Visit to Howth

Today, my friends Lena and Johanna (both from choir) and myself ventured on up to Howth, a fishing village north of Dublin.  We had decided that there were a lot of places still in the Dublin area that we needed to see, so we hopped on the DART train and headed up the coast. 

We lucked out with the weather.  While it was on the cold side, it was a sunny day, and we took advantage of that by walking around Howth for about 4 hours.  We walked along the sea wall between the harbor and the Irish Sea and up to the harbor lighthouse.

 After walking around the town and harbor for a while, we headed on up to the cliffs that rise over the area.

It was a bit of hike up to the cliffs, but it offered some great views and vistas of the town of Howth and of the Irish Sea.

Zoomed in view of the harbor and lighthouse from the cliffs

Islands in the Irish Sea

After we finished up the cliff walk, we headed back into town and had fish and chips for dinner from Beshoff's and we walked around the town a bit more.  In one area of the harbor, there is a fish store were people can buy fish to feed some seals that live in the area, so we went to see if we could get a glimpse of the seals.  Sure enough, there was a group of people throwing in fish to happily waiting seals, who would then tease the seagulls circling around them by holding the fish up for them, and then diving under the water when the birds got closer.  By this time, the sun was going down, the wind was picking up, and the temperature was dropping, so we caught the DART back into town.  While on the train, we made a list of the places that we wanted to visit this semester, so be on the lookout for posts soon.

Phoenix Park

So today, a group of my friends from class and I decided to tour the Aras an Uachtarain, or the residence of the President of Ireland, which is located in Phoenix Park.  The park is one of, if not the largest city park in the world, and it is completely surrounded by a perimeter wall, which is six miles in length.  It is home to many monuments, attractions, a herd of wild deer, and the residences of both the Irish President and the US Ambassador to Ireland. 

The excursion started off on an interesting note when myself and two of my friends wound up locked in a Spar (a mini-mart store) when they were changing money in an ATM.  After that, we hopped on the tram and made it to the park, where we had a bit of a walk before the house.  This is where the adventure really gets interesting.  After meeting up with a friend in the park, we made it to the gate to the Aras an Uachtarain, only to find out that it is not the pedestrian gate.  The security office told us where to go and we headed off in that direction, only to miss our next turn and continued to walk the wrong way.  After several minutes of walking, a park ranger tried to give us directions, but those proved to not be all that helpful.  Long story short, we finally found the visitors center where you pick up a bus that brings you to the Aras an Uachtarain, and just in time, as we caught the very last tour of the day.  All in all, we walked over 5 miles getting to and from and around the park.  The tour of the residence was very good, and the person leading the tour was very informative, I would definitely recommend this to anyone visiting Dublin, and its free!

Entrance to Phoenix Park

Wellington Monument

The Aras an Uachtarain

Papal Cross

Back to the grind

So I arrived back in Dublin this morning after about a month or so off on break.  I went home for the holidays, and I really enjoyed being home for a bit.  My flight went well.  I actually ran into a friend from Trinity who was on the same flight, and I had a row to myself on the plane, so I was able to stretch out my legs a bit and sleep.  After a quick nap, I spent the day with two of my friends from back home who took a little vacation for themselves and came to Dublin.  Even though I had seen one of these friends a few times over break, it was a lot of fun to hang out with them in Dublin.

Like I said I had a great time over break.  I got to spend time with my family, eat latkes with my grandparents, catch up with friends, drive, went to a few Devils games, and just relax.  Christmas went well, and as usual, we had brunch with the Mittermaiers.  I also had some friends from Lyco over for New Year's Eve and some of us went into the city the next day to see the tree and get dinner.  It was a lot of fun.

So now its back to the grind.  I have four classes this semester.  Two of them are only half-semester long.  I have two classes on the European Union and its policies, a class on international organizations, and a class on statistics.  I will also be working on my dissertation, so it will be a busy semester.  Hopefully, I will get to travel a bit more this term.  I really hope to make it to Angers to visit Amy and Strasbourg to visit Tara, and to London, Rome, the Vatican, Gibraltar, Belgium, and Morocco.  Its an ambitious list of places to go, but I hope that I can make it to all of those places, and hopefully, even more.  I also am going to try and write a little more frequently on this blog this term.

Where did the past three months go?

I am currently sitting in my room trying to do anything but study for my finals that have (one tomorrow, and the other on Wednesday).  I feel like posting to this blog is as good an excuse as any to take a break from studying. 

It's hard to believe that the semester is over already, it still feels like I have just arrived in Dublin and still getting settled, but its time for final exams and essays already.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and the program that I have selected, and it has definitely helped me sort out some priorities (more on that in a future posting), but I am also equally excited to go home for the holidays, and all that is standing  in the way is two finals and paper.

I am looking forward to being back home with my family, seeing my friends from Prep and Lyco, eating some latkes with my grandparents, our traditional Christmas morning brunch with the Mittermaiers, driving (for some reason, I really want to get behind the wheel of my jeep and just drive), and getting a proper iced coffee (which does not exist in Ireland).  I am also starting to get into the holiday spirit, even though the holiday season here started literally the day after Halloween.  My choir went caroling today to raise money for a Dublin-based charity, and it made me think of when the Madrigal Singers would go caroling at the Bridgewater Mall and the annual Lycoming Candlelight service, which is tonight. 

Well, I suppose I should get back to studying as my exam tomorrow afternoon is worth 50% of my grade in that class.  I will leave you with this picture of Grafton Street, all decked out for the holidays.

Lights on Grafton Street in Dublin saying Nollaig Shona Duit, Irish for Merry Christmas

Family Visit

During the last week of November, my parents and my brothers were able to come visit me for a few days, and their trip happened to fall during Thanksgiving (we had Italian food that night).  It is really strange being in a place that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving because it normally served as a buffer to the start of the Christmas season, but in Ireland, the seasonal craziness began the day after Halloween, with trees and lights going up all over the city and commercials and ads popping up all over the place.  My family's trip also coincided with the University of Dublin Choral Society Michaelmas Concert, which was an unexpected, and unplanned, bonus.

UDCS Concert

I was glad that my family got to experience and see Dublin firsthand, and I got to do and see some things that I had yet to do since arriving here in September.  Some of these things included going on a bus tour of the city, visiting the historic Kilmainham Gaol, and going to the Guinness Storehouse.

Learning how to pour the perfect pint, I succeeded, Justin did not.

On the Hop-on/Hop-off bus tour

Interior of Kilmainham Gaol

 

 

 

 

We spent Friday of that week in Northern Ireland, on a bus tour that went along the scenic County Antrim Coast and to the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge (which is a wood and rope bridge suspended 100 feet above the ocean), the Bushmills Distillery, Dunluce Castle, and the Giant's Causeway.

County Antrim Coastline

County Antrim Coastline

County Antrim Coastline

 

Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge

Jeremy, Mom, Justin, and Dad on the Bridge

Bushmill's

Dunluce Castle

Giant's Causeway

Giant's Causeway

Giant's Causeway

We capped off the visit with dinner and drinks with the MacNeill and MacDonald families.  I was really happy to see my family and glad that there were able to see Dublin, I know that they are planning a return trip in the spring to hit the links of the Emerald Island, and I am looking forward to going home for the holidays in less than a week.

Sometimes its fun to be a tourist...

In the past few months, I have taken many opportunities to go out and explore the city and the rest of Ireland.  There are a lot of things to do and see right here in Dublin.

There is a society on campus for International Students, and they have organized a lot of day trips and activities, and I have been able to go on quite a few of them.  Its been a great way to see this city and to meet new people.  I probably should have done individual posts for all of these activities, but this will just be a glimpse of some of the things that I have seen while I have been here.

Hill Walk in the Dublin Mountains

The view of Dublin City and Dublin Bay from the top of the mountain (you can see how hazy it was)

The summit of Three Rock Mountain

In the beginning of September, the group went on a hill walk just south of a Dublin.  We climbed to the top of Three Rock Mountain in Ticknock park.  Unfortunately, it rained for most of the 6-hour walk, but the views from the summit were great, and of course, the walk ended a pub.

Dublin Castle

The 12th Century Record Tower

 

 

Dublin Castle

 Dublin Castle is located right in the heart of Dublin, on Dame Street.  It was the fortified seat of British power in Ireland for over 700 years, until the establishment of the Republic of Ireland in 1921.  It is now used for the inauguration of the President of Ireland and for other official state functions.

Christchurch Cathedral

Christchurch Cathedral

 

 

The interior

 Located at the top of Dame Street is Christchurch Cathedral, which is the only one of the three cathedrals in Dublin that can be seen from the Liffey.  It is the seat of the Church of Ireland, but it is also claimed by the Catholic Church.  In the crypt, there is a mummified cat and rat that got caught in an organ pipe, which preserved them chasing one another.

Saint Patrick's Cathedral

The gardens of Saint Patrick's

The interior.

Saint Patrick's Cathedral

Irish Cross in the cemetery

 Malahide Castle

Me, Susanna, Linda, and Courtney outside the castle

Malahide Castle and grounds

Just a short train ride from the city center is Malahide Castle, which dates to the 12th century and was the family's primary residence until 1973.

Galway

Halfway through our semester, we had a reading week to catch up on work, so naturally, we decided to use our time to do a bit of traveling.  A group of seven of us in my program decided to do a weekend in Galway on the west coast of Ireland.  It was a really cool city, with a lot of pedestrian streets lined with pubs, cafes, and stores.

Me, Ted, Linda, Clarissa, Eanna, Courtney, and Rob outside of our hostel

Eyre Square

Interior of Galway Cathedral

The River Corrib

Galway Cathedral

Canal in Galway

Jameson Distillery

Jameson Distillery

Me, Emily, and Renee

 Two of my friends from Lycoming, Emily Patton (who is studying in Wales) and Renee Herrick (who is studying in London), visited Dublin for a weekend, and we went on the factory tour of the Old Jameson Distillery.  It was a fun tour, and it came with free whiskey at the end, and I even got selected to be a taste tester and got a certificate for it.  And all I had to do was drink some whiskey!

Rugby at Aviva Stadium

Me outside of Aviva Stadium

Ireland vs. Argentina

A family friend of ours was in Dublin from Galway for a weekend to see the Ireland vs. Argentina rugby match, and wound up having an extra ticket, so I got to experience my first live rugby match in Ireland's newest stadium.  I didn't follow everything that was going on, but Ireland won!

That's it for now.  There are still a lot of places and things to do and see in Dublin, and I plan on visiting Cork, France, the UK, and (hopefully) Morocco next term, and I will definitely post pictures from those trips.

The Emerald Isle? More like the Snowy Isle

So even though all of my Irish friends have repeatedly told me that it doesn't snow all that often in Ireland and that this is just a fluke, it has been snowing fairly steadily for the past six days.  It has gotten to the point that the airport is shut down today and most city bus services have been disrupted (there have been reports of buses not being able to make it over some of the arched bridges over the Grand Canal in the south side of the city).  I don't mind the snow, I rather like it, but the people of Dublin have not really been able to cope well with the few inches we have gotten.  And to make matters even worse, there are no plows and/or salt trucks so roads and sidewalks remain covered in the white stuff.  However, I have been able to use this opportunity to take a few pictures.

The view from my room in Goldsmith Hall.

The Campanile in the front of college.  Notice how some gave the statue of Mr. Lecky a hat so that he won't freeze.  It was very thoughtful.

The beloved Pav (campus bar) and the cricket pitch.

Front Square