Bon Voyage!

Because there hasn't been too much happening for me on this side of the pond, I haven't had anything to update on lately. This past week, I have had a busy schedule for the first time in almost two months. Between rugby practices, class, and other miscellaneous agendas, I have almost forgotten that I am a visitor in a foreign country as I carry out my day to day activities. I finally have actual schoolwork to do, which is proving to be quite a challenge as I have been able to simply go to lecture and take notes up until now. Embarrassingly enough, I just began using the library last week! But we are already at midterm, with only five weeks of classes left until the end of the semester and the beginning of exams. Yikes.

Anyway, I'm sure that my lack of material to post will change after I return from a trip to Paris this weekend with stories of berets, baguettes, and, hopefully, boys. I am travelling to continental Europe with the 40 or so other students studying in the same program under the supervision and guidance of our two directors. I am a bit nervous about the language barrier, navigating the city, and pickpockets, but I am confident that things will go smoothly all obstacles considered. With the help of my French roommate, I have made a list of the most important things to see in Paris given the time that I have to spend there. I hope to take lots of fabulous pictures, see all of the best sights, and try some French cuisine, even though I am not adventurous enough to dare try foie gras or escargot - a girl has got to have standards! 

Love and the City of Lights, 

Haley

Getting Down and Dirty

That's what I've been doing lately. In my quest to achieve my top ten goals while abroad, I decided to join the ladies rugby team at the university. That decision is turning out to be a triple dipper, as it is covering goals 1 (have fun), 2 (join a club or society that I would never normally participate in at home), and 5 (get in better shape). I have never played rugby before, and really had no idea what I was getting into when I went to the first practice about two weeks ago. It turned out what I was getting into was a lot of mud, laughs, and sore mornings. Practices involve various drills in which we run, slide, and dive through mud that I swear must be over four inches thick thanks to daily rain showers. After the first practice, I could not believe how hard we had worked. I woke up the next day barely able to move, but it was the first great workout I'd had in forever and I wasn't at all hesitant about going back for another practice. I went out and got the necessary equipment, as well as more laundry detergent for the multiple loads that I will now be doing each week. My first game was yesterday against University College Cork and while our team lost 10 - 0, it was a good learning experience to see a game being played up close. Rugby is by far the most intense sport that I have ever participated in. It is a full-contact free for all in which we play by the motto "if she's in your way, get her out of it." There are big hits, injuries, and arguments throughout the game, but the clock keeps running and the girls keep playing. Practices are two nights a week and games are almost weekly, so I am looking forward to getting in some good playing time and becoming somewhat skilled at the sport. 

Looking rough after practice.

Besides getting into shape and doing something outside my comfort zone, playing rugby has also allowed me to make a lot of new friends and enjoy the camaraderie of being on a team. There are Irish girls who have been playing on the team for years, as well several Americans and other international students who have either been here since the fall semester or just joined in the past few weeks. Despite the constantly changing roster, the girls are all very welcoming and assure newcomers that we aren't just teammates, we are friends as well. After yesterday's loss, the team quickly put it behind them and instructed us to go shower then meet up at Monroe's, a pub in Galway City that acts as the unofficial sponsor of the team. At the pub, the team was served finger foods while enjoying some live music and pints until we decided to relocate to the Front Door, another local pub that is always a good time. There, we danced until about three in the morning. Even the coach stayed out until then! It was so much fun, as well as a good chance for us to get to know one another outside of rugby. Although I was hesitant to join at first, I think becoming part of the rugby team may have been the best decision that I have made since coming to Ireland.


Love and reaching goals,
Haley

You Can't Rain on My Parade

Continuing my attempt to see as much of Ireland as possible while I'm here, this past weekend I went to County Kerry in the most southwestern part of the country. I decided to spend a weekend there because I had read in several different resources that the region, particularly the Ring of Kerry, is one of the top recommended destinations when visiting Ireland. With so many possible places to see, I am trying to plan my visits based on recommendations of both seasoned travelers and locals regarding what are the must-see sights. Armed with plenty of travel literature and word of mouth, I left Friday with my friend Danielle and we took the four hour bus ride down the Irish coast to Killarney, a popular tourist town in the middle of Co. Kerry. Having arrived earlier than expected to, we first found our way to the tourist office to find out what's doing in Killarney as well as how to get to our hostel. Having gone a few places throughout the country, I have to say that I really appreciate the effort that Irish tourism offices put out. In any place that the bus runs, the National Tourism Development Authority, more commonly known as Fáilte Ireland ("Ireland's Welcome") has offices where you can go in and the representatives there will help you with pretty much anything - booking tours, checking into the tourism centers make travelling throughout accommodations, finding the best pub in town, etc. In my experiences, the people who work there have been really helpful and never misleading. I suppose that because tourism is one of Ireland's most profitable industries, they are just trying to do their job. But regardless, I think they do a great job in making travel throughout Ireland a whole lot easier.

After having a chat with the tourism woman, we left armed with maps, brochures, and directions in search of our hostel. We had booked a room at Paddy's Palace (I wish I was joking), which is a hostel run by Paddywagon Tours, an Irish tourism company that does guided trips and provides hostel accommodations for people travelling on a budget...so, basically young people like myself. The company gets a lot of good reviews online and in travel guidebooks, so I figured it was worth a shot. It turns out the reviews were accurate - Paddy's Palace did not disappoint. The location was great, right in the city center of Killarney and just over a five minute walk from the national park that was high up on my sights-to-see list. When we went to check in, the woman who was running the hostel seemed a bit overwhelmed, as there was also about twenty backpackers waiting to check in at the same time. But we eventually got settled in and while the room was sparse, it was clean and provided the essentials - a bed, a bathroom, and somewhere to keep my belongings safe. For less than $25 for a two nights stay, I don't think there were any complaints warranted.

Paddy's Palace

The view from our hostel room

Bunk beds

Kind of sketch skeleton keys for the doors

After settling in, we decided to take advantage of the surprisingly warm weather and head out for a jaunt in Killarney National Park. It was so warm out that I was able to wear just a t-shirt for a while, which is unusual as it has been cold and rainy for the majority of my stay here in Ireland. At home, I always find myself extremely frustrated when the rain gets in the way of outdoor activities, or, God forbid, makes my hair frizzy; but in Ireland, myself, and I suppose all the other visitors, have had to grin and bear it because the rumors are true...it rains all the time in Ireland. Sun showers, downpours, drizzle, mist - at any given time there will be some type of precipitation occurring. But, I have learned to just be prepared for the elements and to enjoy it; I could be back in Boston with all the snow! No thanks. For now, I'll enjoy the frizzy hair and wet days.

Anyway, Danielle and I went to the park to see what it had to offer. Of course, it began to rain as soon as we walked in, but the scenery was too pretty for us to turn back. The park was the first one to be nationalized in Ireland, after the land was donated by  We went in search of Ross Castle, which dates back to the medieval period and is associated with Irish folklore,but we were unable to get there due to flooding of the paved walkways that led to the site. We did get to see the castle from afar, which was good enough considering that just as much as every Irish city has a cathedral, it will almost always have a castle. So, I have seen a few in my travels and I am sure I will see more. Once it began to get dark, we headed out of the park to avoid getting lost somewhere within those 25,000 acres. 

It had been a long day between bus rides, hostel searching, and exploring the national park, so we decided to keep the night low key, having a quick dinner and heading to see some traditional music being played at a pub recommended by the tourism office. Earlier, we had walked by the pub, O’Connell’s, which had a sign out front stating that the evening’s entertainment would be that night at “9 – ish.” Not 9 or 9:30, just 9-ish, which, I have learned, is typical of the Irish lifestyle. Time here is not really important, things eventually start or get round to at the leisure of their conductors. So, while I would usually be distraught at the lack of specificity and punctuality if I were anywhere at home, I couldn’t help but find the sign funny because it really just epitomizes the Irish way of thinking – things will start when they start and great craic will be had. 

When we arrived at the pub around 9:45, we weren’t surprised that there was no music playing. In fact, there wasn’t even a band having a few pints before they took the stage. Instead of waiting around, we walked down the street to another pub, the Danny Mann Inn, where there wasn’t much of a crowd but there was a man on stage entertaining them. We had a pint and listened to the mix of Irish music and comedy that was happening for a bit, until we decided to head back early and get a good nights sleep before waking up and doing some sightseeing the next day.

Motivated by the sunshine and the fact that breakfast ended at 10, we were up and out by 9:30 in search of a tour company that would take us around the Ring of Kerry. We walked throughout the town, which looked similar to others that I have visited, with quaint shops and pubs mixed in with more modernized restaurants and nightclubs. While they all look kind of similar, I find that the towns I’ve been too all offer their own charm and unique qualities, with locals who are so proud to share their homes with visitors.

On the main street in the city center, we found a tour company that did a full day tour around the Ring of Kerry for a reasonable price so we made a quick decision and hopped on the small bus with about ten or so other travelers. Apparently, our experience with booking the tour was unusual, as Ring of Kerry tours are often in high demand, especially when the weather is nice. Maybe other travelers knew that the weather wouldn’t be nice for long, or maybe we just got lucky. Regardless, I’m glad that we were able to secure a spot because the trip was definitely something not to be missed out on. The ring is about 120 miles and we traveled in a counter-clockwise direction because that is the way to go for the best views. We drove throughout the countryside, small villages, and the coast, which was exactly like what you see in movies or in television. There were narrow roads carved out of the cliffside, with no barriers between the pavement and the edge which made for both a scary and exciting ride. We stopped to take pictures along the Iveragh Peninsula, which is surrounded on one side by Dingle Bay and by Ballinskelligs Bay on the other. The scenery was almost as beautiful as the Cliffs of Moher, and it was nice to have the ability to take pictures without a million other tourists getting in the way. Within the Iveragh Penisula is the Macgillicuddy's Mountain Range, where there are the highest peaks in the country. We had lunch in Waterville, a small seaside town that is best known as being the holiday home of Charlie Chaplin back in the day. In Waterville, we were able to spend time on the beach, which I was so glad to finally do. The tour lasted just over 6 hours, having taken us through the ring and part of the national park. It was a long day, with sunshine and rain and battling the elements for the sake of taking a picture, but it was well worth it. I would definitely agree with the suggestions that the Ring of Kerry is a must-see sight in Ireland. 

The Puck Goat - An Annual Tradition in Killorgin

Dingle Bay

Along Dingle Bay

Danielle and I

The beach in Waterville

My favorite place anywhere

With Charlie Chaplin

N70 Ring of Kerry

Where the queen visited

An ancient holding fort where soldiers would hide their wives and children during battle

After returning to Killarney, we went back to the hostel for a rest. That rest turned into a several hour long nap, but we eventually got up and ready for a night out in Killarney. We had a quick dinner then went to McSorley's, a local pub and nightclub that we were told was the place to be on a Saturday night. There was a decent sized crowd and some good music, so we stayed for a bit before returning to Danny Mann's, the pub we had been at the night before. We sat and enjoyed the performances by the three-man band for a bit before it got late and we headed back to get some shut eye before leaving in the morning. The next day, we got up, checked out, and hopped on the bus back to Galway. I slept most of the ride as it had been a long, but great, weekend. 

Having travelled each of the past four weekends, I plan on staying in Galway for this upcoming one to do some homework (yes, I actually do go to school here as well as galavant about the country) and rest up for a trip to Paris with my program next weekend, which I can hardly wait for. Besides going to Paris, there is a lot of exciting stuff happening in the upcoming weeks, which I'm happy and sad about - happy that I am getting to experience new things and sad that it is all passing so quickly. May 28th will be here before I know it...

Love and enjoying every day,

Haley

Bonding, Buses, and Beaches

In less pursuit of unplanned adventure and in more pursuit of bonding, this past weekend 8 girls from my program and I headed to Donegal Town, a little town nestled in the center of County Donegal, naturally. We went by bus and it took around four hours to get there. When we finally arrived, it was downpouring just as much as it had been downpouring when we left Galway. The bus literally dropped us off at this stand in the center of the town, where we were left staring at each other between raindrops. Prior to leaving Galway, we had booked rooms at a hostel but had absentmindedly forgotten to write down the number or address of where we had made our reservations. So we trekked, baggage and all, to the nearby tourism office to find out where our hostel was and, more importantly, where the craic was. The tourist servicewoman was a nice older woman, with pink (think “tickle-me”) highlights in her hair. She gave us a map with suggestions on where to eat, where to drink, and what to see while we were in Donegal. The highest cliffs in Europe, the Slieve League Cliffs, were about an hour away and a popular tourist attraction, but the combination of bad weather and steep tour prices convinced us to just find out what was doing in Donegal. Armed with maps and brochures, we set off in search of our hostel, which was probably about a mile or so from the tourist office. At one point, I stopped to ask a man if we were close, forgetting that a simple question often turns into a full blown conversation with the Irish. We were only about 300 yards from the hostel, but I continued to stand in the pouring rain while the man asked where I was from and joked about how silly it was to visit a summer town in the winter. Again, you learn something new everyday. With the strangers well wishes, we continued toward the hostel, which was called Donegal Town Independent Hostel. A little middle-aged woman greeted us at the door, excited for our arrival. I have to admit, I was very skeptical about staying in a hostel because I thought it was going to be sketchy, disgusting, not classy…the usual things that I try to avoid. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the cleanliness and warmth of the hostel. It was a big home converted into a cheap place for travelers like ourselves to stay at night. Linda, the woman who had greeted us at the door, and her husband ran the hostel and live in an adjoining home beside it. There was a common room, decorated with letters, postcards, pictures, thank-you’s, and currencies from previous visitors who had left or sent a token of their appreciation after their stay. Since my friends and I were the only ones staying in the hostel that night, Linda let us have the run of the place, picking out our own rooms and encouraging us to make ourselves comfortable. 

Welcome to Donegal Town

After settling in, we decided to head straight into town for some dinner and pubbing. We went to an Italian restaurant, a typical selection for those of us sick of meat and potatoes, and it was great. We had pizza and salad and fresh baked bread, not something you find often in Ireland. After dinner, we went in search of dessert and a good pub. We found Reese’s in a local convenient store, which was like finding a needle in a haystack since I have yet to see any kind of recognizable peanut butter product in Ireland. Sweet tooth satisfied, we headed to a pub to watch a rugby game, a sport which gets as much attention in Ireland as baseball or football does in the United States. There were men of all ages, sitting at the bar and cursing their nemesis teams, while the girls and I sat cozied up by the open fire, most of us pretending that we had some idea what was going on in the game. After a while, we had enough rugby and decided to go to The Reel Inn, a pub which several people had told us was the place to go for a pint and some traditional Irish music. Well, the had plenty of pints but not too much Irish music. The pub had a couple regulars and maybe three other tourists, so when the band took the stage – and by stage, I mean a corner of the room – they had a little audience. But it was enjoyable nonetheless. We gave the guys our requests and they seemed to appreciate some new faces during the dead of winter when the town is inhabited by mostly locals. After some song and dance, we decided to head back to the hostel so we would get up early and go exploring around Donegal town.

In the morning, we made it up and out by 10AM, checking out of the hostel and thanking our hosts for a great stay. We headed into town for some breakfast before hitting up what looked to be some promising shops. Coming to Donegal, I had one purchase in mind that I really wanted to make. As most of you reading this blog are probably well aware, you will never see my father without one of his tweed caps on top of his head - regardless of formality, temperature, or other circumstance of events, he is always wearing one. I had researched where the authentic hats are made, and it turns out that they are made by a family-run business in Donegal Town called Hanna Hats who imports them throughout Ireland and the rest of the world. I figured a hat from there would be the perfect souvenir to bring home, so I found the hat shop on the map and went there. Go figure, they were closed. I was really disappointed but I was sure that I would be able to find another one of their hats somewhere in Ireland, even if it wasn’t from the real place. So I pressed on, meeting up with the rest of the girls in the center of town where there was a farmers market with baked goods, local produce, and other miscellaneous items, surprisingly among which was a Hanna Hat stall! I was thrilled, the woman working the kiosk explained that she works with the hat shop and does her own woven hats for them, as well as weaving capes, scarves, and other accessories. I found the hat that my dad wanted, as he had specifically described it down to the last stitch to me before I came, just in case, you know, I happened to see something like it in my travels. It even has the Hanna Hat label inside and authentic tag attached to it. So I got the hat and some other random souvenirs, leaving Donegal Town quite happy with my purchases. After shopping, we took a brief stroll, seeing the local castle and cathedral that I am finding almost every place in Ireland has to offer. However, it never gets boring. The old buildings all have unique histories and beautiful architecture that makes them worthwhile. 

In front of the closed hat shop.

The first really good cupcakes I've experienced in Ireland

Tweed items

Maybe I'll keep the hat for myself...

The center of Donegal Town

Shopped out and feeling like we had seen what Donegal Town had to offer, we got on an early bus in hopes that we would have a nice relaxing ride home before hitting Galway City that night. Naturally, about half an hour into the ride, the bus driver pulled over and explained that something was wrong with the bus and we would have to switch to another one. We waited for a short time and moved ourselves and our belongings to a new bus to continue the journey back. The scenery was really nice coming back to Galway, the weather had cleared up a bit, and I had a chance to see where the countryside meets the beach, which is, in my opinion, the best of both worlds because as much as I appreciate the rolling greens, I will always be a beach girl at heart. If only the weather were warmer and I could get a tan…

An Irish Beach 

Anyway, the trip was short but sweet and a good chance for all of us to get to know one another. It was a great time and something I definitely would love to do again, wherever the bus takes us.

Love and pleasant surprises,

Haley

Saint Brigit's Day

My new charger made it across the pond and, thankfully, my laptop is back in action. Since I last posted, I haven't been doing anything too exciting - just going to class and hanging around Galway. I did do a little weekend trip to County Donegal which I will post about soon. But, for this post, I wanted to share an experience that I had last week being creative and hoping for an early arrival of Spring.


A week ago, I attended a cross-making event but on by the campus chapel that my program directors had encouraged us to go participate in. Our initial reaction was that it sounded pretty lame, but upon being bribed with the promise of pizza after the event, we quickly changed our minds. So my roommates and I trekked to campus and found our way to the chapel, where there were some girls around our age breaking apart what reminded me of the palms I usually get on Palm Sunday. They explained to us that we were going to use the rushes to make Saint Brigit crosses, a Christian tradition that is done in homes throughout Ireland every January 31st in hopes that February, which marks the beginning of the Spring season, will be warm and dry. Ironically, it has been cold and raining everyday since February 1st. Anyway, we were going to make the crosses, one for ourselves and extras that were to be sold at mass to support an upcoming trip that our hosts were going on. They are nurses at the university and are doing a service trip to Tanzania this summer, but the transportation is expensive and they are trying to cut costs through donations and sales of Saint Brigit crosses. So the girls showed us how to make four and three sided crosses using a method that reminded me of creating gimp bracelets when I was younger. It took a few tries and a lot of laughs, but I finally got it right...kind of.

My Three-Sided Saint Brigit Cross

Beyond potentially promising good weather, Saint Brigit's crosses are supposed to be hung up in the home to guard it from fire and evil. With stove tops occasionally left on and a tempermental (evil) washing machine, hanging the cross won't do any harm.


Love and early Springs,
Haley

Technical Difficulties

Unfortunately, my laptop charger has broken so I will be unable to use my laptop until a new one comes in the mail...which could be in a few short days or a few long weeks. (I'm really hoping for the first possibility.) So, I won't be able to update my blog but as soon as I have use of my computer I will be back at it. Until then, I will be traveling on a weekend trip to County Donegal and finding somewhere to be a true American and enjoy Superbowl Sunday.

Love and fast deliveries,
Haley

You Win Some, You Lose Some

In pursuit of adventure, last Friday my roommates and I decided to wake up early on Saturday, walk to the bus station, close our eyes, point to a spot on the map, and go there. Impressively, all four of us managed to be up, packed, and ready to go by 9:30. We walked the 25 minutes or so to the bus station where there was a bus leaving to head to Limerick. With 30 seconds to make a decision, we bought tickets on high hopes and good faith that we were heading someplace new and different than the host city we now feel so comfortable in.  Well, if "different" is what we wanted, we sure got it.

The bus drove for about an hour and a half through the boonies and narrow highways until we reached Limerick. On the way there, we looked through my trusty Ireland guide that I had gotten as a gift for Christmas, surprise to discover that the book didn't even suggest Limerick as a must-see destination. Trying not to be too skeptical, we hopped off the bus and headed for the nearest internet cafe so we could find somewhere to stay for the night. We had anticipated our first hostel experience, but it turns out that Limerick doesn't have hostels...another unnerving surprise. So we went to the Best Western Pery, where we paid just over twenty euros each for the night. We were most ecstatic about the unlimited hot water we now had at our disposal, it would be our first opportunity to take more than a five minute shower in almost a month. While checking us in, the kind receptionist had given us a map and many brochures, outlining places to sightsee, dine, and, of course, have a pint. We looked over all the information she'd given us and decided we should just head out into the city for some lunch and a trip to the tourist office. We stopped at a little cafe where we had paninis and chatted with a woman who was having lunch with her two daughters. The tots, like most young children that I've seen in Ireland, were dressed FIERCE, with tights and trendy boots and cute peacoats. Their mom asked us what brought us to Limerick, and when we replied that we wanted an adventure, she laughed and told us to watch our bags and stick together. After finishing up and eating some candies with the little girls, we left, skeptical and curious about this big, bad city we had wandered into. The first thing I noticed about the city was that it was very industrial, with large buildings that are uncommon around Galway. There were also a lot of closed businesses lining the street, a consequence of the economic crisis that Ireland is currently facing. A further consequence was the number of homeless people sitting on sidewalks asking for spare change. While I have seen homeless people asking for money before, it was not something I had expected to see while in Limerick because, from what I have seen, there are little to no homeless people inhabiting the streets of Galway. When we reached the tourist office, the man working there was really kind and full of suggestions. He took out a map and marked off places that he thought we would like, as well as giving us a bunch of background information on what the city had to offer. I was particularly excited about seeing the different locations mentioned in the memoir Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, one of my absolute most favorite pieces of literature. 

Since it was still relatively early, we decided to take the afternoon to go to the village of Bunratty, where there is a folk park and old castle that remains in tact. Bunratty is located about 25 minutes outside of Limerick by bus, we actually crossed counties, from Co. Limerick to Co. Claire. We used Bus Eirann, which is a low-cost bus service that travels throughout Ireland, to get there. The folk park is kind of similar to Old Sturbridge, with all sorts of traditional homes, businesses, and animal life set up like a little town. The castle itself was definitely the best part of the folk park, we were able to go in and climb the narrow spiral staircases to all sorts of rooms, including the dungeon and rooftop. The castle had many original furnishings and decorations, all of which were very beautiful; it was crazy to think that I was sitting at a 900 year old table that had been used by nobility throughout important periods of Irish history. During the Spring and Summer, the castle plays host to medieval banquets in which you can attend a traditional dinner and dance showcase in the great room of the castle. Maybe I'll just have to go back...

Opening the castle door

Bunratty Castle

The dungeon...good thing I behaved myself

The beautiful view from the top of the castle

On the rooftop

The little houses and farms throughout the folk park were really cute as well. The homes were all furnished and had fires burning in them, giving off a really authentic feel. In one home, a woman was even dressed like a traditional 19th century Irishwoman, giving us buttered scones and soda bread. My roommates and I walked throughout the park, going in and out of the different buildings, gawking at the animals, and playing in the little park. I was surprised at how domesticated the animals seemed; they would come right up to us and let us pet them without being skiddish or violent - I guess I need to get out into the country a little more!

A traditional 19th century Irish home

Doorways made for people my height

Kitchen stove and fireplace

This looks familiar, huh, Mom?

Shetland ponies

After exploring Bunratty for a few hours, we decided to catch the bus back to Limerick. Unfortunately, despite our sprinting efforts, we missed the bus and had to wait an hour for the next one. With nothing better to do, we sat at the bus stop and waited in the freezing cold until the bus finally came. When we got back to the hotel, we decided to try a local restaurant called The Wild Onion for dinner. We never got to try it though - we walked around and around until we ended up in a sketchy area and decided to head back to the main street to find somewhere else. Surprisingly, there weren't many places open, even on a Saturday night, so we resorted to Eddie Rockets (the Irish Johnny Rockets) for a couple burgers and fries. The food was overpriced and the service was pretty bad, but we didn't expect too much. After dinner, we walked to Nancy's, a pub that the hotel receptionist had recommended. The pub itself was really cool, it had a retractable roof that was kept open so we could see the sky, but there were also various heaters keeping the outdoor space bearable. Although it was supposedly the place to be, Nancy's never really got crowded so after a pint, my roommates and I decided to head back to the hotel and take advantage of its amenities. We relaxed in the sauna and took really long showers before passing out after a long day with hopes that Sunday would show us what Limerick really had to offer.


...Not much, apparently. After going to Sunday mass, we walked around the city, following the map that the tourism office guy had given us. The majority of the places were closed on Sundays or under construction or permanently shut down. We went through King's Island, where Limerick City was originally located. On King's Island was Saint Mary's Cathedral and King John's Castle, both of which were architecturally impressive and historically significant.We also walked on the boardwalk that coasts the River Shannon that flows through the city. The trip down the boardwalk led us to the former slums, where Angela's Ashes is set. Today, the slums are no longer there; it is mostly modern apartment buildings, hotels, and businesses. I went to the street Frank McCourt grew up on, as well as to his grammar school and the pub where his father would drink away the family's welfare money. 

St. Mary's Cathedral

The street Frank McCourt grew up on

The pub from Angela's Ashes

Along the River Shannon

The most memorable sight, however, from our time spent on King's Island was the child, around seven or eight I'd say, who was sitting in the backseat of an adult's car at a stop sign, smoking a cigarette. When I saw that, I had to look twice because I was absolutely flabbergasted. Although it was probably a twenty second affair, in that time I was disgusted, enraged, and saddened all at once. I wanted to yell at the grown woman in the driver's seat who was allowing that to happen, as well as cry because seeing a young child doing something like that is one of the most shocking things I have ever witnessed. At home, we are educated from a very young age about the consequences of smoking and encouraged to abstain from doing so by parents, teachers, and other people of influence. In Limerick, it was evident from the poverty, the uncleanliness, and the smoking child incident that there is a lack of that education and support that is so crucial. I felt really bad for those people I saw struggling in the city, but it made me realize that Ireland isn't just green fields and stonewalls and pubs and great craic; it struggles socially, economically, politically, religiously, and racially just like the rest of the world. Finally seeing a bit of that struggle after being here for a month, has given me not only more reason to appreciate being exposed to it, but reason to also get involved while I'm here and do something about it. 


Love and making it better,
Haley