Cliffs of Mordor

Over the course of the weekend a large group came together.  We battled through rough weather and slight hangovers on our metal,  8 wheeled passenger stead (bus).  It was a free trip, payed for by included with our stay here, and though it was supposed to only be for Marquette students, we snuck out St. Joseph's roommate and our friend from University of Wisconsin onto the bus.  The fellowship was lead by our Marquette liaison's son, Paul, seeing as she had the flu.  Our fellowship made a few stops at some lame castle and another less lame cave, but then we were off to our real destination.  The Cliffs of Moher.

As we arrived, the sun showed its self to us and we witnessed a sight that was in every sense of the phrase: Breath taking.  Out of both awe and dizzying fear, the cliffs literally make you stop and just wittiness them.  Though the site is obviously a huge tourist spot, it takes nothing away from how beautiful they are.  There were  some walls and barriers up to maintain safety, but there was also a section to the south that you could walk along private property, barrier free.  

Earlier in the bus a smaller group of myself, two of my housemates and our friend from UW had decided spontaneously that our goal was not fulfilled and that we had to continue onward to the town of Doolin (about a half inch away from the Cliffs of Moher according to this map).  We were told that we could follow a trail that leads north along the coast from the cliffs all the way to Doolin by our liaison's son Paul.  Paul did us well.  Breaking from the fellowship, we hopped the fence and started our journey to Doolin.  Of all the things I have done in Ireland so far, this hike was the most monumental.  The trail was definitely there, though it was almost never safe.  We walked along sheer cliff drops of a height that, without any doubt in your head, would  kill you.  But the thing was, it was so high up that you couldn't even comprehend how high your were.  All we could do was giggle, and in fact we did, a lot.  I felt like the kids in Stand By Me.  But really there aren't words to describe what it was like.  We didn't find out until we got home that when the weather is bad wind can pick people up and off the cliffs, even in the touristy section.  (don't worry mom and dad, we made our primary goal not to die for this trip) My roommate took lots more pictures and there's a link to them on his blog.  

Eventually, we strolled into Doolin Town found a hostel to dry our soaked/muddy feet.  Doolin is actually a really big tourist spot but it is practically shuts down in the off season.  So, most everything was closed.  However, we were able to find a pub with some food and the Gaelic football game.  Then we found another pub with great trad music (thats what the Irish call traditional).  Since it was the off season, its was only locals in the pub.  Some guy even pulled out the spoons and played them.  Next day, we packed our tired asses onto a bus back to Galway and got some sleep.

I got a head start on facial hair February

The start of the trail.  This was probably the safest part.

We walked all the way from where I took this picture to the furthest point you can see.  After that we still had another hour of hiking to Doolin.

Sweet Hostel

Dublin, Pronounced Dooblin

We took a two day trip to Dublin over the weekend.  It's a big city with more of an international feel than the smaller Irish charm of Galway, but the history of the city is immense and it was a an awesome way to get a better perspective of Irish culture.

Our hostel was The MarlBoRough Hostel.  Very friendly.  It felt almost like a commune.  You share a kitchen, Internet, TV room, courtyard and bathrooms and showers.  Lots of younger  international people.  We actually met some people from Germany and Belgium that we ended up going out to the bars with.

This spire is a feature of the city.  I don't think the locals like it much.  It seems to stick out, though it is impressively big.

One of our major goals of the trip was to visit the Guinness storehouse.  Though they brew Guinness elsewhere now, there is still a museum tour you can take in Dublin.  It was a bit artificial but well worth it.

250 years of Guinness

The man himself, Arthur Guinness

Tasting room

One of my favorite parts was the advertising of the past.  Apparently in the 1950's Guinness was good for you. I took way too many pictures.

The creator of the famous "my goodness my Guinness" posters John Gilroy.

I got to pour my own pint.

The tour finishes with a bar at the top, and since it was such a nice day you could see all of Dublin.

Next day we trekked to Croke Park, home of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) where they play such games as Hurling and Gaelic Football.  The stadium holds some 83,000 people and is the 4th largest stadium in Europe.  Though Hurling and Gaelic Football aren't even professional sports, there is still a huge draw for them.  Surprisingly, this was one of the best things we did during the trip.  The revival of the Irish games occurred at the same time as much of the militant attempts to gain Irish independence from Britain.  Many Irish nationalist were afraid that their culture was dying out so they began to try and revive Irish language, dance, music and Gaelic games.  I don't think the GAA was meant to be political but there had to be some connection.

The stand to the left is known as Hill 16.  It is the place where Dublin fans like to be when their team plays.  Apparently, its called Hill 16 because it was originally built on old ruble from the Easter Rising of 1916.  The Easter Rising was a militant attempt by Irish republicans to gain independence from Britain.  Another of the stand was called Hogan stand after one of the coaches (Michael Hogan) along with 13 others were killed when a British officer opened fire in Croke Park on the day known as Bloody Sunday.  More than just a stadium, Croke park is steeped in history, which is why I think I liked it so much.

This statue in Dublin Castle was built by the British and apparently faces away from the rest of the city.  A symbol that the British didn't respect the Irish.  Also, until they drilled holes in it, the balance would be unequal when it rained.
 
We finished our trip with a visit to the old Jameson Distillery.  Like Guinsess, Jameson isn't distilled in Dublin anymore but they still offer a tour.  It was really cheesy and artificial, but there was a happy ending.

Letterfrack, NUI & Arren

This last weekend we took a bus ride to Connemara National Park in lovely Letterfrack.  I say this with a bit of sarcasm since the weather took a turn for the worse during our visit.  We intended to hike for most of the day but ended up getting halfway up and having the weather force us to loiter in a pub the rest of the day until the bus came back.  You can get a taste of the what the weather was like from a video my roommate Mike took.  It's on his blog Here.  Unfortunately my camera pooped out before we got very far.

Letterfrack

Galway has been quite rainy.  But it usually rains only for part of the day and then clears up.









This is the local beer called Galway Hooker.  Its named after the tradition boat called the Galway Hooker.  The beer is very good.

Cathedral on the walk to school

This building is the trademark of NUI Galway.  It is built to resemble Oxford I think.

This is Arren.  He's gonna stay the semester with me.

Arrived

After an overnight flight (MSP-Atlanta-Dublin) a 3 hour bus ride, and a very confusing walk (there are no street signs or addresses here) I have made it to my final destination of Gawlay Ireland.  I've been here about 5 days so far, but I am still adjusting to the change of lifestyle (read: drinking heavily every night).  The Guiness is great, the town is thriving and its been a great place so far.