Aran Islands & Dublin

The past couple of weeks have been pretty busy. Last Saturday, we left for the Aran Islands which is just a short bus ride and a ferry trip from where we are staying. On Saturday we were supposed to bike around the island but it was so windy and rainy and cold we took a bus tour around instead. Although I was looking forward to riding bikes, the weather would have made that trip miserable. We were still able to see the beauty of the island and the awesomeness of the ocean. We hiked up a pretty steep hill with tons of rocks to see a prehistoric fort called Dun Aengus. From where we hiked to see the fort, we were able to view the ocean from the cliffs as well. Although the ocean has always amazed me, watching the waves crash violently against the cliff was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Our tour guide even told us about a girl who was swept away (and luckily she was saved) by a wave when she had her back turned. Although it was pretty cold and wet, it was a truly awesome experience and I would LOVE to back to the Aran Islands...just maybe when the weather is a little nicer.



We arrived back to the Park Lodge on Sunday and we had class on Monday to prepare us for our 4 day trip to Dublin. On our way to Dublin, we stopped at an old monastery called Clonmacnoise. There is truly so much history in Ireland, and it was really cool to see some of the old crosses and the detail carved into them that has existed for several centuries. It was also cool to learn about the history behind the monastery, including several Viking attacks. When we got to Dublin, we were fortunate enough to tour the Kilmainham Gaol, which was a jail that has not been used as a jail since 1924, but is now a museum. This year marks 100 years since the Easter Rising of 1916, which was when a group of Irish nationalists took over government buildings in Dublin in an effort to become independent from the British. Those leaders were executed, most of them at the Kilmainham Gaol. Although this particular event was not necessarily successful in Ireland's struggle to establish independence, it eventually led to an effort that allowed Ireland to obtain their independence years later. Anyway, because this Easter Rising happened 100 years ago this April, it is a really, really big deal here in Ireland, and we have been hearing about it since our arrival. It is really interesting to learn about, but it was really cool, and sad, to visit the jail and see where 14 of the leaders were executed.

Names of the leaders who were executed following the Easter Rising

Dublin Castle

The next 2 days we had in Dublin were free days. A group of us traveled to a town south of Dublin where we went zip-lining and rock-climbing--both of which were a lot of fun. It was also a beautiful day (which is sometimes pretty rare in Ireland) so we were really able to enjoy being outside. The next day, Michael and I toured Dublin castle which was really cool. It was really interesting to see all of the time and detail that goes into something that beautiful. Sadly, my pictures do not really do the castle justice, but it really does feel kind of like walking into a fairy tale with gorgeous chandeliers and gold-covered everything. 

Trim Castle

Michael and I also walked up to Croke Park Stadium which is where they play Hurling, Irish Football, and handball. Unfortunately we arrived too late to do the skyline tour, but it was still interesting to read and learn about the different sports they play. Between Tuesday and Wednesday, Michael and I had walked nearly 25 miles around Dublin. Our last day in Dublin was Thursday, and we toured their Parliament (which was empty since it was election day here in Ireland). It was interesting to learn about how their processes work, and although they have some similarities to the American government processes, there are a lot of differences as well. On our way back from Dublin, we stopped at Trim where we explored Trim Castle. This castle was a lot different than the Dublin one, because it has been mostly unoccupied for nearly the last 300 years or so and had deteriorated quite a bit. We were still able to tour the main building that was still standing, however. Although what is left of the castle is all stone and very medieval-looking, our tour-guide informed us that castles were actually white-washed at the time, painting a much different picture than what is normally portrayed of medieval castles. He also mentioned that they often used ox-blood as mortar to hold the stones in place which would sometimes stain the castle, giving it a pink appearance. Also, apparently Braveheart was filmed on the ground of Trim Castle. 

View from the top of Trim Castle