Yes, I am still operating on “trip-mentality,” and I imagine I will be for most of the semester. But I am convinced that a significant part of the study abroad experience is taking trips, and doing new things, and not worrying about the difference between an A and an A-. OK, I’ll probably be worrying about that difference, but the point still stands—I have been doing many things this week, seeing sights, meeting Irish people, getting lost in the city, working on my brogue (I wish), all of which I hope will contribute to my experience here as much as my in class work does.
Disclaimer: this post is somewhat long…I suggest taking it in doses.
So you probably are wondering what I’ve seen...
Since my last post, I have:
- seen the Book of Kells: Unbelievable. Some professors thought that we students might be disappointed when we see the manuscript that is so hyped up as a tourist attraction. And, truth be told, it really took a well-predicted day of rain to drive away the throngs of would-be visitors and give me the opportunity to sneak in and see it. But this is a must-see if you come to Dublin, and if you know someone at Trinity, ask him/her to bring you in for free. The Book of Kells is so fascinating—to think that it was labored over, probably under very bad lighting, by so many monks for who knows how many years, and that Rapidographs did not account for the most delicate strokes and details—quill pens did. Some of the interlaced designs are just mind-blowing, and you really cannot imagine anyone these days spending the time to create such a work of art. Look up pictures on Google, and then make sure you are looking at them in the right scale, because chances are, the photographs you see have been magnified many times, and still the detail is stunning.
- visited the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) and Croke Park: This was especially interesting for me, because they couldn’t stop talking about how all the players of these national sports (Gaelic football, kind of a cross between soccer and rugby, and hurling, a lacrosse, soccer, rugby hybrid) are amateurs, representing their counties for the love of the game and their country. It triggers a resentment of American sports associations, which most of you probably know I already have. Of course, these Irish athletes aren’t doing badly for themselves; they probably do promotional gigs and make a good deal off those, not to mention the celebrity status of many of them. But these players are really what sports and competition are about, and reminded me of my love for amateur athletics like high school games and the Olympics.
- seen an All-Ireland Hurling Championship: That game I mentioned before? Unreal. Such a brutal sport, played at a pace that rivals lacrosse. The players barely wear any padding either, and must sustain many bruises and gashes during each game. A funny story about this was my and my flatmates’ attempt to find a pub to watch this game in. The hurling championship, we had been told, was the equivalent of the Superbowl in the US. Which made us surprised when we walked nearly ten blocks without finding a pub that wasn’t merely occupied by a couple old men and the bartender. We were looking for rowdy Irish people to get riled up about the game, and we couldn’t find anywhere that had more then five patrons! We came to the conclusion (and are still questioning its accuracy) that people might be hosting their own private house parties for such a match. In any event, we finally did find a pub where there were a bunch of people, and sat down to a great, great final. Unfortunately, Tipperary, the team I have now adopted as my Irish team after only five minutes of watching, was defeated in the final plays, as Kilkenny (now four-time reigning champ) came back and prevented the upset.
- visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral: This is another must-see. There is so much history in this place it is hard to take in all at once. My favorite attraction was Jonathan Swift’s grave, alongside his beloved Stella (took a class on him last semester, and brought things full circle for me). I plan on coming back to an evensong service, because seeing one of the original scores of Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” made me realize how significant a place this is for music, church music in particular.
- visited Kilmainham Gaol: This is an old prison, dating back to the late 1700s, and was most famous for being the place where the leaders of the Easter Rebellion of 1916 were executed. It’s really an eerie thing to see a prison—to walk around in cells you know were once occupied by people that were waiting to be hanged, to see the lever that dropped the floor where prisoners were executed. Sorry, grim. But really a historic place, and well worth the informative guided tour.
- signed up for the Dublin Half Marathon: Yes, I was suckered into this, but I am glad someone finally got me to commit, because I have been wanting to run a half marathon for a while now. And what better story to tell than that my first half marathon was in Ireland? Now the training starts though—I run at the end of September!
Hope something in that list caught your interest! So long for now.
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