Great Stay in Galway - Day One

For Valentine's Day weekend I went with a group of UCD students to Galway! We were gone from early Friday morning until late on Sunday and it proved an excellent way to meet a whole bunch of people and see a whole lot of the area around Galway.

Now I figured that we would drive directly to Galway, but after about 1.5 hours we made our first stop at the Clonmacnoise Monastic Site. St. Ciaran founded this site in the 6th century and by the 9th century it was a hub of religion, learning, and craftsmanship as home to a small population living on the settlement. Famous high crosses of Ireland can be found here as well as Temple Ciaran which is a small church on the property. Many Irish people take the soil form this monastic site with the hope that planting it in their garden or field will result in healthy crops.

Interestingly, during his visit to Ireland in October 1979, Pope John Paul II requested a visit to the sacred site. It was intended to be a private and secret visit with a helicopter being hired to fly the Pope directly to the location for mass. According to our tour guide, however, the helicopter pilot told his mother the night before that he would be flying the Pope to Clonmacnoise and she, in traditional Irish-grapevine fashion, spread the word in a matter of hours. In the morning the site had tens of thousands of people in and around it waiting for the Pope to arrive. It was so crowded that he couldn't even land on the site but had to instead land in another field and walk over. Then, as Pope John Paul II would do, he told mass for the entire crowd from a glass-covered altar shown in the middle right of the second picture below.

After a short stop at a gas station for lunch, we continued on to Galway and arrived in the early afternoon. Our tour guide, Paul, gave us a brief but informative walking tour. We quickly got the layout of the small downtown area and received food and restaurant recommendations.

Interesting things from our tour:

One of the malls in Galway was originally planned to be built where a medieval wall stood. The architects knew that they could not break the wall so instead built the entire structure around the old wall which is prominently featured next to the child's play area. Instead of taking a picture of the wall I instead took a picture as Anna from Frozen but the wall was behind me.

Charlotte Bronte, author of Jane Eyre (my all-time favorite novel), used to come to Galway for the summer holiday. She would visit St. Nicholas Collegiate Church in Galway for mass and stared at a memorial on the wall for a faithful parishioner named Jane Eyre. I freaked out when I realized that it was this place where young Charlotte sat and thought up her most famous novel. Like seriously, wow. This has also led to many streets, squares, and shops in the area being named after the character.

Claddagh rings, which have since become a national Irish symbol and the souvenir for every girl that studies abroad in Ireland (I had one before I came), originated just across the river from Galway in the fishing village of Claddagh. Galway is now a very common place to buy these rings and I had two friends purchase them during our stay.

Because so many of Galway's buildings are old and historic, they cannot be knocked down or moved. Modern businesses have to work with the spaces creating interesting combinations like this Costa Coffee in a building that is hundreds of old.

After the tour we checked into our hostel which was in a perfect location and was super nice! My UCD roommate, Miranda, and I grouped with four other girls and we found our way to our 6-person room. I really like the place because it was very colorful and was even rated the "World's Best Large Hostel" by hostelworld.com in 2013.

For dinner we followed our tour guide's suggestion and went to a pop-up restaurant called the Dough Bros. for dinner. The pizza was very good (I ordered my favorite: ham, pineapple, and mushroom) and it was great going to such a local place that we never would have gone to without his recommendation.

After dinner we walked around the downtown area for a while and then headed back to the hostel. Our tour company has a deal with the local pub crawl and everyone on our trip got a discount if they wanted to go. Most people opted in and once we had cleaned up we went downstairs to meet the group. 

We got to go to four different pubs and then a club after. One of the clubs even had beer pong and flip-the-cup for the Americans and I got to try my first cocktail ever - a tequila sunrise! It was delicious!

We ended up just going to the club at the end for a few minutes and then retired back to the hostel out of exhaustion. It was a good day for sure!

Thanks for reading!

The Opinionated Lassie

Belfast, the Present and Past

The Center for Study Abroad offered a free day-trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland and I signed up. One of my goals for the semester was to make it up there and, even though I may try to have a whole weekend in Belfast later on, the free trip was the right price for me to see the city.

We departed UCD early and began our 2-hour drive up north.

I was very surprised at how little of a border there is and how we weren't checked for passports or anything. The border is actually just a sign reminding the driver that the speed would now be posted in MPH and that is it. No police, no toll, one could easily accidentally leave the Republic of Ireland and have no idea at all.

Belfast, in the last 40 years, has had a violent history during what is called "The Troubles." The Protestant majority in the area holds loyalty to the British Crown while the Catholic minority tends to want Irish unity or at least self-government. Each population's misunderstanding of the other led to blood-shed, religious segregation, and reduced rights for the Catholics in the area. Peace negotiations in the 1990s however, did effectively end the warfare and the since time has been used to repair the city and the relations of the two groups.

I was very surprised when we arrived in Belfast at the obvious and visible separation that still exists in the city. The peace wall, which features murals from many world conflicts and portraits of many world leaders, has barbed wire at the top of it. Another wall, which separates the Protestant and Catholic areas is at least 20-feet tall and you can see Irish flags and Union Jacks on either side.

A mural of Bobby Sands, who died during a hunger strike.

A mural on the Peace Wall.

A mural of Nelson Mandela on the Peace Wall.

The wall separating the Irish and Protestant neighborhoods.

We signed in, as does every other visitor. My friend's last name is Kidder for those of you who are confused.

The downtown area, however, where we got some food and coffee, is very nice and features all the perks of a modern city. And the people are extraordinarily friendly. For example, after buying some perfume in a shop I dropped my student card in the street while trying to put it away. Not noticing, my friend and I went into a coffee shop for a drink. This man came in and asked if I was Emily. I was like "yah, that's me" wondering why in the world he would know me and he replied by handing over my card. My friend and I were amazed be the kindness! He said that he found it on the street, searched me on Facebook and sent me a message saying how found it, but supposed I may have stopped for a sip of coffee. We were seated in the back of a fairly large restaurant and he had guessed right, coming all the way through the place before seeing me.

Belfast City Hall building.

People are generally good and I experienced nothing but kindness from locals in the area.

We then went to the Titanic Museum for an awesome tour. The Titanic was built in Belfast and the displays showed us all about the designing, building, furnishing, boarding, sailing, wrecking, and drowning of the magnificent ship. The museum contained four floors of exhibits and featured a beautiful design and tons of interesting information!!

The stunning building.

A display inside, the two men were talking to each other.

After this stop we departed back for Dublin. I was, of course, exhausted by the end of the day but am very glad I can now check the city off my list!

Thanks,

The Opinionated Lassie

Additionally I discuss this trip and Cork in my related YouTube video!

I Went Back Home - Part Two

Our second day in Cork took us to the Shandon Bells and Blarney Castle; our last day the Cork Butter Museum and home.

We went to the English Market for breakfast. This place is full of fresh, local food sold out of stalls and small shops. Some of my friends from Cork met us in the market and I loved getting to catch up with them. Instead of a traditional breakfast, I indulged in an O'Flynn gourmet sausage which used to be my obsession when I was living there. We then continued to the Shandon Bells.

In Cork, visiting St. Anne's Church is a very touristy thing to do but, for whatever reason, I never made it over. And I really wish that I had. This church not only has a cool climb up through the bell tower to one of the best views of the city, but it is also a church that promotes acceptance and understanding with its members and for this reason has a large population of LGBTQ members. I was and am more than willing and excited to donate and visit a church that shows how much God loves everyone and am proud of a place that encourages this idea.

When we got there we went into the main church area and looked around. It is a fairly normal church so after wandering a bit in the area where they hold services, we went back out to pay for the bell tour. The woman in charge gave us ear protectors and up we went to the bells. On one of the first levels there is a song book and all of the pulls for the bells. We went to town playing songs and my rendition of "Happy Birthday" was particularly remarkable. We then continued up the stairs, saw the mechanism that works the clock part of the tour, and after a more claustrophobic bit of climbing we made it to the top. The views were incredible and the wind even more so! After some fun pics we went back down the tower and walked back toward city center.

We then headed to Blarney and visited a chocolate shop and the famous Woolen Mills for some souvenirs. I got coffee in the cafe and we watched the sunny weather trade for rain. 20 minutes later it was snowing. 20 minutes later it was sunny again and we headed for the castle. Although the weather and everything was a bit chillier than my last visit (as discussed here), we still had a fun time going up through the ruin, kissing the Blarney Stone (for my third time), and walking around the beautiful grounds.

That evening we got a delicious meal at COQ BULL in city center and then we went pub-hopping looking for some fun that night. We eventually found some fun and other UCD students in the Old Oak.

Our last day in Cork took us to the Cork Butter Museum where we learned about the progression of the butter business in Ireland and why butter made from Kerry cows is that much better than the rest of the world's butter. After that we got some sandwich's from the Natural Food Bakery (the best sandwiches in town) and walked to the bus stop to head back to UCD.

I am so glad that I was able to return to Cork for the weekend. It was a bit sentimental and sad that I was not living there anymore but proves that my planning and decision to split the year was the right one. I am getting a whole new set of memories in a whole new place with new people this semester. My Cork memories are perfectly preserved and I can keep that time separate and wonderful - how it should be.

Yours,

The Opinionated Lassie

I Went Back Home - Part One

After a fun, crazy, exhausting, and stressful transition into my new Dublin home, you can imagine my delight upon being invited to Cork with some friends! 

But honestly, I was nervous about how I would feel returning as most of my close friends have gone back to the US. I was now a tourist and no longer a "local." I was proving this place to people who had never seen it and hoping they would love it as much as I do. And in one weekend the joy and peace I gained in going back was overwhelming and I am grateful for our short adventure there.

We left early on Friday morning and made our way the the train station. Our bus ride started out a bit rocky as we didn't have enough change (poor planning) and the Dublin buses do not take cash. Luckily Irish hospitality saved us as a kind women exchanged her coins for our bill and we were on our way. We arrived at the station early and all got coffee, then boarded the train, and in 2.5 hours we were there. 

Just stepping off the train I felt relieved and happy that I now knew where I was. In Dublin I am directionally a mess and having the peace of mind in a familiar city was wonderful. We walked to our hostel, about 35 minutes from the station, and I showed my friends some of the main spots downtown as we passed them. Because it was before check-in time, we dropped off our things and continued to our first destination, Cork City Gaol (jail). 

This place was awesome and I cannot believe in my 4.5 months living in Cork I never made it there. The receptionist gives you a brochure and in a self-guided tour you make your way through the building learning about the history of the jail and about inmates who stayed there. And the building, really, is quite interestingly constructed. William Robertson was the architect of the jail and it was opened in 1824. He designed it to have maximum natural light and excellent visibility for guards on duty. The jail also used to have an underground tunnel, and you can still see the ring around which prisoners would walk for hours to get exercise. For more information: http://corkcitygaol.com/

After the jail we made our way down to Cork Public Museum situated in the cute Fitzgerald Park. Not only is this a very pretty area with a great view of the River Lee, but it is also free admission and gives good insights into Irish and Cork history. The trench exhibit which I mentioned in a previous post (click here) was still there, and they had completed a new photo exhibition on the lifestyle of the Irish Traveler community. The museum's cafe made for a nice coffee break and then we were walking once again. 

Our next stop was St. Fin Barre's Cathedral (mentioned previously in the same post as the trench), and we walked through UCC to get there. I was definitely sentimental walking through my old campus but was relieved to finally get a picture with the Aula Maxima which is the main and most stereotypically-UCC building. When we arrived at St. Fin's we got brochures and embarked on yet another self-guided tour. The greeter also invited us to light candles and so, as that is always a good thing to do in a church, we did. One cool thing about this church is the pipe organ. The pipes are at ground level and you can easily see them all. I have never seen organ pipes so closely and was amazed at the number of pipes that are purely controlled by a single organist.

For dinner we got some Italian food (and tiramisu dessert) and finished up the night with some trad music at The Old Oak pub. I also ran into a friend from last semester and had a great time catching up! We then realized how exhausted we were and headed back to the hostel. It was definitely a good first day!

More coming soon!

The Opinionated Lassie