When I reflect on my seventh week in Ireland, I realize that it was far more eventful than it felt while I was living it. I feel I did a little bit of everything from continuing to explore Dublin to enjoying all of the natural beauty Ireland has to offer.

Thursday was a day of the former. I was able to take a virtual day for work and made my way downtown to meet up with one of my best friends from home. Connor and I started our day on the River Liffey’s north side with breakfast at Ann’s Bakery, a spot my coworkers recommended, and some sightseeing. Breakfast was great and he enjoyed seeing both the spire and the portal. We made our way back to the south and walked around a few other great sites including Trinity College, Dublin Castle, Grafton Street, St. Steven’s Green, and Temple Bar. We grabbed lunch at another spot my coworkers recommended, Bunsen, and then headed to O’Donohughes’ for a pint of Guinness. I then spent time chipping away at my internship tasks and spent most of the rest of the afternoon finishing my homework. 

Friday was a relatively normal day at my internship but that evening Tyler’s family invited Cole and me out for dinner. We ended up at Darkey Kelley’s, another spot my coworkers had recommended specifically for their fish and chips. I decided to order it and I was shocked by the size of my piece of fish. Dinner was great and it was nice to have the company and conversation over dinner. 

Saturday was a long day of traveling with 4 main stops along the way. First, we visited the Hill of Tara, a place we had been learning about since the start of the trip at the Irish History Museum. I was surprised to see a statue of St. Patrick on the hill due to its mythological nature but enjoyed learning about how his actions of lighting a bonfire on a neighboring hill acted as a sign that Catholicism would become the predominant religion on the island. The next stop was Trim Castle which was incredibly impressive and well preserved. I wish I had caught more information about its history but taking the time to wander the grounds was very enjoyable on its own. Next was a hike up to the Loughcrew Passage Tomb. The views from the top of this hill were my favorite of the weekend and it was amazing to be able to see so many counties from the peak. It was also exciting to learn about the superstitions about disturbing the area, including the belief that taking a rock from the site brings bad luck. It was very cool to also see locals at the site meditating and playing music around the tomb. Then after lunch, a group of a few of us took some time to wander around the town we had stopped at. We ended up finding an Anglican Church and had the opportunity to walk the grounds and peek into the main chapel before getting back on the bus. Our last stop was the Hill of Uisneach. The hill and the Catstone found upon it were said to have been the burial site of the Irish Goddess, Eriu. This makes the site an extremely sacred and holy location that people visit for spiritual enlightenment. Additionally, the hill serves as a place where a bonfire is lit by the high Irish king to mark the arrival of summer in Ireland. The Bealtaine fire can be seen in twelve of Ireland’s counties and remains a major event for the Irish to this day. It was a very scenic and peaceful hike and I enjoyed learning even more about Irish traditions and folklore. 

Sunday was a day filled with me taking care of chores but Monday brought a full day of hiking through Howth. I was somewhat surprised by how difficult the hike itself was but I was up for the challenge. Our guide shared a lot of information about the region and its nature, specifically details about some of the plants we were walking through. My favorite moments from the hike were when we were at the peak of one of the mountains and when we were walking along the cliffs looking out at the coast. I enjoyed having some deeper conversations with people during the hike and feel I have gotten to know most people who are here on the program. After saying bye to the Wilcks, a group of us went and got Beshoff’s for lunch, another fish and chips spot recommended to me that didn’t disappoint. We then explored around the town for a short while, grabbing gelato, before heading back to UCD. Tyler and I then went to the gym and then joined in on game night shortly after, wrapping up with a short but sweet guitar singalong. 

Tuesday was one of my favorite days at work from the whole trip. Having been put in charge of a large-scale event late in the planning process, I was very busy but had time to enjoy my work as I was going about my tasks. One of my coworkers and I went out and cycled to Fernhill Park, the location where GreenAer will be having its event this weekend. During the ride, I enjoyed taking in the Irish landscapes around Dublin that are often hidden behind all of the buildings. I spent the rest of the day doing my typical work of creating social media graphics and working on emails before heading back to UCD. Tyler and I went to the gym then a group of us went downtown to get ice cream a Cloud 9. From there I went directly to a pub to meet up with a few of my coworkers since the other intern, Lucas, is heading home Thursday. The time flew by and we went and grabbed Chinese food quickly before calling it a night.

Each day this week was relatively social and introduced me to some new aspects of Irish culture. Even when I was doing more difficult pieces of my internship or working on my homework, I kept digging deeper to try and gain an even deeper understanding of how people on this island have lived their lives. This includes my classmates who all seem to have settled in well to the Irish way of life. I can’t believe how little time is left and while I do feel somewhat stressed at the moment with everything on my plate, I know the time will go by so quickly like everything else this trip and I’ll be cherishing these memories as soon as I’m home.

Connor and I grabbing a pint

The Stone of Destiny and the view from the Hill of Tara

A photo from the back of Trim Castle

A photo of the Loughcrew Passage Tomb

The stained glass inside the Anglocan church we found

The Catstone at Hill of Uisneach

A lighthouse off the coast from the Howth hike