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.

Yeats Tower

    Taking a trip to the Yeats Tower was a different experience. To be able to visit the site where Yeats was at, was very cool, as we are reading his work in class! Looking at the land, I could see how he would be able to easily intertwine nature in his poetry. It was very beautiful there. It was definitely worth seeing, and driving to the building was so beautiful and green as well. 

      In my mind, as the seasons come and go, I feel that it would look so pretty at all different times. Something I wonder is what the inside of the tower looks like.  Yeats' poems consistently mention the seasons changing and time going on. Which can only make one think how many stories and memories went on in that place. Like literary works do, all you can use is your imagination for the imagery.

A Poetic Birthday

    Ok well this post is not on my birthday but that's ok! As our class is focused on poetry, Dr. Reed just so happened to write me a poem for a birthday gift! It was very good, and I have never had anyone write me one. My birthday was on March 19th, and I turned 20! I thought it was so generous that my professor was able to take time out of his day to come up with his own work of art. In the poem he mentioned the seal & ships of Dungarvan. This made me think of the sights that I have seen on the walks I have taken. The ships I have seen have been sitting on the bank because when the tide is low the water is shallow enough to reach the bottom. I think it is still interesting to see how much the tide rises and falls over a couple of hours. The mention of the seal is funny because I have yet to see this majestical seal taking a nice float on the surfboard. 

    The poem had slightly mentioned "No Second Troy" by Yeats, which we read in class. Dr. Reed had his lines flowing with rhythm like the poems we have read in class. The poem called "A Score for Ellen" went into some of the things about Dungarvan and focused on some of the little things we've encountered. The poem also foreshadows potential great adventures for me to experience! Which I want to make come true by the end of this Ireland experience. This poem was nice to read & listen to! I guess one could say I had a poetic birthday. 

Irish Farmer's Market

    After class, I went to the farmer's market! I thought it was a cute, little row of items to purchase (even thought I didn't get anything). As I got to the end of the market, I heard someone singing & playing a guitar. When I got closer, I noticed that people were just dancing in the streets and I thought it was so interesting to see! But the dancing seemed like it specifically went to the song being sung, which I unfortunately do not know the name of. It was nice to see how many people the market brought out. The vendors were nice as well! There were many different smells in the air though. Somehow I do not think the scent of fish, baked goods, flowers, and eggs go together.

    It appeared like such a fun part of the culture here and there was no judgement! In a sense, it made me think of the poem, "The Stolen Child", we read today. Not necessarily the meaning of the poem, but the flow of it and how it was smooth. Also the fact that it was mentioned that the Irish children have the poem memorized. The movements of the people seemed so natural like something they also learned from their childhood, and it just showed the happiness they have and the culture! The photo is a picture of the farmer's market, and the two women closer to the camera were apart of the group who was dancing.