Day Trip - Tour of Connemara

Just a couple hours ago I got home from another awesome experience here in Ireland. A couple days ago we learned of an awesome deal - Tours of Connemara and the Cliffs of Moher for only 15 euro! You do the trips separately, but after you've done both, any time you want to take the tour again, it's free! Being the frugal students we are over here, we could not pass up that deal. So this morning at around 10 AM, we boarded a big tour bus with our great tour guide, Michael, and made our way up through County Galway into the Connemara region. Our first stop on the tour was a place called Famine Village, not too far from Galway City, up along the coast of Galway Bay looking out on the Burren and the Aran Islands. The name Famine Village is pretty self-explanatory. In this small part of Galway, the ruins of dozens of houses abandoned during the Great Famine in the 1840's still stand on the properties of many present day homes. Our tour guide told us that they ruins will never be destroyed by the people due to their deep meaning and significance in Irish history. Some of the thatched roof houses from that period have been repaired a little bit to include windows and such, but most has been left untouched. It was a pretty powerful thing to see.

After that we made our way to Coral Beach, a small stretch of beach that is covered in coral. From far away it seems like sand, but up close, it is easy to see that in fact small pieces of coral cover the shore. As with many other things, Coral Beach has a bit of a legend that goes with it. You see, if you take a handful of coral in your left hand and throw it over your left shoulder, you will be rich. On the other hand, if you take some coral in your right hand and throw it over your right shoulder, you will be lucky in love. Here's the catch: you can't do both! I don't know if I'll tell you which option I chose!

Following Coral Beach came a couple of stops along the winding roads of Connemara for a bunch of photo-ops. We stopped at the Leprechaun's Cottage, a very small house on the side of the road that is said to be the home of a leprechaun. I didn't see one, but as you all know, they're said to be very hard to find. Across the road from the cottage was a really nice waterfall and a hill that we all climbed to get an incredible panoramic view of the Connemara mountains. As a child, when you hear all about the beautiful scenery of Ireland, you imagine it to be something quite special. When you see it, it's so much more than special. The views and the peacefulness that goes with the landscape is really remarkable. It's a real privilege to be here and have the opportunity to see all these amazing sights.

After our failed search for the leprechaun we made our way to the big destination on the tour: Kylemoore Abbey. First, we had some lunch before taking yet another plethora of pictures. Unfortunately, it was a bit costly to get the full abbey experience, but we were close enough to get some great photos. I've said it before but I'll say it again, we have been so fortunate to have had great weather so far. This whole weekend was bright, sunny, and fairly warm. Today was the perfect day for this tour. Perhaps the most amazing thing about the abbey, which is still used as a girls boarding school, is the statue of Jesus that stands high up the mountain above the abbey. The statue, very similar to the one in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (though much smaller) was carried up the mountain by a group of Franciscan nuns, the order that still runs the abbey and school.

Our last stop on the tour was Killary Fjord, a large body of water that flows from the mouth of the Atlantic pretty deep into the Irish countryside. There we saw a salmon farm and some more spectacular views of the mountains and valleys of Connemara.

It was another great day here in Galway. Come to think of it, I don't think there has been a day that has been anything but great so far. Today marks one month in Ireland and I cannot believe the time has gone by so quickly. I hope it slows down because there's so much more to see and experience here.

As always, thanks for reading!

Conor

Classes for the 2010 Semester at NUIG

The title of this post is actually a tad incorrect in this Irish educational environment. See, here they call courses or classes, "modules." During orientation we were told to try and use the word modules as much as possible since that is the common word used at NUIG. However, I don't think that's going to happen. I love this school and all but I think I'll have to continue calling them classes or courses. No hard feelings, NUIG.

That's neither here nor there really when it comes to this post. I thought I would list the courses I am taking this semester just so everyone gets a taste of some of what NUIG offers to their students (both visiting and regular Irish students).

I have a feeling that Aunt Eileen might enjoy this list the most (two classes in particular)

1- EN284: Creative Writing
2- HI328: The Northern Ireland Problem
3- HI327: Early Irish Law
4- HI263: Government Policy & Economic Development in Ireland since 1922 (Very long course title, I know).
5- EN387: 20th Century Literature (really 20th Century Irish literature)
6- AR332: The Development of the Castle in Medieval Europe

So there you have it. No that's not a joke, I have to take six classes here in Ireland, more classes than I've ever taken at home. It's actually not bad at all though. So far they've all been very enjoyable; the material is interesting and the professors (or lecturers as they're called here) all seem to knowledgeable and friendly.

In other, much more exciting news, my first trip of the semester outside Ireland is booked and the destination is: LONDON! I'm going with a group of friends from next Thursday evening until next Sunday night. I can't wait to see London in all its glory. I'll certainly have a big post coming when I get back home.

Once again thanks for reading (even these less exciting posts). Hope all is well.

Conor

The Semester In Pictures!

http://conorspicturesireland2010.shutterfly.com/

Above is the link to a shutterfly site I created where I'll be posting all of my pictures. I'll have some in each post on the blog here but they'll be on the other site in their entirety.

Hope you all enjoy them!

First Trip of the Semester - Cork City & Blarney Castle

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted, not too many exciting things to report during the week.

Up above are a few pictures of my Irish breakfast, Cork City, me kissing the Blarney Stone, a few friends in front of the castle, and the castle from afar (my favorite picture I've taken so far).

This past weekend was the first trip of the semester to Cork City and Blarney Castle. On Friday afternoon we departed from downtown Galway for Cork City. Bus Eireann is a bus company that runs all across the country for pretty cheap (round trip bus fare was 20 euro). The bus ride took just about 4 hours from Galway to Cork which was a little annoying. The scenery on the trip however made it all worth it. We have been really lucky so far, following the big freeze, to have had good weather. Friday was no exception with the sun shining bright and not many clouds in the sky. As we passed through places like Gort and Ennis and Limerick on our way to Cork, I saw some incredible Irish landscape. We passed by the typical cascading green fields, through quaint Irish towns, and even some mountains too. When we arrived in Cork, we made our way to the Kinlay House Hostel. There were 7 of us on the trip and we got our own room. It was a big room with plenty of space and our own bathroom. After getting settled, we walked around the center of Cork City. As with many European cities, a river ran right through the town, the River Lee. Cork City looks kind of like a mini Dublin. It is much bigger than Galway. St. Patrick's street is the main shopping center with cobblestone streets and plenty of pubs, restaurants, and shops to check out. There are also many cool little streets with all kinds of markets and places to explore. Our first stop in the city was the Crawford Art Gallery where we saw a bunch of different exhibits, all of which were really interesting. After a couple hours in the art museum, we found a very nice pub for dinner. Most of us had our first authentic shepherd's pie of the semester and it was awesome. After dinner, we hopped from pub to pub and heard a bunch of great Irish musicians and singers. It was a great first night exploring a very interesting Irish city.

Saturday morning we were up pretty early for a breakfast at the hostel, and at noon we made our way onto a free shuttle bus that brought us to Blarney Castle. I know I was there with all of you on our great trip a few years ago (6 years now actually, wow) but on Saturday I finally got to appreciate what I first saw 6 years ago. When we arrived at the castle, a dense fog was hovering over the grounds, but as we walked up to the base of the castle, miraculously, the fog lifted and that beautiful sunny weather took over for the afternoon, just in time. We trekked the narrow stone steps and finally reached the top. All seven of us kissed the famous stone and were all given the "gift of eloquence" as they say here. I'm going to set up a website soon where all my pictures will be since at the moment they're only on Facebook and a few are on here, but there's plenty more. The view from the top of the castle was spectacular and we could see for miles out onto the Irish countryside. After our tricky descent down those narrow steps, we took a stroll through the Rock Close and the gardens surrounding the castle. There were all kinds of landmarks that harbored Irish folklore legends like the Witch's Stone and Druid's Circle. Legend has it, if you stand in the middle of Druid's Circle, no evil spirits can harm you. At the Witch's Stone, we all left coins. With our euro coins were American coins, British coins, and even some Asian currency. People from all over the world love coming to Ireland, and rightfully so. Once we left the castle grounds, we had lunch at a little cafe in Blarney and walked around the Blarney Woolen Mills before heading back to our hostel.

On Saturday night we went to a grocery store and all made our own dinners together at the hostel. After dinner we went to "The Craichouse," a comedy room at the LV Pub. We were entertained by 6 different comedians, all of whom were very funny and had us laughing for a couple hours. There was even an American comedian.

Sunday morning we had one final stop to make before heading back to Galway. We searched far and wide and finally found Zaks Restaurant where most of us had a full Irish breakfast. That meal is just too good. Eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, toast, fried tomato, potato wedges, and black and white pudding. I finished it all...except for the black pudding. I don't know if I'll be able to acquire that taste while I'm here. After breakfast we hopped on the bus and took the never-ending trip back to Galway. It was the same distance as our Friday ride but it seemed much longer.

Overall it was a great first trip. Cork was a nice city, our hostel was clean, and we had a lot of fun exploring a new place. Sadly, when I got home Sunday night I got to watch the Jets lose in the AFC Championship game but oh well, I'll have to get over it and enjoy the rest of my time here in Ireland. It's been 3 weeks so far and I've loved every minute of it.

Hope all is well back home with everyone in the family. Thanks for reading and commenting on my posts.

Homestay Weekend In Tuam

This past weekend, I had the very special opportunity to go on a homestay, where you spend the weekend with an Irish family, living in their house and seeing how they live. My roommate Brian was also with me at the Boyle residence. The Boyle family consists of John, Regina, and their two boys: Sean, 7 and Dara, 4. We arrived on Friday evening and immediately found the family to be incredibly welcoming. They live in the small town of Tuam, about 45 minutes outside Galway City. On Friday night, we watched movies with the two boys and had a lot of laughs as they asked us all about America and where we are from. Everyone is always excited to hear that you live near New York City and they always tell you that it is their dream to go there one day.

Saturday morning, after breakfast, we went out in the yard to play some soccer and admire the scenery. They live across the street from the beautiful Irish landscape featuring rolling green hills and an abundance of sheep and cows grazing in the fields. It must be pretty nice to wake up to that every morning.

The main event on Saturday afternoon was our trip to Knock Shrine. It was a very spiritual and peaceful little town that revolves around the shrine. I'm sure you all know about it. When we walked into the shrine, mass unexpectedly started which was nice. After a very abbreviated mass, we walked around into the two other chapels there. Unfortunately I did not buy any Knock holy water but I did use some in the church so feel free to shake my hand when I get back and become a lot holier (is that a word?) On the way back from Knock we also made a stop at the peat bogs and John explained to us how the peat is cut and transported to homes around Ireland.

We spent the rest of Saturday exploring the town. Actually, we spent about two hours on Saturday exploring the town because that is all you need. There are only a couple of streets surrounding the center of the town. Their nephew Dean was our Tuam tour guide. We played pool at one of the local pubs during the afternoon, and then meandered in and out of the many shops. After dinner we met up with their niece Amanda who took us downtown to a few pubs. First up was "The Brogue," then "MacDonagh's," then finally "Harpy's." MacDonagh's was by far the strangest pub I've seen so far. In truth, MacDonagh's is primarily a grocery store. However, at night, if you walk through the shop to the back room, a full pub is waiting. It was quite unusual but very enjoyable, even if we were packed in there like sardines.

Sunday morning was yet another bright and sunny day and after breakfast, guess what we did? Went to mass of course. The Tuam Parish Cathedral was another beautiful church. Sunday afternoon held another unexpected treat for us. We traveled over to the Tuam GAA Stadium for a gaelic football match between Galway & Sligo! It was such a cool experience and it was a good game too. Seeing as my ancestors came from both counties it was difficult to root for one side, but I had to go with Galway since it is my home for the next few months. Luckily for me, Galway won the match 10-5. The Irish people love their gaelic football and were screaming and cheering throughout, even if it was only a warm-up exhibition match.

At the end of the game it was time to head back to our houses in Galway. We said goodbye to the Boyles and thanked them for a great weekend. They live in a really beautiful house and they were very welcoming and helpful to us. They also fed us very, very well. Also, I have never drank so much tea in my life. It seems that tea never stops flowing in an Irish household. During meals, just after meals, morning, night, doesn't matter. The tea is always available. It's not a bad thing by any means, I just never drank tea back home. I guess I'll have to get used to it though.

Overall it was a great experience, albeit a very short one. Just when we were getting to know the family, we had to pack up and leave. They did tell us we could come back any weekend though. Might have to take them up on that offer for some more home cooking!

Hope everyone's enjoying the blog. Sorry the posts have been so spread out. Hopefully I'll start to do some traveling soon and the posts will be coming more frequently. Hope all is well with everyone back home!

The Legend of Keith

This post is about the legend of my new "friend" Keith. Who is Keith you might ask? Why is he a legend you wonder? Well, besides the slew of people who specifically told us, "Keith's a legend," he gave myself, and my group of friends here, the first taste of the unfailing compassion and friendliness of the Irish people, no matter what state of sobriety or drunkenness they may be in.

The other night a group of us were searching the city for a pub to hang out and have a pint. We crossed over the river and spotted Monroe's. When we entered, we saw that it was not very crowded at all, and we smelled that awesome scent of a wood-burning fireplace. After finding a table and ordering some drinks, one of my friends from Massachusetts saw a guy wearing a Red Sox t-shirt (I know, the story starts out with a Red Sox reference, which is not ideal, but it ended up being great). This Irish Red Sox fan, complete with bright red hair and a beer in hand, asked immediately if he could pull up a chair and talk with us. We welcomed him and for over an hour he had us laughing as he told us funny stories and jokes about various people, places, and TV shows in Ireland. Every now and then he would also get up and flex his muscles or sing the first few lines to a Dropkick Murphy's song, Shipping off to Boston. Now I must clarify that Keith had already had more than a couple drinks and was enjoying the night. Funnily enough, it turns out that he actually works at Monroe's on Friday and Saturday nights as a bouncer. As his day job he works for HP. By the end of the night we knew almost all there is to know about our new friend Keith.

Now, while this whole story is amusing and it was a great night with him, I'm not telling it merely to make people laugh or once again confirm the stereotype of the Irish drinker (true as it may be in some cases). This experience of a complete stranger coming up to you, sitting down at your table, and telling stories and making you laugh, doesn't happen in most places. Here in Ireland though, it does happen. Having only been here for 10 or 11 days now, it has been amazing to me just how great the Irish people are. Whether it is a guy like Keith in a pub or just someone on the street, anyone will help you and start up a little conversation in order to brighten your day a little. Back home on the streets of NYC, you just don't get that. Thankfully, I will be here for another 4 months and I know that many nights will pan out just as that one did the other night at Monroe's with Keith, and I'm very excited about that.

The whole experience, and my reflection on it, once again makes me proud of my Irish heritage. Throughout history, the Irish have always been known as a very friendly and kind people, even through their worst struggles. I hope it always stays that way.

Galway, "the best city in Ireland."

So following our three hour bus ride across Ireland, we arrived in Galway on Wednesday afternoon while it was bright and sunny. That was a rare time in between all the madness that has gone on in Ireland over the past week or so. We hopped off our bus at our new home, the apartment complex, Gort na Coiribe. It is a really nice complex where tons of NUIG students live while they're at school. My roommate, Brian, and I live in house 18. We have three Irish roommates: Sean, from Co. Clare, Jane from Co. SLIGO, and another girl who has yet to arrive. The apartment/town house is two stories, with one bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen/living room on the bottom, and three bedrooms and two bathrooms on the top floor. My roommate and I share a room and luckily we have our own bathroom connected to our bedroom. It is awesome. We also have a little balcony on the back of the first floor which will be nice once it gets a little warmer.

As for the surrounding area, including NUIG and the city center, everything is within 15 minutes of each other. It is actually really conveniently laid out in a big triangle. 15 minutes to campus one way, 15 minutes to the city the other direction. All of us lazy American students will be able to run marathons when we get home after all the walking we'll be doing. The walk to school is not the most ideal route since it requires walking on a sidewalk along a highway, but the Irish scenery is still there with rolling green fields and even the ruins of an old stone house along the way. As we walk to campus we can see the top of Galway Cathedral and a lot of our campus buildings which is nice. Not too far from our housing complex is Terryland Park, the home stadium of the soccer team Galway United FC! Their season starts in March so hopefully I can get to some games there.

The NUIG campus is a very nice place. The Irish students only arrived in big numbers yesterday and today so we've had some time to explore on our own. It seems quite big but after a few days running around trying to figure out where everything is, it has become much easier to manage and all of the main buildings are actually all pretty close together. Most of the buildings are styled in a more modern way, except for the quadrangle, or "Aula Maxima," as they also call it. At the moment I'm not able to connect my camera to my computer, but at some point I will add pictures up here of the campus. The quad, which is only really used for administration purposes these days, is a very cool place. It looks like something out of Harry Potter. There are plenty of places to hang out, get something to eat, and even a College Bar incase you feel like you need a Guinness in between classes!

As for Galway City, it really is an incredible place. Sure it's a 15 minute walk into the center but it's worth every step. The thing that has really impressed me so far is just the amount of places to go and explore. There are so many shops and all are in buisness and seem to be doing very well. There's pubs galore but there's also many Irish gift shops and many other shops that are common back home too. There's certainly an American influence with places like Tommy Hilfiger and Foot Locker, and even some knock-off American stores like "T.K. Maxx" and "Eddie Rockets" (apparently Johnny has an Irish cousin also). Shop Street is the main thoroughfare, which becomes Quay Street (pronounced "key") as you head down toward the River Corrib, which runs through the city. Now, back to the pubs. All nights of the week you can step into a pub and listen to great music. Since we've been here, we've tried to find a place that only plays Irish music but it seems that the Irish love American music too much. They love playing Tom Petty's "Free Fallin" and Johnny Cash songs, along with many other American classic rock songs. So far, we've spent nights at "The King's Head," "The Quay's," "Monroe's," and Garvey's Inn, where I happily watched the Patriots get spanked by the Ravens last night with a bunch of Pats fans. It was sweet. We've also spent some time in little coffee shops, and all the guys are planning on buying Irish caps soon to fit in as best we can with the locals. Galway is also a city filled with history. We've seen the Spanish Arch, created centuries ago, along with a monument to Christopher Columbus, a visitor to Galway back in the day. Also, Eyre Square, one of the main parks downtown, is actually officially named "John F. Kennedy Park" after Pres. Kennedy visited the city during his presidency, only months before his death.

All in all it has been a blast so far. While Dublin is obviously a great European city, and the capital of Ireland, Galway is much more Irish and much more warm and comfortable. The people here are so friendly and love to just sit and talk with you about anything and everything. Here in Galway, it's all about the "craic." While that's pronounced "crack," this is not a city of junkies. "Craic" means "fun," and we're having plenty of it.

Thanks again for reading, I'll try and do this as much as possible.

Here's a taste of just how freezing it has been, and a look at my room:

And So It Begins - Dublin Orientation

Well let's get this adventure under way, shall we? I've been editing this for a few days so sorry for the delay. We've also been busy non-stop.

After a long and exhausting overnight flight from Newark across the Atlantic, I arrived in Dublin early in the morning and was jet lagged from the start. I tried hard to fall asleep on the plane, but all I could muster were a few short spurts of sleep before I was awoken by either lights turned on or a knee to the back of my seat. Once we touched down I found my bags, passed through customs, and met up with a bunch of other people from my program. We were taken to the Abbey Court Hostel in the center of Dublin, right on the River Liffey, around the corner from the post office. It was quite surreal when we arrived and I was standing on the streets of Dublin as the sun rose. It was pretty cool to say the least. After setting up my room and getting some lunch, I wandered around the city with a small group of people and we had a really good time. Unfortunately, after too many short naps during the afternoon, I had the worst night of sleep ever. The jet lag was driving me nuts and I laid in bed for hours before falling asleep for two hours, then waking up, then two more hours, then waking up, until morning. Not fun at all.

Day 2 & 3 was the orientation process. We were told all about Ireland and how the country operates. We were also told all about our school, National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). After many interesting (and tiring) presentations, we explored Dublin by evening and night. We spent a night in the Temple Bar area where we heard traditional Irish music and actually stumbled upon the "Thunder Road Cafe," a restaurant/bar that is the epitome of cheesy American stereotypes. It was decorated with bright lights and chandeliers, Native American statues, Harley Davidson motorcycles, and TVs that played the popular American music videos.

There are some things I'm definitely going to have to get used to here. First of all, walking the streets of Dublin as a foreigner with cars driving on the left side of the road is a dangerous task. Every time you come to an intersection and look to the right with the intention of crossing the street, you're very confused to always find no cars coming toward you. Then you turn the other way and say a prayer that you didn't step into the street. The weather is similar to New York now which is fine, and there was no rain today. Patches of snow can still be seen in some grassy areas from a couple days ago. Watching the Irish people during this small stint of snow/ice has been pretty funny. Any sign of ice and the cars drive so much slower and every one's late to work. Schools have closed and sidewalks are not salted, they are small ice rinks that one needs to navigate very carefully. They have not gotten this much snow (not more than a couple inches) or experienced this much freezing weather in decades we were told.

On Wednesday morning, we were up bright and early for a three hour bus ride from Dublin to Galway. It was a smooth ride on one main road that was repaired pretty recently, making it much easier to travel across the country. We stopped halfway in a small town called Moate for a snack. It was a quaint little place with multicolored buildings and narrow roads, a very nice little Irish town.

But now I'm in Galway and ready to get started. The first day and night in Dublin was pretty overwhelming at first but thankfully I've met a lot of nice people and we've all stuck together as the group of "confused Americans" in a new land. We're slowly learning more and more as the days go by. It's been a lot of fun so far. Ireland is a very beautiful place, not only in its scenery but just in the mindset and attitude of the Irish people. Everything seems very calm and relaxed here. It's a real privilege to have this opportunity to study and play on the streets of Dublin and for the next few months, in this great city of Galway. We've been told numerous times by many Irishmen that Galway is the best city in all of Ireland.

I'll be making another post soon about the city of Galway and all that it has to offer, and my living arrangements. Hopefully I can include some pictures soon too.

Hope all is well with everyone back home. Thanks for reading!