everyone thought they were very professional and clean. We've been learning a lot about Ireland's history since we've been here but this in particularly was interesting because it related both Ireland and the United States.

Experiencing Ireland

My first few days here in Ireland have been unreal. As soon as we step off the plane and saw the Dungarvan officials waiting to greet us, it was only a glimpse of how welcoming these people were going to be. Everyone spoke kindly to us and gave us there best wishes for our stay here. We have been provided with the best accommodations I could ever imagine; beautiful townhouses, cultural experiences, gifts, fine dinning, and warm greetings. I feel that I am going to embrace the Irish culture even more everyday making this place feel more and more like home.