It has come...

Last night was our reception we held for all who have been a part of making this first "Mercyhurst in Ireland" trip be a success; and it went very well. This also means now that our time here is indeed ending, and today is the day to pack our things. last night at the reception, when I was hearing mostly Dr. Hosey, the other professors, and our remarkable friends from Ireland speak, it hit me that words truly, truly could not express the gratitude I was feeling; it honestly overwhelmed me (and I will admit, brought me to the brink of tears). I could have never, with my heart and imagination both working there hardest, I could have never dreamed of a more rewarding ten weeks of my life. Spending my last term of my undergraduate career in Ireland, and making the friends I have, and connecting with other students, creating lasting frienships with professors (and their families for some), seeing what I have seen, meeting my distant family in Ireland and making this incredible country a home away from home has changed my life. I can only imagine what it will be like to be home in a few days (seeing how the oh so surprising volcano has the ability to quickly change our plans) and think back on this trip as a memory. I don't even like mentioning that seeing as I am still here, sitting in my Park Hotel townhouse; but it will be so rich to have the memories I have, and 'rich' is exactly the word I am looking for, this trip is priceless. I am not sad to go; in fact I truly am excited to come back. I'm sure once the actual 'see ya laters' come it might get a little mushy; but truly it is only because I will a 'homesickness' will hit me once I'm on the plane heading to the States. I have family here; real family...but also friends in Dungarvan who I know I will see again. I could go on for hours about how this changed my life or the lessons I've learned or how forever grateful I will be; but this is not meant to sound like a 'good-bye' post. I will write again about Ireland sometime, while on my next journey here...

Tending Bar!!

I can officially check off of my 'list,' that I have bartended in Ireland. In highschool, my friend Kristen and I made, or started I should say, a list of things that we hope to accomplish in our lives. I will never forget sitting in her kitchen writing down that I will bartend at some point in Ireland. Shockingly...and to my surprise, I worked last night at the Anchor. I truly had one of the most entertaining nights yet while there! It must be a combination of making some incredible memories while knowing I was actually accomplishing more on 'my list.' When I first got there I had no clue what I was doing. I felt like I was in the way! Thank goodness it wasn't busy yet! A young girl, she was twenty-eight and from Hungary unforunately was stuck showing me the ropes! By the end of the night we had a blast together though. My favorite part of the night though was before it had gotten busy...I literally had been behind the counter for maybe three minutes when someone walked in and 'Timmy' - Tamara I believe my friends full name was, told me to take the customer with her thick accent (haha), I'm laughing because I was not expected just to be thrown in without knowing anything or even how to use the cash machine! Anyway, he asked for a pint a of Heineken and I was to serve! So I undoubtedly was not a pro when pouring my first pint. It was clear I was a 'newbie!' There were five young gentleman (I guess I could call them), more like Irish lads, sitting right on the other side of the counter from me. They had a blast seeing I had no idea what I was doing. After a few minutes though and few more pints I poured, they sat and told me what to as I poured each pint and within five minutes I had it down like I'd been doing it my whole life! Timmy was laughing thinking they were a bother but I told her they were actually helping! Things started to pick up eventually and I really had a good time. The hardest part was the cash machine, and understanding the Irish accents! Otherwise, there were only a few times where I didn't know the actual drink being ordered. I truly had a blast and they even said I could come in for some more hours if I wanted before I leave Thursday. I had great craic at the Anchor!

The Gold Coast!

I will start with stating that we again, could not have been more fortunate with the weather we had while touring the countryside! We first stopped only to walk through some peaceful pastures to get to an old tomb where there were Ohm stones standing. We have seen them at places like Ardmore too but every one amazes me. Not to mention that we truly were in the heart of the country; that tomb was just in the middle of nowhere it seemed! And to think of all that have walked over those fields and stood on that ground, it again is just mindboggling like so many other things we have gotten to see on this trip. After we visited the tomb Brian, the bus driver stopped where we could walk along the cliffs. There is something about stairing out into the open sea. It is freeing in a way to see for so many miles as we stand in one place. The other thing that is captured in my memory is how the green, how the incredible landscape goes right to the edge of the cliffs, and the beautiful flowers that look like they are specifically planted are scattered across the land. It is truly majestic. The other thing we were fortunate to see were the Mahon Falls. The mountain goats alone were worth the drive up there! Those animals are incredible the way they run up the sides of the mountains! And gosh just the gigantic, breathtaking hills that surround you. The landscape reminds me of parts of California; but I just love how it seems like you are always just minutes away from completely different landscapes and treasures in this country.

Our last class...

Well the end is approaching quite fast and I am sad to report we had our last class Wednesday night. Fortunately though I found it to be one of the most enjoyable classes yet. Joe had requested one of the instructors he works with as well as some of the students to come in and play some of their instruments and show us some traditional dancing; those girls were truly incredible! I know we have experienced some live music in some of the pubs and of course have had our dancing with the older folks on Tuesday, but these girls were incredible! They are so multi-talented! Not to mention, we learn about how it is Irish culture how it would not be abnormal for these dances and whatnot to take place in the home a while back and for what we learned to be the number one form of entertainment; that would have been so much fun! Even the video Joe had showed us, it truly tugged at my heartstrings and really made me love even more the culture of Ireland. Those classes really did provide us with some incredible information; and I must say it made me more and more excited with each class to have so many roots and ties to this country. I really have found my appreciation and take so much pride in being Irish; being a part of these Wednesday night classes and meeting my family, etc...have all truly changed something in me and have really made an impact.

So I'm sitting here going over some of the writings we have covered and I realized I have yet to really discuss our trip to the West! Now I know many others have posted about this trip, and unfortunately I again am unable to put up any photographs, but this truly was one of my favorite locations we have visited as a group. The Burren came up in conversation when I was skyping with my family the other night because where my family goes to vacation Up North every summer off of Michigan, on the north side of the Island we're on there is a very similar landscape. It is famous because there are only a few places on the earth that the limestone and rock cover the ground like it does in the Burren as well. The picture of the Alvar is what is located on Drummond Island.
Driving through the Burren, seeing the cliffs (even with the immense fog), visiting the tomb that is again, mind-boggling, and setting the scene for so many of the pieces of work we study was something special. I know I will be back to visit that country again, especially the Burren! Next time hopefully with some equipment to rock-climb!
Gosh and I can't forget that when visiting my family in Dublin this past weekend they introduced me to the oh so famous Irish television program "Father Ted." These films all take place on the Aran Islands and in the West; unbelievably funny...
I truly consider myself one of the luckiest girls being able to have seen all that we have on this trip...

These are my cousins! They are both sisters, Orla is on the left and Grainne is on the right. They are wonderful. I will have another photo of all of us; their parents Ann and Jim, and Orla's husband Nini and her three boys Aiden, Osheen, and Oscar. The reason they are a part of my blog is because I just visited them again this past weekend and had a lovely time! They know so much about our families history and just the history of Ireland in general. Ann, Orla and Grainne's mother is who told me about my great, great, great grandfather. It is her great, great grandfather I believe (if I have it all correctly) and she told me some very special stories. Martin (whom survived the famine) lived until he was one-hundred and eight years old! Delia, who was seventeen when she came to the states was also living throughout this time period (she and Martin were in the same family). She came over at a very young age and was responsible for sending the money she made back to the family so they could continually move one at a time to the States. A sad story Ann told me of Martin though, that he himself had told and said he wanted this to be passed on and told so we knew what life was like, was: during the time of the famine, as he would look across to his pile of turf to burn, he would witness people as they tried to move up or down the street. Each person practically would lean against his pile due to their weakness and inability to move much. Often times they wouldn't be able to continue, many of them would simple fall and sit against it. There were others who simply sat there until they passed. Martin tried to pick the one's who had some bit of strength in them to keep going up off the pile but it was only if he was able to do it himself. I know this was a very short summary of the story but for the sake of the blog I wanted to simply get the point across. It sounded horrendous. Ann, on the way from the bus station quickly took me near the river where there is a memorial set up for the famine.
Anyway, of course my family and I spent a lot of time just together enjoying each others company but they too are so knowledgeable and very interested in the classes I'm taking and what we've been reading. They took me to James Joyce's tower they have right on the bay and showed me many places that took part in Ulysses. Another thing that was just so interesting was how they took me down to many of the little ports (and the big ones where all of the yacht clubs are!) and old marinas and we discussed how some of the small, old fishing boats around were similar to those that were used years and years ago. I know that it was not the same part of the country, but like we discussed in Synge's play "Riders to the Sea" today I couldn't imagine going out in whatever conditions to fish like they had to do; not to mention do this to survive. The more I get to see and learn the landscape and see more of the country, the more the works we've been reading come alive. It is really a neat thing.

Unbelievable.

I have a direct connection with the famine!

My great, great, great grandfather Martin Diskin was a grown man during the famine. Unbelievable. He lived until he was 108 and has told his stories...