I’m fortunate that with my study abroad program, I can go on little school field trips. It kind of reminds me of my high school band days and although there are certain things we’re required to do, it’s still a lot of fun. One of those opportunities came up with our midterm break trip to Ireland. Since I’m half-Irish, I knew I definitely had to go to my homeland and explore.
We landed in Dublin to absolutely gorgeous weather- mid 50’s and sunny, something we weren’t used to being in London. And we were especially surprised since the weather in Ireland can be just as bad as London’s. But, we were off to the western part of Ireland to a little town called Ennis. On the way, we stopped at an old monestary right off the river Shannon where I took this photo above.
Next stop though was Ennis. The town reminded me of State College- very small but full of life even at nighttime. It was a traditional old Irish town that had something for everyone- the traditional stuff with live music that some of us got to be a part of and even a bar playing the best American music targeted towards our age group. We explored it all- even meeting one of the leading candidates vying to be Ireland’s next president. We were there during the elections, but I never did find out who won… anyways, we had a fun night. Of course, one thing anyone must have is Guinness, but we decided to wait for that and had Smithwyck’s instead, which is also a traditional Irish ale. Below are photos of Ennis and me with that pint of Smithwyck’s…
Then it was off to Galway. First stop was to the Cliffs of Moher, more famously known as the Cliffs of Insanity from The Princess Bride (a movie I have not seen) and boy, was it windy! All us girls scrambled into the bathroom looking like we had just gone surfing! But, it was definitely worth it- the view was incredible! Here are some more photos from that!
Galway was also an interesting town. We didn’t stay there long enough for me to have photos or experiences to share. We mainly stopped there for a bite to eat. But, then it was off to Dublin! Dublin I equated to my hometown of Bethlehem, PA. It honestly is a city but has that small-town feel. A bunch of us did think that Dublin was cool but we preferred the nightlife in Ennis and would have liked to stay there longer. Dublin does have its beauty with Trinity College and being right off the river. It’s an old city in a modern world and I would have loved to explore more of the town. Here’s a photo of Dublin Castle, then (hopefully it works) a video of the bells of Christ Church ringing, and another photo taken from the O’Connell bridge.
When our tour guide finished giving us a walking tour of Dublin, he asked us if there was anything else he could help get us too. All of us looked at each other and replied practically in unison- “Where’s the Guinness Factory?!” Probably the one thing we all wanted to check out was the Guinness Storehouse, which is a museum all about Guinness (anything you can think of; how to make it, the history, media and advertisings… think Hershey Factory but way more intense). It was pretty cool. We got a sample of Guinness and even a complimentary pint (with an Irish twist just for me). Definitely a highlight for an Irish girl like me, and though it’s expensive, you should check it out (but only if you have a taste for Guinness… if you don’t, then skip it).
After that, it was time to return to London. After enjoying 60 degree weather in Ireland, we returned to a light drizzle and 40 degree weather (which after having 2 weekends of warm weather felt like 30 degree weather). I honestly loved Ireland- the people and culture were amazing and I was so happy to go with people in my program. If you ever have the opportunity to check out Ireland, do. And it’s true what they say- it’s very green and mystical. Maybe you’ll get lucky and find that pot of gold!
Location: Ennis, Ireland; Dublin, Ireland
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