Day 7: Train Ride and New Culture

Today was a big travel day for us.  This is because we left for Killarney in the morning. Our day started at 6:00 so that we had enough time to finish any last minute packing and clean our apartments and be on a bus at 7:00. The bus then took us to the train station for a ride that left at 8:30.  This gave us plenty of time to eat breakfast at SuperMacs. After breakfast, we boarded our train, and we were on our way to Killarney. This train ride was definitely a highlight of our day,  because of all the beautiful scenery, which included all the trees and all the mountains around us. When we arrived in Killarney 3 hours later it was time for lunch but we first needed to stop by our hotel, The Heights Hotel Killarney. Lucky for us the hotel has a restaurant inside which was pretty great. After we finished our meal, we went out to shop and explore the local village/shopping center. This shopping center is much different than the one in Dublin. One main factor is the number of cars on the road. What this does is make things easier for walking and to be much more calm while still so much is going on around you. Another effect is how the shopping center is set up. What I mean when saying this is, while in Dublin you can't see anything except for all the shops and restaurants because everything is so densely packed there. Now for the center in Killarney, there were still many shops and restaurants but all the stores seemed to be spread out farther apart, creating more views from street height to see nearby mountains and other landmarks and giving the center a more open feel.  Another thing I noticed is the people here seemed to be more friendly. This could have been because of the fact that we were out at night and on a weekend. Personally I believe the Killarney center is much nicer solely because the set up of the buildings and the population isn't as big as Dublin's making less car and foot traffic. What comes with being in a less crowded area is more of a sense of security making our day that much better. 

Photo Blog Day 7: A Really Long Train Ride to Killarney

Waiting to board the train to Killarney

Our final view of Dublin as we leave the train station

An example of the natural beauty we saw on our train ride

Our view as we went through one of several patches of fog

Xander, Daniel, Francesco, and Ilan play poker on the train

We arrive at The Heights Hotel Killarney

Dublin Exclusive: Everyone Wants More Pics of the Students, Right?

For the past two days, Andrew and Garrett have been our photobloggers. Here are some great shots of the students that did not get included in the photo blogs. Tomorrow we depart for Killarney. Enjoy!



Francesco at the Dublin Zoo


Shenanigans at the Dublin Zoo


The group at a memorial in Phoenix Park


Self-explanatory!


Conor enjoys a hot chocolate at the Nancy Hands restaurant and pub


Xander may not be coming home...visiting the Kilmainham Gaol.


Morgann LOVES Dublin!


Joseph may very well be up to no good...


Enjoying pub food at The Brazen Head


How Lauren feels about jumping into the Irish Sea


Cassandra wins at Irish Sea swimming - she jumped in more than any other student!


Maya and Jordan at Sandycove Beach


Lots of splashing around in the Irish Sea


It's not THAT cold, right?


Harry goes looking for a selkie.


Lauren manages to keep her balance on the rocks near the sea.


Harry strikes a hero pose on rocks at the Irish Sea


Lauren and Jordan are also ready to field questions from the press


In the locker room at Aviva Stadium during our tour


Garrett looks out over Dublin City from Ticknock Forest in the Dublin Mountains


Morgann with Dublin behind her


Lauren on top of the world as we say goodbye to Dublin!

Day 6: Climbing and Diving

Day six was already off to a good start from the moment we woke up. The bus we chartered to drive us around didn't arrive until ten o'clock, so we were able to sleep in more than we had been previously. The addition of the bus to today's activities was welcome, as it meant that we would be able to cut down on the walking that we had done up until that point.

Our first stop was at Sandycove, where those of us who were brave enough dove into the Irish sea. Those who went in described their experiences vividly to the rest of the group after getting out of the water, saying such things as "it's really cold!" and "I can't feel my toes!" The fact that the day was sunny helped the situation, as students getting out of the water were able to warm up relatively quickly. While it was a shocking but unforgettable experience for those who went in, it was also a very entertaining experience for those of us who didn't, as we got to witness the reactions of the swimmers and judge who could spend the most time in the water.

As a change of pace, after diving into the sea, we climbed up the nearby James Joyce Tower. This tower, named after famed Irish writer James Joyce, was a spot in which he lived for some time and contained a view of the sea that Joyce wrote about in his work. The tower contained a staircase to a platform at its top, as well as a small museum dedicated to Joyce and his time living there. The small platform at the top of the tower gave a beautiful view of the Irish sea, as well as Dublin as a whole. We took a lot of pictures here. From the tower, you could look one way and see the vast forest of buildings of Dublin and turn around and get sense of the natural beauty of Ireland evident in the endless blue of the Irish sea.

After getting a full-scale, top-down view of the local area, we dove into its inner workings by visiting the seat of its local government, the Dún Laoghaire Council Hall. We were let in to the building and given a tour by Cormac Devlin, a member of the council who talked with us previously. Here, we were given a very clear picture of how politics in Ireland operated on a very local level, complementing the more national understanding of Irish politics we gained when visiting Leinster House. The last stop on our tour was in the actual council chambers, where we sat in the council members' seats while Mr. Devlin told us the nitty gritty about how the council operates, as well as some local issues faced by the Dún Laoghaire county. We walked out of the Hall with new insight into a point that Mr. Devlin had emphasized in our earlier conversation with him: that all politics are local.

For our final stop of the day, we climbed up to the top of a trail in Ticknock Forest. While the hike was exhausting for some, I think we all agreed that what was at the top was well worth the energy. From the top of the hill (it wasn't technically tall enough to be considered a mountain), we received an absolutely stunning view of the entirety of Dublin. There were several piles of rocks that we climbed up to get better views, including near the end of the hill that offered a large-scale view of the Irish sea. We took a lot of pictures here too. Either while walking down or after walking down, almost every student remarked about how gorgeous the scene at the hilltop was.

Day 6: An Audience with the Cathaoirleach

Ilan takes flight as he jumps into the freezing Irish Sea

The 6 bravest members of the trip bask in the... cold?

Francesco and Xander have a competition to see who can last longer in the freezing water

The Sea Jumpers lined up in formation

Conor's Uncle, Dunleary Councilman Cormac Devlin, shows us around Dunleary city council

Conor is given the honorary title of Cathaoirleach as he takes the head councillor's chair in the city council

Mr. Devlin explains Irish municipal politics and answers our questions

The group poses for a photo with Mr. Devlin in the council chambers

Daniel, Franceso, and Ilan field questions in the press briefing room of Aviva Stadium

The group poses for a photo on the fifth deck of Aviva Stadium

Daniel, Xander, Francesco, and Ilan pose on rocks in Ticknock Forest (do I see a new boyband coming on?)

Lauren looks out over Dublin as the day comes to a close

Day 5: Fun at the Zoo and Time in Jail

When I woke up this morning I knew it was going to be colder than it has been the other days here in Ireland. I packed on some extra layers and got ready for the day. I was really excited for the events we were heading into for the day. We started our day with a taxi ride to the park. It was the first time we have gotten to drive to an activity so I knew all of our feet were thankful... Little did we know by the end of the day we would have walked a total of 11 miles!

Our first activity of the day was visiting the Dublin Zoo. I was surprised to learn that the Dublin Zoo is home to about 600 different animals. We split into groups and went on our way to explore. I enjoyed having the time with some of my senior friends to walk around, talk, and obsess over the many kinds of monkeys at the zoo. We saw monkeys that were 3x as big as me ranging to a tiny little baby monkey clinging on to its mom. Not only did we thoroughly enjoy the monkeys but Ms. Harrison also seemed to pitch in on saying hi and taking pictures. Seeing all of the different exhibits were amazing but also sparked some amazing conversations on animal behaviors, animal rights, and imprisonment.

These conversations got us in the perfect mind space for our next activity of touring Kilmainham Gaol. Kilmainham Gaol is an old jail in Dublin and considered to be one of the most important buildings in the city. This is due to its important history of imprisoning and executing leaders and people who were fighting or activists during the Easter Rising. I had gotten the opportunity to do research on the jail before the trip so I was excited to be able to see it in person. The architecture in Dublin is incredible and the area with the cells was equally as impressive to me. Seeing the conditions of the prisoners and hearing the history of who had spent time there was eye opening to me. Ireland has such a rich history and this building is a great piece of that history. 

By the end of the day we were all pretty tired, 11 miles was a very long walk. We wanted to eat close to the hotel and by the luck of a flip of a coin I got to eat at Brazen Head. Established in 1198 it is the oldest pub in Ireland. While we did not take part in the pub we did eat the wonderful food. I ordered the lamb stew. I would give it a solid 5 star rating and if you ever find yourself in Dublin definitely go! It was the best meal I have had so far in Ireland and all of my meals have been incredible. It was a great day and I look forward to the days to come.

At the end of the night during our seminar session, Counselor Cormac Devlin joined us for an incredibly interesting discussion. Counselor Devlin, who is Connor Devlin's uncle, is a representative of the Fianna Fáil political party in Ireland. He was a Mayor last year, serves as a counselor member currently, and will be running in the next Irish election for the Dáil (Lower House). He opened up with us about the different parties, what they represent, and how the Irish government works. We all learned so much about Irish politics, and he put multiple examples into perspective compared to the United States. He brought important issues such as health care, redistribution of wealth, different laws and how they are put into place, the decision to either to take in refugees or not, and much more. Something really powerful to me that he said while discussing topics of refugees, "I like to think of it this way - if I needed a place to take refuge in because of the awful reasons people are facing I would hope that there would be someone to show my family and me some compassion and help us." I greatly appreciated his honesty and can tell he was someone who sincerely cares for the people of Ireland. It was truly the first time in my life I was in full agreement with a politician and aware of so many important issues.  

Day 5: A Captive Audience

Planning the Route Through the Dublin Zoo

The Monkeys are Gaining an Audience

Flamingos!

Look how cute it is!

Lunch at Nancy Hands

Conversing on the Meaning behind an Art Piece

Viewing the Architecture and Learning the History that is in Kilmainham Gaol Prison

Dinner at the Brazen Head—The Oldest Pub in Ireland