A core memory was made this week.
Over these past seven days, I went from seeing sheep outside a bus window to holding baby sheep, as in multiple!!
First, we have to go back to last Thursday, 6/13/2024. We had a Dataships work dinner to celebrate their first million dollars! It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be part of a start-up as they hit this huge milestone. At dinner, I was bought my first Guinness, which I unexpectedly really liked! The work culture of this office is one of the best parts of my experience in Ireland, and I hope to be part of a company like this in the future!
This was the start of a really great weekend.
To get to the sheep farm at the end of our trip to the West Coast, we had to take a long, long bus ride to the Cliffs of Moher. It didn’t help that I forgot to charge my AirPods… Anyway, the Cliffs of Moher were gorgeous, and I appreciated the hike after spending hours sitting in a seat. The weather was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining, it wasn’t too hot or cold, and there was a refreshing breeze. It was hard to comprehend that the same water I was seeing below me was the same Atlantic ocean that I swam in back home.
I stayed at my first hostel that night and the night after. I have to say, the experience was much better than what is portrayed on the internet and in movies! I only have good things to say about it.
The next day, I took a bus tour of the Aran Islands. The bus took us up to the height of the island, where we were then let off to climb up a small mountain. I thought I hated hiking, but it turns out I just hate hiking in the United States. The views are always worth it in Ireland; you truly feel like you’re on top of the world. The ice cream I bought once I came back down didn’t hurt either.
Nightlife in Galway is incredible, and it was so much fun to go out with the entire Bucknell group. Taaffes Bar in the Latin Quarter is my favorite bar in Ireland so far. I got to experience traditional live Irish music and talk (or yell) with so many locals. Galway blocks off some of the most popular and pedestrian-riddled streets from motor traffic, so it feels very safe. Dare I say I like Galway better than Dublin… I definitely have to find another free day to go back and explore some more.
The next day, we all trekked a mile to the Killary sheep farm. We watched a farmer and his dog herd a group of sheep to a fenced area, where we then saw a sheep being sheared. The wool was not as soft as I expected, but I felt the prized lanolin coating the wool. We were then all given bottles to feed the sheep. They acted as if they had never been fed before! Their little tails wagged so fast as they ate, and the noises were so cute. After the sheep ate, everyone created a semi-circle around this little sheep. I came up from behind and picked one right up! I’m not kidding, this had to be one of the top 10 best moments of my life right there.
Every week in Ireland just keeps getting better and better, so I can’t wait for this upcoming week.
