Author Archives: mpw5080

The music scene in Dublin

8 March 2011 Whelan’s:

The music scene in Dublin is so much fun. I went to see Glen Hansard (one of my favorites) with Liam O’Maonlai at Whelan’s on tuesday. I am so glad I went because Christy Moore showed up and…DAMIEN RICE! This was by far the best experience I have had in Ireland. I’ve been wanting to come to this Pub for years, and the first time I do my friends and I ended up in the front row right up close.

Surprise appearance by Damien Rice – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU8WV43k8xg

I managed to get this footage as my camera was dying. He only played the one song and I got the whole thing with 0% battery during the last few minutes. You’ll be able to see all the others (I got a lot of footage) once they are finished uploading to youtube. The one thing that really made this all more amazing is that Damien saw the video and mentioned it in his blog and had it posted on his official website, twitter, and facebook! The experience in Ireland has been awesome. Next week I’ll post some pictures from around Dublin and pictures from Belfast and Northern Ireland are coming soon.

Cheers!

Mark

Location: Whelan's, Dublin

The Countryside in Ireland

I wanted to take the time to finally reflect on the things I’ve seen while traveling throughout the countryside. There is so much to see in this country despite its size. After a while you feel as though you have entered a different time period. That is exactly how I felt when I first saw this old celtic burial ground in the Connemara.

You never know who or what you might find out here.

Location: The Connemara, Ireland

Galway…all it takes is one question

This weekend I made my way to Galway with some new friends I made at Trinity. Being the only American amongst 5 other French students was an experience in and of itself. You might be wondering why and how I managed to integrate myself so quickly because it took me time to piece that together myself. The first tip I would give to anyone who plans on studying abroad is to figure out your surroundings as quickly as possibly. Learn where the landmarks and their surrounding pubs (if you are in Dublin ;P) are and you have the city down in a nutshell. If you are at a university join the clubs and societies it has to offer. Or be bold and ask a simple question to the person sitting next to you in class. It could result in you making a new group of friends or joining that person on an expedition two weeks later.

This is the moment where I feel that I am truly in a different country and far away from anything American. Talking to foreigners seems hard at first until you build up the confidence to do it. On the bright side, everyone here studying abroad or through Erasmus is on the same page and with the same goals: To be in a foreign country, explore it, and meet new people. The Irish are some of the most welcoming individuals I’ve ever met and if you want to meet them they want to meet you. The more people you meet the smaller the city becomes. Especially after walking from your apartment to the east or west or the south or north 45 minutes in each direction.

Location: The Beggars Bush, Dublin

It truly is a “Green” Country

Well it’s been almost three days since I arrived here in Dublin, and I must say I love the feeling of walking in this city.

Of course there were a few things I had to learn about my apartment upon arrival. For instance, the heaters here are very different. Our heater is run by water and has to be set each day or we’ll have no heat when it gets exceptionally chilly outside. The first night was followed of course by a blown fuse that cut out most of our electricity, but luckily that all got sorted out right away.

On the bright side, we got invited over to our Irish neighbors; A bunch of law students no more than a few years older than us. It was nice getting to connect with young Irish people so early on. They told us we could just walk on in if we ever saw them doing anything. Even with the initial shock of having to buy groceries and even pay for shopping carts and the electricity going out, I’d say the experience has been living up to my expectations. You really get caught up in the rush of Dublin from the get go.

Location: Dublin, Ireland

Just about a month…

Dia daoibh, my name is Mark and I am a junior at Penn State. Well the rocky road to Dublin is almost over. At the moment I’m caught up in the grind of finals week as I’m sure you all are but in less then a month I’ll be packing my bags and shipping off to go overseas. I’m going to be studying History and Politics at Trinity College, Dublin in Ireland. I’m really excited as this will be my first time going overseas. I’m planning on visiting different areas in Ireland such as Galway, Cork, Belfast, and then I plan on making my way to London and maybe down to France as well. While I’m over there I’ll be taking in the sites with my camcorder so I’ll be sure to keep you all updated on my experiences and I look forward to reading about yours as well!

Sl�n!

Location: State College, PA

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