Ireland 2018- Lawrence High Geography Club
Day 1 and 2- Thanks for everyone who helped get us to the airport. After a near miss on a connection for the young man joining us from Wisconsin our whole group cut it close in New Jersey—but we made it safe and sound with only one case of motion sickness on our turbulent flight from KCI to the Jersey shores. Once we made it to Shannon airport we hit the ground running and headed straight to Bunratty Castle and folk park. It is a former castle of the O’Brien clan that has been turned into a tourist destination. It has a recreated village and some restored rooms and it is packed full of people since it is so near to the airport. We did learn about a lot of the defensive designs of a castle- including oil baths, false stairs, dungeons, where the term the walls have hears comes from and some interesting social strata stuff weaved into the architecture such as the line of demarcation and the women’s window. The view from the top of the meandering Ratty river which flows into the Shannon is nice. We used this as our lunch stop as well and students had food at a number of places. I tried Durty Nellies a tavern that has been around if I am not mistaken since the 1500s. Our guide- Seoirse Clancy took us to what he considers his home town the city of Limerick. He shared how his grandfather was killed in the town by the British and foreshadowed a longer discussion in the future of the “Troubles”. We crossed the river to St. John’s castle and learned more outlandish castle defense systems. These sound like brutal times. Remember Limerick is the town of Frank McCourt’s youth the author of “Angela’s Ashes”. Me also visited the out buildings of an old potato market- also foreshadowing of future lessons of this trip. Next we headed to our dinner at “Thatched” which believe it or not had a thatched roof. There was an interior ceiling so we did not have to worry about extra protein dropping in our soup. Our hotel for the night is right off the coast and a famous golf course. All three are beautiful- the hotel is more like a bread and breakfast which we will get to try in the moring. I took a stroll to the beach and the B and B has nice rooms. I am starting to get a little tired so I think I will join everyone else in sleep. Most of the group was in bed over an hour ago. Not much sleep was found on the plane I guess- until next time…
Day 3-After the long travel day I think that we settled in for a solid night’s sleep ready to take on the next adventure. The breakfast that we had was fantastic- We had standard choices for dry foods but the fresh cooked eggs, bacon, French bread and pancakes was a great way to start the day as they say. After eating we loaded up the coach and headed to the small village of Killorglin. Here we learned of the King Puck festival. It is a traditional where the town locates the largest male goat they can find and crown him king for a festival. Now it seems that this might be just an excuse for the locals to celebrate and it might very well be- but the key is they do celebrate and not just for a day- This celebration can last 3-4 days I think. The Goat is not only crowned but he is hoisted high in the town center and revered for the duration of the festival. Of course, in modern times many people are concerned about the health of the goat so he now has medical supervision from a team lead by a local vet. This was interesting as was the town.
From here we left for “bog country” and came across a bog museum. As we approached the living museum we actually encountered fields in which men were cutting the “turf” as George called it. The peat farmers dig and then dry the peat for different types of fuel sources. In the recreated village, we smelled the burnt peat as well as learned about the time period when people depended on this source of fuel. We also learned about the “travelers” a term given to the more nomadic of the Irish people. The red fox inn provided entertainment with a friendly cat and Irish Coffee.
After having our minds “bpg”gled by the Red Fox Inn we started the drive around the Ring of Kerry. The views were as amazing as the weather. Be got to dip our feet if we choose in the ocean. Some of us built cairns. Others of us skipped rocks and some even played with a cocker spaniel that was itself playing in the water. We had lunch at the “most scenic view” in Ireland. After lunches the views continued as we learned about the training of the border collie as a important aspect of working the sheep that we have seen all over the country side. This was fantastic fun as the dog and shepherd had an incredible rapport. We also witnessed the process of shearing the sheep and learned that the world record for sheering was held by a young man from Ireland. If I am not mistaken it was nearly 900 sheep in 9 hours.
Our final views of the ring included the amazing lakes of Killarney and a famous mansion. I can’t remember the name of the mansion at the moment but will look it up later. Our dinner was amazing pan-fried fish. And my surprise of the day was a trip to Aldi. I miss my Lawrence Aldi so much—oh and George told us an poignant tale of the immigrants of Ireland during the famine years while we viewed a statue in the town of Killorglin-
Thanks and have a good day- until next time
From here we left for “bog country” and came across a bog museum. As we approached the living museum we actually encountered fields in which men were cutting the “turf” as George called it. The peat farmers dig and then dry the peat for different types of fuel sources. In the recreated village, we smelled the burnt peat as well as learned about the time period when people depended on this source of fuel. We also learned about the “travelers” a term given to the more nomadic of the Irish people. The red fox inn provided entertainment with a friendly cat and Irish Coffee.
After having our minds “bpg”gled by the Red Fox Inn we started the drive around the Ring of Kerry. The views were as amazing as the weather. Be got to dip our feet if we choose in the ocean. Some of us built cairns. Others of us skipped rocks and some even played with a cocker spaniel that was itself playing in the water. We had lunch at the “most scenic view” in Ireland. After lunches the views continued as we learned about the training of the border collie as a important aspect of working the sheep that we have seen all over the country side. This was fantastic fun as the dog and shepherd had an incredible rapport. We also witnessed the process of shearing the sheep and learned that the world record for sheering was held by a young man from Ireland. If I am not mistaken it was nearly 900 sheep in 9 hours.
Our final views of the ring included the amazing lakes of Killarney and a famous mansion. I can’t remember the name of the mansion at the moment but will look it up later. Our dinner was amazing pan-fried fish. And my surprise of the day was a trip to Aldi. I miss my Lawrence Aldi so much—oh and George told us an poignant tale of the immigrants of Ireland during the famine years while we viewed a statue in the town of Killorglin-
Thanks and have a good day- until next time
Day 4- Today was mostly a travel transfer day but we did have a couple of big highlights along the way. I don’t know if I mentioned it but the B and B that we were staying at was directly across from a world class golf resort. According to our guide it is ranked in the top ten in the world. Former US President Bill Clinton golfed here. Also of note Kansas City golfing legend Tom Watson has golfed here and stayed here I believe. There is an autographed photograph of him hanging in the piano room. Our two day stay here will be will remembered as this gulf course is located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and it has one of the best breakfast meals I experienced on an EF tour. The cool thing is that we were allowed to walk across the course to make our way to a beautiful patch of sandy beach that stretched for miles. Last night some of the students played beach soccer. Needless to say, our departure was emotional- did I mention I loved the pancakes.
We did learn a little history on our travels today- We made a couple of short stops or drive-bys. Macroom was one such town. It was an important place when Oliver Cromwell’s conquest on Ireland and later again during the war for Independence. During the Cromwell conquest, a Bishop was hanged here for failing to hold the castle. During the Revolution, the IRA was quite active in hostility verses the crown that were quite bloody. There is a monument in the center square recognizing the efforts of the fallen Irish Republican Army in the conflict. Many defensive walls can still be scene in the city.
Our major stop of the day was Blarney. I was amazed by the line to the castle which houses the Blarney Stone. Kiss this stone and you receive the gift of eloquence. Since the line was so long (2 hour wait) only three from our group made it to the top of the castle and only two kissed the stone. One of our kissers asked the person if they had kissed the right spot/ or where was the appropriate spot to place one’s lips as they were not sure they found the mark. The sarcastic reply to the question was well you can line up outside and try it again if you wish. Seems like there was no time for questions. The tradition of kissing the stone of Eloquence seems to date back to Queen Elizabeth the first when you used the term “Blarney” as a sort of misdirection in a negotiation that she was having with the family that held the castle.
Although not many opted to case the dream of the “gift of gab” the majority enjoyed themselves as they explored the gardens and woods on the grounds. I have to say I have never ventured to the fern garden before this encounter and found it to be a dream like place. I would visit again just for the feeling of hiking through these woods.
After we left Blarney we hit the road to Dublin and that is where we are tonight. After sorting through some problems with room assignments we settled in for the night. Thanks go out to Ben and Quentin for explaining todays plan for the day, to Ms. Perkins for leading journaling activities tonight and for Eric Weslander for providing song to the coach.
Thank you and good night
We did learn a little history on our travels today- We made a couple of short stops or drive-bys. Macroom was one such town. It was an important place when Oliver Cromwell’s conquest on Ireland and later again during the war for Independence. During the Cromwell conquest, a Bishop was hanged here for failing to hold the castle. During the Revolution, the IRA was quite active in hostility verses the crown that were quite bloody. There is a monument in the center square recognizing the efforts of the fallen Irish Republican Army in the conflict. Many defensive walls can still be scene in the city.
Our major stop of the day was Blarney. I was amazed by the line to the castle which houses the Blarney Stone. Kiss this stone and you receive the gift of eloquence. Since the line was so long (2 hour wait) only three from our group made it to the top of the castle and only two kissed the stone. One of our kissers asked the person if they had kissed the right spot/ or where was the appropriate spot to place one’s lips as they were not sure they found the mark. The sarcastic reply to the question was well you can line up outside and try it again if you wish. Seems like there was no time for questions. The tradition of kissing the stone of Eloquence seems to date back to Queen Elizabeth the first when you used the term “Blarney” as a sort of misdirection in a negotiation that she was having with the family that held the castle.
Although not many opted to case the dream of the “gift of gab” the majority enjoyed themselves as they explored the gardens and woods on the grounds. I have to say I have never ventured to the fern garden before this encounter and found it to be a dream like place. I would visit again just for the feeling of hiking through these woods.
After we left Blarney we hit the road to Dublin and that is where we are tonight. After sorting through some problems with room assignments we settled in for the night. Thanks go out to Ben and Quentin for explaining todays plan for the day, to Ms. Perkins for leading journaling activities tonight and for Eric Weslander for providing song to the coach.
Thank you and good night
Day 5-
First thing we learned about today was Dublin traffic and rush hour are sort of a pain. This would not be our last line in Dublin or our first experience that seemed to stretch normal time contraints. Claudine helped us develop a little better picture of the city. (She was our city guide) She showed us the lay-out of some of the major areas of the center of the city. Our first bus stop was Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. This was our second line- The place was completely packed, but at the same time completely amazing. My favorite part of the church was the reconciliation door (ask your student for more details). We saw the grave of Johnathon Swift and others. We saw a Celtic stone that might have dated back to Saint Patrick himself. We traveled to Phoenix Park( huge line at the ice cream) where the pope visited in 1978 or so and according to our guide a third of Ireland visited during his mass. We crossed the River Liffey many times today. We ventured onto the campus of Trinity College where we visited the Book of Kells (another long line) After the Book of Kells we took a walking tour of Dublin and saw a long ship that would have taken Irish people to America during the famine. This sea voyage would have taken these poor starving people a long time. This was a really long walk by the way. Dinner was nice and we didn’t really have to deal with a line here but we did have to deal with another long walk as tonight was the ghost walk of Dublin. The scariest thing about this walk may have been the length of the walk and post dinner bathroom issues. We had a few technical difficulties with the ear pieces and the hearing so this hindered the mood just a little. After the walk we returned home after a long drive. All and all it was a good day and I learned a lot which I will share in the day 6 notes. I just had to run with the line and long-time theme for now.
Good night- tonight’s picture is from the ghost walk
First thing we learned about today was Dublin traffic and rush hour are sort of a pain. This would not be our last line in Dublin or our first experience that seemed to stretch normal time contraints. Claudine helped us develop a little better picture of the city. (She was our city guide) She showed us the lay-out of some of the major areas of the center of the city. Our first bus stop was Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. This was our second line- The place was completely packed, but at the same time completely amazing. My favorite part of the church was the reconciliation door (ask your student for more details). We saw the grave of Johnathon Swift and others. We saw a Celtic stone that might have dated back to Saint Patrick himself. We traveled to Phoenix Park( huge line at the ice cream) where the pope visited in 1978 or so and according to our guide a third of Ireland visited during his mass. We crossed the River Liffey many times today. We ventured onto the campus of Trinity College where we visited the Book of Kells (another long line) After the Book of Kells we took a walking tour of Dublin and saw a long ship that would have taken Irish people to America during the famine. This sea voyage would have taken these poor starving people a long time. This was a really long walk by the way. Dinner was nice and we didn’t really have to deal with a line here but we did have to deal with another long walk as tonight was the ghost walk of Dublin. The scariest thing about this walk may have been the length of the walk and post dinner bathroom issues. We had a few technical difficulties with the ear pieces and the hearing so this hindered the mood just a little. After the walk we returned home after a long drive. All and all it was a good day and I learned a lot which I will share in the day 6 notes. I just had to run with the line and long-time theme for now.
Good night- tonight’s picture is from the ghost walk
Day 6-
Today was our free day in Dublin. After taking our tours yesterday we left it up to the kids and the adults how they would spend their day. I was proud of the students as we let them navigate themselves to the city center by the light rail which is located about a ½ block from our hotel. They all did fine. They had the directions of how to get to the station and what direction to take as well as our meeting time for dinner which was 5:15. Perkins and I had them tell us their group and general plans the night before and then we saw them off at the door in the morning. Our meeting spot was the giant spire that stabs downtown Dublin at 5:15. Each and every member of the group was there on time with good stories to share. Our group picture was taken not far from the spire. The student’s activities were varied some went to the National Gallery, National Military Museum, National Archeology Museum, St. Stevens Green Park, the Wax Museum and so much more. I hope they had fun but more importantly I think they gained confidence to navigate themselves. I personally checked out the bog bodies that were displayed in the National Museum. It is such an interesting story and mystery how these bodies arrived in the bogs during the Neolithic period. Which gets me even more excited about the passage tombs at New Grange that we get to see in the morning. The museum keeps four bodies on display and the interesting thing is they were all murdered and all seem to from the higher classes of that time period. They were also buried with items of value and importance in the bogs suggesting to some that it might have been some sort of ritual sacrifice. But who knows… maybe they got caught doing something bad, maybe they were killed because they were rivals therefore although they were murdered they were still buried with ritual items. I also spent some time strolling through St. Steven’s Green which is a city park just outside a couple of the national museums. I love this park and today it was full of lots of Dubliners on their lunch breaks. The trees are massive so the shade it awesome. The grounds themselves are well taken care of so the park makes for a great natural break from the hustle and bustle of city life. I learned that the park got its start in 1664 when locals who leased the land were forced to plant six trees each to build around it.
Something that I mentioned yesterday was our trip out to Jeanie Johnson tall ship. This boat (a replica of the original J. Johnson) was like the one that transported so many Irish to the United States during the great famine. In fact, it carried around 200 people per journey over about 16 passages across the Atlantic. Many of the boats that made such voyages were known as coffin ships as the people were already in bad health and many didn’t survive the voyage and were buried at sea. Just down from the ship were a set of statues to memorialize the survivors and the victims. One foreboding part of the installation of the statues was a lone dog at the back of the progression of famine victims. It is foreboding because most do not realize the intention of the artist with his use of the dog—the dog would eat the remains of some that died in the famine.
Sorry I did not mean to end on such a depressing note.
Today was our free day in Dublin. After taking our tours yesterday we left it up to the kids and the adults how they would spend their day. I was proud of the students as we let them navigate themselves to the city center by the light rail which is located about a ½ block from our hotel. They all did fine. They had the directions of how to get to the station and what direction to take as well as our meeting time for dinner which was 5:15. Perkins and I had them tell us their group and general plans the night before and then we saw them off at the door in the morning. Our meeting spot was the giant spire that stabs downtown Dublin at 5:15. Each and every member of the group was there on time with good stories to share. Our group picture was taken not far from the spire. The student’s activities were varied some went to the National Gallery, National Military Museum, National Archeology Museum, St. Stevens Green Park, the Wax Museum and so much more. I hope they had fun but more importantly I think they gained confidence to navigate themselves. I personally checked out the bog bodies that were displayed in the National Museum. It is such an interesting story and mystery how these bodies arrived in the bogs during the Neolithic period. Which gets me even more excited about the passage tombs at New Grange that we get to see in the morning. The museum keeps four bodies on display and the interesting thing is they were all murdered and all seem to from the higher classes of that time period. They were also buried with items of value and importance in the bogs suggesting to some that it might have been some sort of ritual sacrifice. But who knows… maybe they got caught doing something bad, maybe they were killed because they were rivals therefore although they were murdered they were still buried with ritual items. I also spent some time strolling through St. Steven’s Green which is a city park just outside a couple of the national museums. I love this park and today it was full of lots of Dubliners on their lunch breaks. The trees are massive so the shade it awesome. The grounds themselves are well taken care of so the park makes for a great natural break from the hustle and bustle of city life. I learned that the park got its start in 1664 when locals who leased the land were forced to plant six trees each to build around it.
Something that I mentioned yesterday was our trip out to Jeanie Johnson tall ship. This boat (a replica of the original J. Johnson) was like the one that transported so many Irish to the United States during the great famine. In fact, it carried around 200 people per journey over about 16 passages across the Atlantic. Many of the boats that made such voyages were known as coffin ships as the people were already in bad health and many didn’t survive the voyage and were buried at sea. Just down from the ship were a set of statues to memorialize the survivors and the victims. One foreboding part of the installation of the statues was a lone dog at the back of the progression of famine victims. It is foreboding because most do not realize the intention of the artist with his use of the dog—the dog would eat the remains of some that died in the famine.
Sorry I did not mean to end on such a depressing note.
Day 7 Notes- Go North Young Man…
Today we are headed to Northern Ireland. Of course we have several stops to be made in between so lets get at it. The Day started with Andrew and William starting us out with the daily agenda before we hopped the bus at 8:45. They are the 5th and 6th in the series of student presenters and continued to meet the expectations set by the original two. Our first stop today was the city of Slane. It is well known most recently for a summer concert series that brings in big name performers to help raise money to preserve the castle. Our stop which today’s group photograph was taken is well known for a story associated with Saint Patrick. It is here that he lite an Easter fire on the hill top without the king’s permission. This incident and the resulting conversation between sage and king was the start of bringing Christianity to Ireland some legends hold. The hill top contains a cemetery that had an interesting visitor today. I say today but the visitor comes every day. A small dog visits the grave of his former owner each day thanks to the efforts of his new owner. This new owner brings the dog in each and every day. The students loved climbing around the old ruins. Our second stop was a monastery over 90 hundred years old. Needless to say it has fallen in disrepair. Our third stop was Moasterboice a cemetery that housed a great collection of celtic crosses. Our fourth stop was one of the passage tombs in the area that date earlier than the pyramids of Egypt. The one we toured was called Knowth. It was cooler than expected and I had high expectations. I will include pictures later on the flog. We then drove into Belfast and started to learn about the “troubles” through the eyes of the black cab taxi drivers. “troubles” is a nice way of saying terrorism according to our guides. I will include more information about this topic in our next email.
Today we are headed to Northern Ireland. Of course we have several stops to be made in between so lets get at it. The Day started with Andrew and William starting us out with the daily agenda before we hopped the bus at 8:45. They are the 5th and 6th in the series of student presenters and continued to meet the expectations set by the original two. Our first stop today was the city of Slane. It is well known most recently for a summer concert series that brings in big name performers to help raise money to preserve the castle. Our stop which today’s group photograph was taken is well known for a story associated with Saint Patrick. It is here that he lite an Easter fire on the hill top without the king’s permission. This incident and the resulting conversation between sage and king was the start of bringing Christianity to Ireland some legends hold. The hill top contains a cemetery that had an interesting visitor today. I say today but the visitor comes every day. A small dog visits the grave of his former owner each day thanks to the efforts of his new owner. This new owner brings the dog in each and every day. The students loved climbing around the old ruins. Our second stop was a monastery over 90 hundred years old. Needless to say it has fallen in disrepair. Our third stop was Moasterboice a cemetery that housed a great collection of celtic crosses. Our fourth stop was one of the passage tombs in the area that date earlier than the pyramids of Egypt. The one we toured was called Knowth. It was cooler than expected and I had high expectations. I will include pictures later on the flog. We then drove into Belfast and started to learn about the “troubles” through the eyes of the black cab taxi drivers. “troubles” is a nice way of saying terrorism according to our guides. I will include more information about this topic in our next email.
Day 8 Notes-
Today started our second day in Belfast. We left the hotel at 9:00am and meet our local guide Liam. Today he is an Irish Sociologist and in the earlier in his life he was a victim of the violence during the “Troubles”. He told us his story which captured the students interest right away because of the horrible things he saw and he had happened in his life. In fact, He didn’t like the term troubles and he felt this minimized the event. Another term he did not like was the use of the term acceptable violence that the UK government seemed to allow. He preferred the usage of the term unacceptable peace in terms of behavioral conduct of the society. He went on to explain it takes a lot more energy to maintain peace than it does to perpetuate violence or chaos. Another term he said he did not like was the usage of the phrase “The Great Famine” to describe the mass starvation and exodus caused by the British. His preferred phrase was “The Great Hunger” as there was plenty of food available in Ireland at the time it was just being shipped to England. The Irish farmers were forced to survive literally on potatoes. I found this man pretty interesting as he drove us through other areas of Belfast today offering another point of view. While we drove around Belfast we saw a number of other murals and lots of damaged branches to trees. In fact, you could feel the bus rock when we were in the crosswinds. Wind speeds were gusting up to 50 mph I believe.
After we dropped off Liam we ventured up to the national government offices of Northern Ireland. The government offices were closed and have been for the past 16 months according to George. Apparently, the government is in a fight whether the Irish language should be recognized in the North. The government building looked like a ghost town or a shell- nothing or no one was happening or present. State affairs are being run from London at the moment I guess.
After lunch, we took in the Titanic museum which is featured in today’s pictures. The design of the museum is unique and even your movement through the space conveys a historical and emotional impact. You feel the pride of a community building such a transport as you move through the space in a upward movement. But this all comes down as you move through the second half of the exhibit and you are gradually moving downward like a sinking ship. The students enjoyed all the interactive features of his high-tech display. Dinner was a traditional fish and chips fare while the evening saw the adults of the group go across the street to listen to some live music- good night- It is hard to believe after tonight we only have 3 more nights left on this adventure- I think we all might be learning a few new things about this beautiful isle- Ireland.
Today started our second day in Belfast. We left the hotel at 9:00am and meet our local guide Liam. Today he is an Irish Sociologist and in the earlier in his life he was a victim of the violence during the “Troubles”. He told us his story which captured the students interest right away because of the horrible things he saw and he had happened in his life. In fact, He didn’t like the term troubles and he felt this minimized the event. Another term he did not like was the use of the term acceptable violence that the UK government seemed to allow. He preferred the usage of the term unacceptable peace in terms of behavioral conduct of the society. He went on to explain it takes a lot more energy to maintain peace than it does to perpetuate violence or chaos. Another term he said he did not like was the usage of the phrase “The Great Famine” to describe the mass starvation and exodus caused by the British. His preferred phrase was “The Great Hunger” as there was plenty of food available in Ireland at the time it was just being shipped to England. The Irish farmers were forced to survive literally on potatoes. I found this man pretty interesting as he drove us through other areas of Belfast today offering another point of view. While we drove around Belfast we saw a number of other murals and lots of damaged branches to trees. In fact, you could feel the bus rock when we were in the crosswinds. Wind speeds were gusting up to 50 mph I believe.
After we dropped off Liam we ventured up to the national government offices of Northern Ireland. The government offices were closed and have been for the past 16 months according to George. Apparently, the government is in a fight whether the Irish language should be recognized in the North. The government building looked like a ghost town or a shell- nothing or no one was happening or present. State affairs are being run from London at the moment I guess.
After lunch, we took in the Titanic museum which is featured in today’s pictures. The design of the museum is unique and even your movement through the space conveys a historical and emotional impact. You feel the pride of a community building such a transport as you move through the space in a upward movement. But this all comes down as you move through the second half of the exhibit and you are gradually moving downward like a sinking ship. The students enjoyed all the interactive features of his high-tech display. Dinner was a traditional fish and chips fare while the evening saw the adults of the group go across the street to listen to some live music- good night- It is hard to believe after tonight we only have 3 more nights left on this adventure- I think we all might be learning a few new things about this beautiful isle- Ireland.
Day 9 Notes-
We left the hotel by 7:30 and had a healthy little walk to the bus. The traffic was much too busy to navigate and block down town street traffic at this time of day. The wind had died down from yesterday and we had just a trace of moisture in the air this morning. Today’s destination is the Giant’s Causeway. I is one of the coolest geologic features I have ever seen. I have attached a picture of this amazing structure.
Legends hold that the causeway was built by an ancient Irish Giant/warrior by the name of Finn Mac Cool. He built the bridge to go spy on a neighboring Scottish giant. When he arrived, he found the Scottish giant to be much larger than he anticipated. He quickly fled back home worried about this new-found wrinkle in the story. The Scottish Giant finding the bridge went to spy on the Irish giant. Finn had a plan- for before the Scottish giant got over to his home he had his wife disguise him as a baby and made his bed into a makeshift crib. When the Scottish giant arrived he saw this huge infant in the house he freaked out. How big the father of this giant baby must be so he ran back to Scotland in fear. The Irish baby ditched his clothes and quickly went out to destroy the bridge that he created. The remains of this bridge is what we see as the causeway today.
Geologists on the other hand think it was formed from volcanic activity some sixty million years ago. The resulting basalt field then fractured into these columns when cooled off by the rain and ocean. They took on a crazy hexagonal pattern due to its unique chemical make-up and the weathering process of erosion.
We then took a scenic drive along the coast for about an hour and headed for our final stop of the day the rope bridge that is ranked one of the scariest bridges in the world. I have attached a photo of those who made it across and the bridge itself. The views today were spectacular and a joy to see.
We have now hit the hotel- which by the way is awesome- and had dinner and now we will sleep for tomorrow’s activities.
Good night
We left the hotel by 7:30 and had a healthy little walk to the bus. The traffic was much too busy to navigate and block down town street traffic at this time of day. The wind had died down from yesterday and we had just a trace of moisture in the air this morning. Today’s destination is the Giant’s Causeway. I is one of the coolest geologic features I have ever seen. I have attached a picture of this amazing structure.
Legends hold that the causeway was built by an ancient Irish Giant/warrior by the name of Finn Mac Cool. He built the bridge to go spy on a neighboring Scottish giant. When he arrived, he found the Scottish giant to be much larger than he anticipated. He quickly fled back home worried about this new-found wrinkle in the story. The Scottish Giant finding the bridge went to spy on the Irish giant. Finn had a plan- for before the Scottish giant got over to his home he had his wife disguise him as a baby and made his bed into a makeshift crib. When the Scottish giant arrived he saw this huge infant in the house he freaked out. How big the father of this giant baby must be so he ran back to Scotland in fear. The Irish baby ditched his clothes and quickly went out to destroy the bridge that he created. The remains of this bridge is what we see as the causeway today.
Geologists on the other hand think it was formed from volcanic activity some sixty million years ago. The resulting basalt field then fractured into these columns when cooled off by the rain and ocean. They took on a crazy hexagonal pattern due to its unique chemical make-up and the weathering process of erosion.
We then took a scenic drive along the coast for about an hour and headed for our final stop of the day the rope bridge that is ranked one of the scariest bridges in the world. I have attached a photo of those who made it across and the bridge itself. The views today were spectacular and a joy to see.
We have now hit the hotel- which by the way is awesome- and had dinner and now we will sleep for tomorrow’s activities.
Good night
Day 10 notes-
We spent the night in the Walsh Inn last night and I have to say it was the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in on an EF Tour. It is hard to describe but it had a turn of the century feel to it. At one time the building had been an Abbey a little over 300 years ago. Now it is a fantastic little hotel with a fantastic staff. It has turned over hands a few times in the past couple of hundred years but it was recently modernized in 2012. We rolled out around 8:00 and made our way toward a long day on the road after Jack and Julian made the road trip presentation to the group to show us where we were going on the map. We learned about a few more key IRA movements that had tragic consequences. One such event was in the town of Omagh bombing. It was a terrible event and turned public opinion sharply against the IRA’s use of bombing according to our guide George. (follow this link if you want to read more about it https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omagh_bombing
Our first stop was at a shopping mall in the town of Enniskillen where we took bathroom break and a break for Tony our driver. Some of the kids found a pound store which is very much like our Dollar Tree. They spend the last of their Irish/British pounds on a variety of stuff very much like you would find at the Dollar Tree. Ms Perkins found a cool massage chair and we found a cool birthday card for
Viveca who turned 18 today.
We made a major stop in the town of Strokestown. This is the home of the National Famine Museum. Our guide was Aiden and he gave an excellent description of the plight of the blight and the awful consequences of the blight. He mentioned the role that the Choctaw played in helping the Irish in this tough time. After we had lunch at the Museum we headed to Knock. Knock is the home of an apparition in 1879 where 15 people belief they saw Mary, Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist, a lamb and a bunch on angels. Today the site is a pilgrimage for people seeking hope for lots of different issues. It is also a place that sells lots of religious trinkets. A few of us witnessed a ceremony that was designed to be inspirational to the devotees.
The highlight for Ms. Foster and her son Jack is that they got to visit their Irish cousins while we were here.
After we left Knock we left for Galway and had a great dinner and celebration for the birthday girl. This evening I played cards with my cousin his wife and my mom. Seven point pitch to be exact. It was a great game and it was a great finish.
Have a great night. Tomorrow is our last full day and on Monday we start heading back- I will try to send a copy of the flight plans in the next email- sorry no group picture today as I did not take one- I will share individual pictures later when I put together the blog.
We spent the night in the Walsh Inn last night and I have to say it was the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in on an EF Tour. It is hard to describe but it had a turn of the century feel to it. At one time the building had been an Abbey a little over 300 years ago. Now it is a fantastic little hotel with a fantastic staff. It has turned over hands a few times in the past couple of hundred years but it was recently modernized in 2012. We rolled out around 8:00 and made our way toward a long day on the road after Jack and Julian made the road trip presentation to the group to show us where we were going on the map. We learned about a few more key IRA movements that had tragic consequences. One such event was in the town of Omagh bombing. It was a terrible event and turned public opinion sharply against the IRA’s use of bombing according to our guide George. (follow this link if you want to read more about it https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omagh_bombing
Our first stop was at a shopping mall in the town of Enniskillen where we took bathroom break and a break for Tony our driver. Some of the kids found a pound store which is very much like our Dollar Tree. They spend the last of their Irish/British pounds on a variety of stuff very much like you would find at the Dollar Tree. Ms Perkins found a cool massage chair and we found a cool birthday card for
Viveca who turned 18 today.
We made a major stop in the town of Strokestown. This is the home of the National Famine Museum. Our guide was Aiden and he gave an excellent description of the plight of the blight and the awful consequences of the blight. He mentioned the role that the Choctaw played in helping the Irish in this tough time. After we had lunch at the Museum we headed to Knock. Knock is the home of an apparition in 1879 where 15 people belief they saw Mary, Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist, a lamb and a bunch on angels. Today the site is a pilgrimage for people seeking hope for lots of different issues. It is also a place that sells lots of religious trinkets. A few of us witnessed a ceremony that was designed to be inspirational to the devotees.
The highlight for Ms. Foster and her son Jack is that they got to visit their Irish cousins while we were here.
After we left Knock we left for Galway and had a great dinner and celebration for the birthday girl. This evening I played cards with my cousin his wife and my mom. Seven point pitch to be exact. It was a great game and it was a great finish.
Have a great night. Tomorrow is our last full day and on Monday we start heading back- I will try to send a copy of the flight plans in the next email- sorry no group picture today as I did not take one- I will share individual pictures later when I put together the blog.
Day 11- Notes
Today is our final day in Ireland. The saying is good things always come in three and today we experienced that first hand. We had a good breakfast and headed out to see. The waters were churning and the winds were howling so there was a little bit of surf. The boat hand a few ups and downs along the way but we all made it—although some not in their original color. But our color returned as we strolled down the streets of this ancient village on the first of the Aran Islands. Kathleen was our guest and we explored the layers upon layers of history that have been laid down through-out the ages. Kathleen shared the islands history back to the neo-lithic and the finding of ancient axe heads to her own personal story that included taking a cow by boat to the city market on the mainland. They did not have their first motorized transport until the 1970s according to her story. (it was a tractor- they don’t really have the roads to handle many cars) Life here was rough and Kathleen painted a pretty good picture of awful. But her stories were also filled with the delightful notes from her own childhood memories. She took us to an ancient church which was not labeled due to some paperwork issues and since it is not marked people mistake it for an old ruined house. Beside the church are three rather large flat stones that are elevated and look like small tables. She told us that many times people will come by there and set up their picnic lunches with their families. She went on to tell us they were not tables at all but rather tombs for a couple of priests and an old bishop. Nothing like sharing a lunch with a lot full of ghosts. Her stories went on and on and could and should fill a book. But after our tour we had time to work our way back to the pier for lunch or a bit of shopping. I choose to have on last Guinness on the bench outside a little tavern. I sat at a stone table in a little Irish drizzle with a faint echo of live Irish music in the background. Life is good.
After lunch, we headed down to pier and saw the first of our three great things moments- a dolphin was swimming with a human in the bay. It breached several times and was very cool to see. Our second great thing was as we headed back to the departure port the waters had calmed considerably so the boat captain took us up close to the near-by cliffs of Mohr. Most people see them from above and we had the unique chance to view them from below. Darting around the boat near the cliffs were a number of really cool birds including several puffins which was our third great thing. Dolphins, cliffs and puffins oh-my!
We came into dinner and did a brief recognition celebration for our guides George and Tony. These guys have been awesome. Then some of us made the trip into Galway while the others packed for our early morning departure to the airport.
Remember we arrive in KCI at 10:53 flight # UA3491 out of Newark.
Today is our final day in Ireland. The saying is good things always come in three and today we experienced that first hand. We had a good breakfast and headed out to see. The waters were churning and the winds were howling so there was a little bit of surf. The boat hand a few ups and downs along the way but we all made it—although some not in their original color. But our color returned as we strolled down the streets of this ancient village on the first of the Aran Islands. Kathleen was our guest and we explored the layers upon layers of history that have been laid down through-out the ages. Kathleen shared the islands history back to the neo-lithic and the finding of ancient axe heads to her own personal story that included taking a cow by boat to the city market on the mainland. They did not have their first motorized transport until the 1970s according to her story. (it was a tractor- they don’t really have the roads to handle many cars) Life here was rough and Kathleen painted a pretty good picture of awful. But her stories were also filled with the delightful notes from her own childhood memories. She took us to an ancient church which was not labeled due to some paperwork issues and since it is not marked people mistake it for an old ruined house. Beside the church are three rather large flat stones that are elevated and look like small tables. She told us that many times people will come by there and set up their picnic lunches with their families. She went on to tell us they were not tables at all but rather tombs for a couple of priests and an old bishop. Nothing like sharing a lunch with a lot full of ghosts. Her stories went on and on and could and should fill a book. But after our tour we had time to work our way back to the pier for lunch or a bit of shopping. I choose to have on last Guinness on the bench outside a little tavern. I sat at a stone table in a little Irish drizzle with a faint echo of live Irish music in the background. Life is good.
After lunch, we headed down to pier and saw the first of our three great things moments- a dolphin was swimming with a human in the bay. It breached several times and was very cool to see. Our second great thing was as we headed back to the departure port the waters had calmed considerably so the boat captain took us up close to the near-by cliffs of Mohr. Most people see them from above and we had the unique chance to view them from below. Darting around the boat near the cliffs were a number of really cool birds including several puffins which was our third great thing. Dolphins, cliffs and puffins oh-my!
We came into dinner and did a brief recognition celebration for our guides George and Tony. These guys have been awesome. Then some of us made the trip into Galway while the others packed for our early morning departure to the airport.
Remember we arrive in KCI at 10:53 flight # UA3491 out of Newark.
