I can spend hours talking about the past week, but I don’t want to bore my readers, so I will instead focus on my favorite parts of the week!
On Friday we departed for Galway. It was a long, long bus ride. I only had so much charge on my phone and airpods, so I made sure to annoy the rest of the bus by playing with my Rubik’s cube. Luckily, we made some pit stops along the way. We briefly stopped to climb to the top of the Rock of Dunamase, which were ruins from the 9th century with some unbelievable views. Unfortunately, a rainstorm came out of nowhere and forced us to sprint down the slippery hill back to the bus. Nonetheless, it felt surreal to walk inside a “building” that was over 1000 years old.
Our next stop on the way to Galway was the Cliffs of Moher, and luckily for us by the time we got there the weather had become absolutely gorgeous. Never have I been so amazed but so scared at the same time! We walked a narrow path to the edge of the cliff to get the best possible view of the 700 foot drop. As someone who is afraid of heights, this was simultaneously a riveting but anxiety-inducing experience. We only had an hour and a half before we continued our voyage to Galway, so I decided to use this time to both walk the Cliffs and buy some gifts from the gift shop for my family.
Saturday was another amazing day. For the first time in a number of years, I rode a ferry to the Aran Islands, and had to fight the urge to throw up during the entire trip. Jackson and I tried to make the time go faster by playing countless rounds of 20 Questions, but it was impossible to keep calm when the boat was almost tipping the entire time. When we got to the island, we immediately got our bikes and explored the island. Though my biking skills were severely lacking, I biked around the island with a group of 10 classmates and stopped for lunch for a delicious pulled pork sandwich. We also stopped at the only ice cream shop on the entire island and I have to say, it was the best ice cream I have eaten to date in Ireland. Though it wasn’t the healthiest day of eating, it occurred to me that I had biked over 11 miles throughout the entirety of the day, so I assured myself that this counteracted the negative effects of the poor eating.
Though Sunday was the shortest day of the weekend, it was by far the best. After we departed Galway, we stopped at the beautiful Kylemore Abbey to explore the Kylemore Castle and Garden. We learned that Mitchell Henry spent years building the massive castle for the love of his wife, Margaret. After she died in Egypt of a water-borne illness, he was forced to live the rest of his life without her in the castle. On a short bus ride over to the garden, a kind elderly lady started talking to me who recognized a YoungLife Shirt that I was wearing and we talked for the rest of the ride. It has surprised me how many people from the states I have met so far in Ireland that I have connections to, and it’s one of the things that I look forward to on a daily basis.
The last, and certainly not least part of the weekend was our trip to the Killary sheep farm. This is something that I was looking forward to for such a long time. The sheep are much calmer and softer than I had imagined. It was astonishing to watch one of the men who lived at the farm train his sheep dog to herd in all of the sheep. He taught us that the sheep obey the dog because he stares at them in the eyes and instills fear in them.
Week 3 concluded with another awesome ANOP 315 class with Professor Wilck, a trip to the Jeanie Johnston boat where we learned all about the potato famine, and a round of golf at a pitch and putt course in Dublin. The Jeanie Johnston tour was fascinating to me, as it operated for years without a single casualty while the other coffin ships had nearly 50% of its passengers die.
Week 3 was the best week of the trip, and I can only hope that it gets better from here!
Tyler, once again I loved reading this weeks blog. I’m so jealous you were able to go to Galway, listen to live Irish music, take a scenic bike ride, and FINALLY pet a sheep! This is an adventure of a lifetime! We miss you so much but LOVE seeing you thrive in Ireland!
Ty… Great job of summarizing you thoughts and experiences. In fact, I think you aught to copy the editor of The Irish Sun (which use to be the main rag over there) and offer to start writing a column for their travel section. Seriously, great job and i do love your picturesque way if sharing your experiences. Have fun and keep it up. Gpa
Your blog is so fun to read, infoemative, and even humorous!! Well done, young laddie! Keep up the good work and keep the pictures coming! Someday I hope to explore Ireland too!!!
Love, Mimi
Tyler,
You are squeezing all the juice out of your trip to Ireland and I am extremely pleased for you. The photos you have taken tell the story of the beautiful Emerald Isle like a travelogue. You are witty and honest and caring and compassionate. So so proud of you Ty. Susu
I’m enjoying reading your blog and seeing Eire through your eyes…oh, and the pictures are fabulous too! 🙂