Day 10--DUBLIN!

We spent all day today romping around Dublin, and sure had a great time doing it! We started with a bus tour of the city thanks to our guide, Con. Traffic was pretty bad, so it took us a bit longer than expected. But despite the gridlock, we saw a lot of the city and got a lot of good information about its history. 

We got off the bus near a park on the north side of the city, near Trinity. We were given about 5 hours to ourselves to do what we wanted in Dublin, which was great fun. I broke off into a group with 3 others and we made our way around the city. 

First stop, watch a cricket match at Trinity! 

Then, Grafton Street!

Then we went to a delicious Irish burger place for some good ol cow meat. More importantly my Coke was cute. 

Then GUINNESS!

Then the pub...

We are off to the USA In the AM!

Day 9--Dunbrody, Wicklow, and Dublin...and driving.

Well, today was a long haul for sure. 

After waking up super early in Killarney, we had a quick breakfast before Frob celebrated mass outdoors at the local castle. (Cool!). It was a beautiful morning, the sky was blue, the mountains reflected in the water next to the castle and it was a peaceful place overall.

Frob celebrating mass (not a picnic):

After, we started our long journey from Killarney to Dublin. We made a couple stops during the way, but even then it was exhausting just being on the bus. It became especially difficult with the peaceful tin whistle music Con played for us on the ride. (I slept most of the way, along with 75% of everyone else). 

We stopped first at the Dunbrody memorial and visitors center, where we ate lunch and enjoyed the view. Much of the museum is dedicated to our own JFK, since his family emigrated from the county that now houses this museum. It was a lovely place, and I'm happy to have visited. 

Dunbrody was a cute little town with bunch of visitors. I enjoyed myself and the view if the pirate ship! 

After more driving we off

To st. Kevin's monastic settlement. Simply gorgeous.

Dunbrody:

St. Kevin's: 

  

Then it was off to a very "active" haunted jail in Wicklow. I'm too tired to explain now, but it's certainly a story for another day. 

Then we had dinner at an Italian restaurant across the street, which was

quite nice. Then bed. 

One more full day of Ireland...then back home we go!

Day 8--Dingle Peninsula

Wow...day 8? This trip can't be almost over. I feel like I've just gotten used to life here! (Small water glasses, crazy tourists...but also the beautiful scenery and pace of life). Nevertheless, we have still got a couple days of excitement left!

We had some excitement this morning, since we got a brand new bus that had some warning lights flashing and engine issues upon arrival. (Doesn't totally make sense...) but the good news was that we were on our way with a new driver, but still our old driver and guide, Con, our all time favorite Irish superstar on board. He's a father of 3, husband, and incredible presence on this pilgrimage. His knowledge of the areas we drive through and visit is astoundingly vast, and his cheery disposition make us oh so happy every minute we are on the bus to a new destination. We are happy to still have him with us, along with our trip leader Jim and new driver Danny. 

We drove to some incredible sights today, and spent a couple hours in Dingle Town, right on the Dingle peninsula, which is the westernmost point of Europe. 

We stopped first at Killarney national park: 

Then it was onward to the peninsula! We saw people surfing, fishing, and enjoying the beautiful day. 

Frob celebrated mass in a beautiful church on a hill in Dingle town. 

The walls were lined with posters in Gaelic written by children in Eucharist prep or confirmation prep about different saints. I found my name, St. Rebecca!

Then we had some free time to explore the town and we sure had fun! We went to the Dingle pub for some fried Brie, a pint of Bulmers, and good company. The bar owner was kind and hospitable, and we had a lowly lunch together before heading back towards the bus. 

We even found a memorial to the town's resident dolphin, Fungi! (Spelling?) He had lived in their harbor for over 30 years. Wow!

Then we were off to the rest of the peninsula and back to Killarney for a restful evening before our trek to Dublin tomorrow. We have a packed day tomorrow, and are all already so exhausted from being on the bus and doing so many wonderful things! I am excited to see what Dublin has to offer, and hope I can sleep on the bus tomorrow ;). 

Continued prayers are coming your way from all of us, and we hope you will pray for our continued safety and growth on this pilgrimage!

Day 7--Living on the edge!

I mean the title of this post very literally...cause today we visited the Cliffs of Moher!

These famous cliffs have hosted many a tourist over time, but more importantly, a scene of Harry Potter 6 was filmed there...so that's all I was concerned with when I first got off the bus...(just kidding...?). Honestly, these natural and beautiful carvings into the coast were a sight to see, and I'll never forget them, the breeze, the clear blue water, the puffins nesting at the base, and just taking in the scenery itself. To God be the glory, cause He sure did a darn good job with this. 

Pictures can't quite describe, but here's an idea...

Oh, and I sat on the edge. Sorry mom! ;)

But it was SO worth it!!!

 

This place is a wonder and a must-see. I am still in a state of awe at the beauty of these cliffs, so perfectly carved by the waves over the years. 

After these, we drove to a castle and folk park, where we were welcomed by traditionally dressed women baking apple pies, scones, churning butter, feeding animals...the list goes on. We walked through the castle and were greeted by what seemed like thousands of German and French tourists...and the castle itself I guess? The place was very cool, but I think I was just too tired to enjoy it since we got there at what felt like naptime. But it was still fun!

Thatched houses:

The castle! (Kind if felt like Monty Python and the Holy grail...proceed with the puns.)

Then we had a 2 hour drive to Killarney...truthfully, I slept. But when we arrived, we were greeted by a cute town with pubs, live music, and friendly people. We decided to go to a show, which was slightly pricey, but SO worth it. 

Irish dance! Music! What's better?

Then it was off to the pub for more love music, which took the form of a jam session with tin whistles, accordions, mandolins, and guitars in the side bar of the pub. It was lovely, and they encouraged us to sing along and dance. Woohoo!

Oh, and for your enjoyment:

We are looking good, and can't wait for the Dingle Peninsula tomorrow. Goodnight from Ireland!

Day 6--Connemara, Crystal, and the most beautiful place on earth.

Today we were privileged to drive through one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland: Connemara. It's the area where they quarry the famous Connemara Marble and manufacture crystal, and it's surrounded by gorgeous mountain ranges with clear blue lakes at the bases. 

We began with the marble shop, where we were given a demonstration and explanation on the quarrying and manufacturing of Connemara marble products. There are 3 kinds of Connemara marble: Black, Green, and Red. In the Green category, there are several sub-categories where certain shades are used for jewelry, rosaries, brooches, etcetera. The black marble comes from cliffs where there are will fossils, and for that reason, the black marble has patterns offishbones, ouster shells, and coral. Simply amazing! The green marble is the most common, and is used especially in jewelry. The red marble is no longer used in manufacturing because of its rarity, but it is still so beautiful to look at. 

Marble stacked up in the demonstration room:

Our guide has been in the business for 65 years!

After the marble factory we made our way to the crystal, where we met Mary, a local legend. She purchased the land of the factory and started making designs that skilled, honor-certificate-bearing art graduates came to create in crystal. Becoming a master cutter of crystal takes 7 years of preparation and apprenticeship, and incredible skill. We saw an unbelieveable demonstration!

Mary, our guide:

The demonstration!

WOW!

After the crystal, we were in for even more excitement and beauty as we drove towards Kylemore Abbey. Situated in the mountains, the Abbey is still home to sisters and retreats from the area, and is a calm, beautiful place for reflection and rejuvenation. I would venture to say that Connemara is the most beautiful place ice been privileged to see in the world. 

No words can describe the beauty. This picture doesn't even do justice to the amazement I felt here. 

The Abbey itself was a gorgeous, very old structure that reminded me of that from the "Downton Abbey" series on BBC/pbs. Needless to say, I felt like l

Lady Mary (minus all the heartache) on these premises. ;)

CAN YOU BELIEVE THE BEAUTY???

Frob celebrated mass in a lovely little chapel before we continued exploring the grounds and the infamous walled gardens. 

The chapel:

The gardens looked like the Secret Garden--one of my favorite stories :)

Then, it was off to downtown Galway for a night of live Irish music, revelry, and fun! We surely enjoyed ourselves. We sat out on the green in front of a pub enjoying pints of Bulmers before moving indoors for live music and an adorable fiddle player that was making all the girls swoon. 

The band was great! Slainte!

We have said goodnight to Galway, and we are thankful for the lovely time we spent. Off to Killarney! 

Day 5--the Aran Islands!

We have officially said our goodbyes to the little town of Knock, and Kilkenny's, our favorite small-town pub. Off we went to the county of Galway and the beautiful Aran Islands!

Known for their exquisite scenery (and wool sweaters!), the Aran Islands are situated about 45 minutes (by boat) off the mainland. We took the ferry there, but it was so packed with people and the line was so disorganized that getting on and off the boat became a bit stressful. But all of that was forgotten by the time we had made it around the island. 

The church where we had mass:

The old church we went to for mass did not have a single thing in English for us to use. Nothing for the priest or lector was useful to us because they were all written in Irish Gaelic! Thank goodness for Bob, Frob's brother in law, who had a Magnificat we could use. 

Beautiful!

After mass came the the most memorable tour I've ever taken, thanks to none other than Bertie the bus driver, short for Bartholemew. He is from Aran, and has been giving bus tours for years on his 16 passenger van. Sound sketchy? It was a little interesting as he wove in and out of sheep, tourists, other cars, and unsuspecting people on narrow roads between farm after farm after cliff. I'll never forget it. 

He made so many crazy (animal?) sounds, cracked lots of jokes, sang some American songs we knew, and talked up a storm about the land he loved so dearly. We were certain that his hyperactivity would lead usto danger on his van, but we all made it out alive, informed, and entertained by our new friend Bertie. We stopped at a lot of different places on the island before heading out:

The old churches:

Our cafe for lunch was PERFECT homemade Irish food:

We bought wool goods and silver Celtic rings in these shops!

Then it was back to Galway city to our hotel, ready to relax and prepare for our next day: Kylemoor Abbey and Connemara!

(But first we went to Tesco, which is basically Wal-Mart but way nicer)

Time for marble, crystal, shepherd's pie, and live music! Until tomorrow!

Day 4--Ain't no mountain high enough...just kidding.

INow, the reason I say that is because we all climbed Croagh Patrick today. Croagh Patrick is a jaw-droppingly beautiful mountain that is famous because of St. Patrick. It's said that he climbed it barefoot to fast, and after today, I can assure you that St. Patrick really and truly was a holy man for withstanding such harsh terrain on bare feet and little food and drink.  

Just look at this!

 Now, we were all feeling mixed about this experience--we had heard that not many made it to the top, that it was easy to give up, that by the top of the last scramble it was knees to forehead cause of the hill's incline. All of these statements became truer and truer the more I climbed. 

I am trying to find the words to classify this trek, and I really am having trouble. Maybe it's because I have barely slept enough, and I made it up and down this big thing today in 4 1/2 hours. But I was talking with Lisa, our campus minister, and we both agreed that this climb is something very hard to explain, but so applicable for those who've been there. There's so much opportunity to draw wisdom from the steep hill, baby steps necessary for success, goal setting, team work, positive thinking, praying, and perseverance necessary for this hike. 

Just gorgeous. Do you see the sheep?

 

Truly, I couldn't have made this climb without my dream team--Katie,

Lisa, Fiona, Shannon, and Biz. Our periodic breaks, calling out in praise and cursing it all and wanting to stop at the next chance made for such a crazy climb that was focused on God and His merciful help and our poor bodies...and what the HECK we were thinking. 

As we made it towards the top, the clouds started rolling in and things got ridiculous...

But step by step...

We got closer!

And finally...

I MADE IT TO THE TOP!

We rejoiced! Some cried, some prayed, some are Pringles, and some did all of three. But we MADE it. 

After the trek back down, which doesn't even deserve a description other than the word PAIN and the exclamation OWWWW.  My body is just so done!

...but this sheep was still going up. Good work fluffy. 

Now I'm off to bed after what has been a crazy day filled with accomplishments, confidence building, faith affirming, and fun-having. God bless, and stay tuned as wee head onto GALLWAY tomorrow!

Day 3--CHEERS!

I am so sorry not to have posted about Day 3--Balintubber Abbey and the Irish Folk museum! Truth be told, I don't have too much to write, and I was so tired! But here's an account of our day yesterday:

We began with a traditional Irish breakfast, complete with a fried egg, toast, tea, tomato, bacon, and blood sausage. I will spare you the description of blood sausage, but I can tell you one thing--it's pretty gross, and I didn't try it. 

After breakfast, we piled onto the bus and made our way to Balintubber Abbey, which has parts dated back 1000 years. Amazing! Fr. Rob said mass in the main church of the Abbey, and though the church was drafty and cold, we had a wonderful experience praying together in there, thinking about the amazing history the building held. 

After we concluded mass, Mary, our tour guide took us on an exquisite tour of the Abbey, and told such rich stories of the history of Ireland and the town of Balintubber. I wish I had the time and the energy to write it all here--if you'd like to know more, please ask! I'd love to tell you all about it more!

 The Abbey:

Bottom line: Mary's storytelling skills were a true gift to us while we were visiting. Her sweet and humbling demeanor were the perfect accompaniment to her calm Irish accent and adorable smile. She could tell a mean "3 little pigs", or so I imagine. She was an absolute delight, and we were so lucky to have her guide is around the Abbey grounds. 

Mary telling us about the "Crib"

Upon leaving the Abbey, we made our way back to the Irish folk museum for some history on the crafts and livelihood the Irish made for themselves in the countryside. The museum had some great exhibits, and most of the museum was interactive and encouraged us to touch everything. I enjoyed it, but was so tired that I would need a second time at the museum to actually take my time and read everything. 

We got to dress up!

Like good college students and alumns, we thought it would be a good idea to roll down the steep hill next to the museum, lay in the grass by the lake in the bottom, and climb trees. I am here to tell you that they were all amazing ideas and we carried them out to the best of our ability, no shame. :) it's been such a blast hanging out, praying, and spending time with the people on this journey. 

As we continued home for dinner, Con, our amazing coach driver, pulled into Castlebar and gave us an hour to roam and explore. Me and some friends decided to explore pubs, and we made out GREAT! Met awesome folks, took pictures, won free pints and jerseys for the World Cup...the list is endless. 

We ended our day with dinner and a trip to our new favorite pub, Kilkenny's, run by our new favorite owner, Tobias (Toby). Those stories are for another time, but I can assure you that we all made great conversations with locals, played darts, drank good beer, and felt it was time well spent. 

Cheers!