Powers of the Water

    A couple days ago, I went for a walk on a route I had never been. I was getting locked in for this walk as I was not sure how long I was going for but, I put in my headphones, started to track my walk, and headed down the road. As I was coming out of the townhouses, instead of going into town for a walk, I decided to go the other way, on the sidewalk, away from town, close to the water. As I was walking, I noticed the tide was low and if I really wanted to I could hop over the barrier and just walk on the wet sand. I did not though, I stayed put on the sidewalk. It was very windy, but it was also nice and sunny out. Since I had never adventured down this way, I figured that the road would go all the way around the water and to the houses you can see from the hotel.

    

    I can say that it does not. When I was walking, I came across a horse that was either very small or a pony. However, I did not pet the horse, even though I wanted to. I just kept walking and saw fields, but no animals were in them, and saw numerous birds. As mentioned before, it was very windy. The wind was moving the water because it was so strong, and it created small whitecaps on the surface. This made me think that water is capable of many things. It is such a powerful substance. It can sink ships, erode rocks, it can kill, etc. Water is almost deceiving. It is gorgeous, blue & clear that it is so nice to be around. Nice to touch, to wade, swim & play in that it does not seem to be dangerous. As Yeats's poem, "A Lough Neagh Sequence: I. Up The Shore" states,

   "The lough will claim a victim every year.

    It has virtue that hardens wood to stone.

    There is a town sunk beneath its water.

    It is the scar left by the Isle of the Man"

    The poem talks about the lough, another term for body of water, and how it is dangerous. As I was having similar thoughts on my walk. How can something so beautiful be so deadly? The world may never know.

The Special Burren

    The Burren is a national park here that is highly recognized. The Burren is notable for the rocky ground. As well as, the structure of the stones stacked upon one another. It was definitely an interesting place at first. I do not think I really knew what to expect because I did not look up where we were going. I just went wherever the bus took me! Being able to walk around and explore, it is really unique there. It appears to have a type of culture there almost like a sacred ground. The Poulnabrone Dolmen is the structure there that gives the sense of sacred ground because it has been there for an extremely long time. Which is why it can be looked at as an archaeological, original monument that a good amount of people like to visit.

    The poem of Heaney, "Cairn-Maker", talks about the stones in the Burren, and how he was looking at this culture here. The mention of cairn is a pile/ stack of stones that is significant to people. Cairns can be used as a type of memorial. The Burren is just a great place to see and just walk and see what you can find. Reading this poem, it shows a sense of adventuring, and that is something I think, not just I, but everyone should take away from this trip. Just do what you can.

The Distasteful Sip

    When taking a tour of the Jameson Distillery, I had a positive out look going into it. I was looking forward to the part where we got to taste the whiskey. Which, looking back, I do not know why because I do not really like whiskey. However, the tour was fun and we got to see a lot and go through the process of how this "Irish water" is made. All I can say, is that there was a huge amount of labor going into making this drink. Everything there was so old, and as time goes on things evolve and the process of making things gets easier. As machines are swapped for hands on labor. 

    One of the things that I can't forget is the smell. Not in a bad way thought, it was a nice, crisp scent. Compared to the Guinness Storehouse scent, this was a step up. The Guinness place just smelled like a long, bad night out. While the Jameson Distillery, you could smell the wood from the barrels and the aging whiskey. It was very nice. Going back to the tasting portion of this tour...I felt like I had to choke down the samples. It was like my life flashed before my eyes, the taste was nasty. I just don't have the taste for whiskey, so it was like my heart restarted. To me, me experience reminded me of the "A Drinking Song" by Yeats. The meaning of the poem does not relate to me, it is just the last lines that I chose to interpret a whole different way. 

"I lift the glass to my mouth,
I look at you, and I sigh."

    The reason I relate to this was because with each sample, I foreshadowed what was to come. I was not going to like the taste, it was going to burn, and it was warm going down. Each sample, it is true, I would look at my friends, take a deep breath and brace myself, and take the sip. The poem, in a sense describes exactly what I did and how I felt. This is absolutely a completely different way to look at this poem. Overall, the experience was great and I wouldn't change anything. I just do not have the taste for Irish whiskey.

Childhood Core

    Another notable site from the West is Inch Beach. When we stopped to go down to the water you could smell the salt in the air & hear the waves splash against the shore. The beach was so open, and I could just picture how much more fun it would be in the summer time! It was also so pretty to see the islands off in the distance and the hills of the land. It was good to take in. When I was younger, every summer my family would plan a vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, so the scent and sound is burned into my brain. I just recall knowing I was on vacation and I could play in the sand & water, eat so much snacks, and be with my family.  I guess the beach is a way to reminisce in how care-free you get to be as a child, and how you can just live. The first stanza of "To a Child Dancing in the Wind" by Yeats describes exactly what I mean. The poem depicts how you only worry about the very tiny, unimportant things as a child, but when you grow up you are faced with the real world. This also was eye-opening to realize that as a kid, I had no idea what I was going to be challenged with growing up.

"Dance there upon the shore;
What need have you to care

For wind or water's roar?
And tumble out your hair
That the salt drops have wet;
Being young you have not known
The fool's triumph, nor yet
Love lost as soon as won,
Nor the best labourer dead
And all the sheaves to bind.
What need have you to dread
The monstrous crying of wind?"

The Ongoing Rocky Ledges

    When traveling across Ireland, I have been able to just observe and take in everything I have encountered. On the buses, I just pop in my headphones, turn my music on, and check out the scenery. To me, it is so peaceful and I really enjoy it. The vibe is immaculate and I'm just in my own world. Since we drive through the country, there is so much green everywhere which means so many animals! While looking into these fields, it is hard not to notice the walls of rock put there to keep the sheep in. It is not just one wall, these rocky ledges all connect and sometimes seem never ending. Yeats phrases it the best in his poem "The Hour Before Dawn".

"And not one house to the plain's edge,

When close to his right hand a heap

Of grey stones and a rocky ledge"

    Showing how the scenery is in these fields. Not a lot of houses around, but a lot of these rocky ledges. In my mind I wonder how long these took to make and get here? These rock wall fence things (whatever they are actually called) appear to be all different sizes of rocks stacked on top of each other and held together with some type of substance. I am thinking are these rocks put here one by one, or is it something you buy in bulk? So many questions, and I guess I could look it up, but then that would kill the mystery. It is just interesting to think how many sheep have these walls held back? How long have they been here?

    Overall, one can assume there have been a huge amount of sheep coming and going throughout the fields. It is simply the circle of life. Which I got to experience. Well, not exactly but I made a pit stop at part of it. While we were on the West trip, we stopped and got to feed, pet, and hold lambs! They were so adorable. These lambs and sheep had the colorful splotches on them like the ones in the fields I would see as I was being transported down the roads. Which reminded me that these lambs would grow up and eventually be in one of those fields guarded by the rocky ledges. That is my reference to the circle of life in a sense. Nonetheless, the lambs were so adorable and I wanted to take them home with me. Moral of the story is that these animals make up part of the beautiful Irish scenery.

Ok so fun fact I actually don't have a picture of these rocky, stone ledges, but I do have this picture of me holding a lamb! (I swear these rock fence ledges are real and I didn't make them up I just don't have a picture and I could insert one from google but it doesn't have the same effect.)

The Wonderful Cliffs of Moher

    On the West trip of Ireland, I was given the opportunity to see the Cliffs of Moher! This was such a beautiful experience to endure and I would definitely go back and visit again. Pictures and descriptions do not do this place justice, it is for sure a must see in person place. However, I think I got to see the cliffs on a lucky day. The weather was so wonderful! It was sunny, not too cloudy, and so nice out. The sun shining just added to the experience and view. The water was a gorgeous shade of blue, that was lighter or darker depending on the area you were looking at. The cliffs were so high up from the water, even though there was a barrier, I still did not want to get extremely close to the edge!

    The sight made me think Yeats's poem, "The White Birds". This is because of the cliffs being so large that there were birds flying in between them and at all different heights. In the poem the line,

"I would that we were, my beloved, white

birds on the foam of the sea!",

reminds me of the birds. The birds were so cool to see because, to me, it felt unreal to see. Like I should only be able to see a sight like that in a professional photography video or picture, or maybe in a movie. I was able to see it in real life! Maybe I am being overdramatic with how cool it was, but I just thought it was so beautiful. (Unfortunately, I was unable to snap a picture that showed the birds how they actually looked.) In my opinion, I think the line shows how freely these birds are able to live and fly wherever & whenever they want. I sometimes envy how animals are able to see views that we, humans, would not get to experience like they do. Overall, I think the Cliffs of Moher was a magnificent place to be able to see!

 

The Dingle Blasket

   

    On the West trip, we went along the Dingle Peninsula, and saw beautiful, scenic sites! There was healthy green land that stretched for miles & miles, beautiful blue water of the Atlantic Ocean, and animals that got to live in this wonderful setting all the time. Being able to see all of these sites was astonishing. It was unreal to see, and to believe people actually live here and are able to see the view everyday when they wake up. There was such a sense of peace and relaxation that, I personally, would never be able to get over. I can imagine reading, painting, or just sitting in silence in one of the green fields and being so content with everything. 

    Looking out off the cliffs, I saw islands. I wished I was able to be on one of them and see the view from there. Maybe to take a boat and just adventure off and see what I could fine. However, looking at these islands made me think back to the poem, "The Given Note" from Heaney. The poem mentions, "On the most westerly Blasket...", which refers to the islands off of the Dingle Peninsula. So when I was looking out, I was able to recall a piece of literary work. As I mentioned before, it was just a sense of peacefulness.