Last Saturday a group of us went on our first day trip to The Burren. We were originally supposed to go to Connemara, but the weather was so nice and clear that made a last-second swap (look at me being spontaneous, guys!). The Burren is region south of Galway that is comprised of a rocky landscape where nothing should ever really grow. And yet, greenery still exists thanks to the endless amounts of rain the area receives.
The first stop of the tour was Dunguaire Castle, which is supposedly the most-photographed castle in all of Ireland. My family and I drove past this castle numerous times when we stayed in the area for a week over the summer, but it was cool to see it again nonetheless. Our next stop was a leprechaun and fairy hollow that looks exactly as you are probably picturing it. Following tradition, we all tied a tissue to a tree branch in the hopes of gaining a little luck of the Irish for ourselves. Next, we ventured on to Poulnabrone dolmen, an ancient tomb. The scene was quite different than when we visited in the summer, as we were the only tour group there, and thus was able to get some great pictures without random people wandering around in the background. Our lunch break occurred at Gus O’Connor’s Pub in Doolin. I asked the waitress if being an O’Connor would get me a discount, but I don’t think she got the joke. Oh well, I tried! The final stop of the tour took place at the Cliffs of Moher, the scenic highlight of The Burren. Once again, we basically had the place to ourselves! Even though it was just as windy, it was much clearer than when we visited over the summer. It was also nearing sunset, which was wonderful for all of us wannabe-photographers.
All in all we had a great trip that day and are very excited to go once again towards the end of the semester when more flowers are in bloom. Aside from the landscapes, though, our tour was made amazing by a fabulously entertaining 70ish year-old man named Desmond. Not only did Desmond drive the giant tour bus, but he also gave us great insights to all the locales we were visiting. He kept us laughing the entire day because he stated everything at least two or three times, altering them slightly (similar to Yoda). You’d think this would get old after a while, but nope! I’ve been lucky enough to be on many tours in my lifetime all across the US and a few in Europe, and Desmond was by far the best. So good in fact, that I decided to name my Diamondbacks gnome after him! For those of you that don’t know, I brought along my little Dbacks gnome to take pictures with in all of the cool places I get to visit this semester. I hadn’t given much thought to naming him, but Desmond the Dbacks gnome has a nice ring to it, right? ;)
This past Friday a small group of us took our long-anticipated trip to Connemara. When I visited over the summer, Connemara was by –far my favorite place in all of Ireland. The region is less than an hour north of Galway and stretches over a wide area. It includes beautiful mountains, waterfalls, and lakes, and has many animals (horses, sheep, cows) dotting the landscape. The first stop was Ross Errilly Friary. According to our guide Michael (certainly no Desmond, but terrific nonetheless), it is the most well-preserved friary for its size in all of Western Europe. It was pretty amazing with all of its rooms and passageways! The next stop was Cong village, which is exactly what you would picture as a typical rural Irish village. Cong abbey, which I thought was amazing when we visited over the summer, paled in comparison to Ross Errilly. As we continued into Connemara, Michael said he needed to make a quick pit stop to say hello to a friend. His friend was Joey, an adorable Connemara pony! Those of us who wanted to got to feed him an apple slice J Similar to The Burren trip, the Galway Tour Company saved the best for last in Connemara: Kylemore Abbey. Originally built as a fairytale home from an adoring husband, the mansion was turned into a girl’s school after the wife’s untimely death. The beautiful grounds included the abbey, a small church, mausoleum, and Victorian garden. We toured all of these except the gardens, as few flowers would have been in bloom anyway. By now, the clear weather we had been blessed with in the morning had vanished, and we were left with an eerie fog that created a somewhat spooky mood. On the ride back to Galway, Lannan and I enjoyed listening to some wonderful U2, the perfect cap to an amazing day!
Yesterday had two great highlights as well! First, Kate, Lannan, and I were interviewed by the Gaelic Girls, a blog group that discusses what it’s like for American girls to be studying abroad in Ireland. They filmed the interview (I’ll post the link when it’s on YouTube), as well as a few intros for American television hosts for St. Patrick’s Day. For instance, they had us say “Hi Ellen! Happy St. Patrick’s Day from the Gaelic Girls in Galway, Ireland!” We also made intros for Kelly Ripa, Good Morning America, and Oprah (ha!). So watch out guys, I’m about to be famous! ;) The group was very nice, and we even got sweet t-shirts to wear around during the semester and Bulmer’s cider to enjoy while we filmed at The King’s Head! Second, Butler had a welcome dinner event at the Galway Greyhound track. I’ve never been to anything similar to that, so it was really fun to experience! I placed a bet for 2 Euro (that was the minimum) on Jules Flyer, who came in second by literally a nose! I still won 5.40 Euro though, because it had been a place bet. So basically, I came out on top enough to pay for the cab ride home. I think we may find ourselves back there at some point before the end of the semester!
We register for classes tomorrow, so it really seems like we’re getting into the thick of things now! I’m excited to get more involved in the clubs and societies as well, as that seems like it’s going to be the only way to meet Irish students. Until next time, thanks for reading!
Click here for pictures from The Burren
Click here for pictures from Connemara
Click here for pictures of the worldly travels of Desmond the Dbacks Gnome!
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