A Bid Farewell

    When we were flying in to Ireland, and just driving through the roads & hills, there is so much to see. Even though I have been up and down the coasts of Ireland, I still think there is more to explore. I know I have mentioned the scenery here in many blogs, but I genuinely cannot get enough of it. When you are on a plane, flying in, you are at a different perspective, and really obtain the beauty of Ireland. Leaving here, on this upcoming Saturday, will be sad. I won't see all the green of the rolling hills, and the fields filled with sheep and cows. However, I do miss my family greatly, so it is a bittersweet moment for me.

    Anyways, I think I am so lucky to see how the land looks in different perspectives, and be able to enjoy it! The ocean was a big part of the scenery here. I have been able to visit different beaches around Ireland, and take nice pictures. On the plane, to see the land meeting the ocean and vice versa, it was just beautiful. The ocean surrounds Ireland, but I think it adds to the beauty, and flying away from it will be sad and nostalgic. "Postscript" by Heaney describes the beauty of the water:

"And the light are working off each other

So that the ocean on one side is wild

With foam and glitter, and inland among stones"

                                           

   These past 2 months I will forever be grateful and never forget!

Difference of Beliefs

    

    Today, we took a trip to the Garda station and to court. Just to check things out and see what these places are like compared to America. Also, going back to when we took the trip to Belfast, we learned about the troubles. These troubles were lightly mentioned at the station regarding guns and the IRA. What we have learned is that the troubles have much more to do and are deeper than religion. While that may be the case, religion is part of it, but not the whole issue. The line from Heaney's "The Other Side", 

"my ear swallowing

his fabulous, biblical dismissal,

that tongue of chosen people."

    I feel like this line depicts the fact that there is more than one way to take the bible and how to believe it. There were different sides involving Protestants and Catholics, and killings that involved that as well. I just think that this line also says that there is some form of higher power around, but it just is what one chooses to believe. Going to present day, these troubles in Northern Ireland are still very real today, and the feelings of society are still present. The man that gave us the tour of the Garda station brought it up.

A Musical Evening

     Last night we went to a musical performance. The audience was packed. There were so many people there. The music was Irish, so I did not know what I was listening too. However, the people around us really got into the music and enjoyed it a lot. It was cool to see the instruments the performers played, and they had really good voices. It was nice to see how everyone there was so full of joy. I mean that because they were so open to sing, where as in America I have never been to a place, like that, where we would sing. I think they are more open-minded here lol.

    I came to a realization. In the short story, "A Painful Case" by James Joyce, Mr. Duffy was an isolated man that did not like much. He did not like to be around much people, including family, and kept to himself. Mr. Duffy stuck to the same routine everyday. However, the story mentioned that, "Hid liking for Mozart's music brought him sometimes to an opera or a concert: these were the only dissipations of his life." Mr. Duffy found joy in going to listen to music, even though he felt lonely and was grinch like. So if someone like him likes music, I can see why these joyous people, that filled the stands, loved the music as well. I think that music is a form of therapy for some. 

A Day to Celebrate

    

    Today is Dr. Reed's birthday! We had a little surprise party for him. He is very appreciated around here, and we were all so happy to celebrate him! We had some great homemade food, and were able to chat with one another. There were other people there that know Dr. Reed and came to celebrate with him, and that is just wonderful! Wonderful to know the impact he has! He is also a very wise man, and funny!

    At the beginning of Dr. Reed's class, learning poetry was tough for me. This is because I do not like it. I just can't analyze works in that way. The only way I can is if the meaning is very obvious, like "Scaffolding" by Heaney. Other than that I am pretty much hopeless. I also am not a fan of poetry because I like to read fiction books and what not. Basically, what I am trying to say is that Dr. Reed helped me understand poetry a little bit better! In class, he goes into depth with them, and explores multiple ideas behind the meanings of a piece. I am not saying that I have a new found love for poetry, but I am more "open" to it. Overall, Dr. Reed was able to make an important impact on me. I am grateful for that!

The Bright Side of Bad Weather

     Coming to Ireland, I knew that the weather would not be that great. I knew that this was more of a
cloudy, rainy, cold area, but I was ok with that. I was here for the experience. When it rains back in Erie, it is dreadful, but I also do not care for the rain that much. Being in Ireland, I think I have a new perspective. I look at the rain as beautiful, even though it does not bring a happy feeling. I do not love the fact that it makes my clothes wet, shoes dirty, and my hair gets messed up, but I think that it opens up the land here.

    I am able to see the fields, hills, mountains, beaches in a new perspective. Yes, we all love the sun, but the rain could potentially be just as good. Maybe not as fun, but it is definitely interesting. I like the rain, I just do not like to be in it. It adds life to the Earth. Though, I will admit, I do not like it to be cloudy for days on end because I do like the sun on my face. But, coming to Ireland I get to experience a different way of life. The Irish have gone through this type of weather for a very long time, and they are able to make do. The the clouds and rain can be looked at as bad, gloomy days, I think they could also be looked at as a new outlook on life, whatever that may be, maybe a gift.

"A Gift of Rain" - Heaney

    "Cloudburst and steady downpour now

    for days.

                    Still mammal,

    straw-footed on the mud,

    he begins to sense weather

    by his skin."

The Freeness of Ireland

    Looking back on the time I have spent in Ireland. I can say that there are a lot of adventures I have been on, or still could take. I mean I was able to explore the West, Dublin & the North, and even Cork. I like the time I have spent here, and though it is coming to a close, I feel I have seen more of the world than I imagined I would. Being here, I felt free. I am able to do as I choose, to an extent, and I am not judged. I have been able to explore parts of Ireland and gain knowledge, sites, and so many opportunities. I am able to freely take adventurous walks and just be in my own mind with my air pods in. I do not know exactly why I feel so much better doing that here than in the States. I just feel that in Ireland it is a foreign land to me, and I never know what to expect to encounter!

    I can buy what I want, go where I want, talk to who I want. Not to say that I can't do that in the States, but I feel I have more free will because I am in a different country. I really do like it here. The nature is beautiful, and I just get a sense of peace. There is structures here that America does not necessarily capture. I am of age to drink here too! I just like how it is here, and I will be sad to leave it, but I do feel the sense of excitement to go home to my family and friends. Like Yeats's "The Song of Wandering Aengus" states:

    "Though I am old with wandering

    Through hollow lands and hilly lands..."

    To me, I want to become old and still be able to wonder what is going to be around the corner. 

Dublin Adventures

  

  Monday the 14th of April, Grace S and I took a trip to Dublin. My good friend from home, Emerald, was on a trip through Europe for her spring break. She just happened to stop in Dublin for the day, and I could not miss the chance to see her, because I have not seen her in a while. We met up for a bit and then we all went our separate ways. Even though I have been to Dublin before, I think I liked this time better because I was on my own schedule!

    As we went our separate ways, Grace and I walked up and down a lot of streets to shop. On most streets, there were horses pulling carriages full of people taking a tour of the city. I have always been amazed of horses. They are such strong creatures and are used for many purposes. I used to ride horses when I was younger, they are a lot of work. I stopped riding, but wish I did not do that, but I guess that's life.

    These horses in Dublin are constantly pulling carriages and working all day every day. I do hope that these horses get treated well, but something tells me they may not. Walking in Dublin seeing the horses, I always just was astonished by them, and stopped and stared. Heaney's poem, "Night-Piece" describes horses, and the lines that stuck with me were:

"A sponge lip drawn off each separate tooth.

Opalescent haunch,

Muscle and hoof..."

    Me personally, I took these lines as describing a beautiful creature and it's qualities!

A Theme of Reality

    In Literary Ireland, we have covered many pieces of work. Work from James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, and Heaney. All of these authors have written spectacular poems/ short stories. A notable theme I have noticed is the period of growing up. These pieces detail how different we view life from a kid perspective to adult life. Much of what we go through as a kid is carelessness. We only needed to care about food, toys, friends, etc. Whereas now, we have to worry about our future, politics, world peace, etc. As I have been traveling, I see so many kids and I envy the freedom they get to endure.

    Today in class we looked at the poem "Death of a Naturalist" by Heaney. This poem had to do with growing up and looking at the world through a different lens. I guess, over time in this class, it opened my eyes even bigger to issues that are going on. Not to say that I was blinded by them before, but I just did not like to associate with the real world because of all the issues going on. However, being in Ireland, I have learned that issues within the world are everywhere and each country deals with them. Being in Belfast also made me think that way because of all of the struggles they have and continue to go through. 

    I guess I just feel that actually acknowledging that these issues are not going to go away is a harsh wake up call. Because, as we grow up we have to start worrying about what college we have to go to, what job we want, family life, and successfulness. In a way, we start to see life through a more black and white perspective about what we need to get done. Plus, we start to feel all of these emotions that we never had to experience before. To add on, we have the confusion of wondering if we are on the right path of life and if we made the right decisions. 

    Overall I think the whole semester in the class has shown me that I just have to take these issues as they come because I am not a damn time traveler and I can only worry about the present and what I can control in the moment. (The picture is just a pretty view because I did not have one that I could associate with this.)

The Growing of a City

 

    As mentioned previously, Edinburgh, Scotland looks like an older town because of some buildings. I liked that older look, the historical style that shows how life was before much generations. Yes, I did see much of these wonderful structures in Edinburgh, but the city is also evolving. There were many buildings under renovation or new buildings being created. There was scaffolding every street you went down. On those scaffolds, there were always people at work.

    I liked how Edinburgh looks. I do not think these buildings need to be changed. Unless of course these workers are making the buildings safer and making them better for human life. I just like how this city is so beautiful and I would hate to see the beauty be diminished by modernism. However, I also feel that the history, old buildings, etc. are strong and it would take a lot to put them in the shadows.

    "Scaffolding" by Heaney talks about the ties and structure that scaffolds can have...literally and metaphorically. Which I took as to the history of Scotland and the growing/ evolution of the city. Even though the buildings will stay, they are going to be surrounded by modernized life and in a way...stick out. (The picture does not show scaffolds, but it shows the architecture of the amazing city!)

"Make sure that planks won't slip at busy points, 

Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints.

And yet all this comes down when the job's done

Showing off walls of sure and solid stone."

The Lurking of Spirits

     Over Easter break, Gianna S and I traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland! It was beautiful there. The architecture was magnificent and captured the olden days. The air b&b we stayed in was in our host's family since the 1700s. It was remodeled a bit, but it still depicted "old money" from the earlier times. It was beautiful there as well. All of the old buildings hold so much memories, as there has been many people coming and going over time.

    That being said, this means that there have been many deaths and spaces for spirits to linger. Typically, I do not really mess with that type of juju. However, the stories that our host told us made me think a bit differently. He told us stories about his own interactions with a spirit in the house we were in, in houses down the road, and his own story on a ghost tour. He also mentioned that Edinburgh is one of the most haunted cities. It all freaked me out a bit, but walking around Scotland, I can see how it would be haunted.

    With all of the old buildings, they look like spirits are everywhere. As in just wandering the streets, next to you, etc. In a way, Edinburgh holds the memories and spirits from the past. These spirits are still there and are held in this city, buildings, and walls. They are occupying spaces that they once stayed or deeply cared for. The Heaney poem, "Relic of Memory" furthers the idea of spirits still being around and near to the real world.

"Old oars and posts 

Over the years

Harden their grain,

Incarcerate ghosts"

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.)