My Five Months in Ireland

[Maggie]

Maggie, that is my section.  Try and find me.

OK I'll try.....
Are you to the right of centre, with your head turned to your left, in profile?

That pic of the Bulmers cider is a work of art!
What was the Garda after in there - a pint of Guinness?

That's a great photo of you sitting on the edge.
Did you climb over the rope where it says "do not go beyond this point"?  

Last time Dave and I were there, there was a piper on the top of O'Brien's Tower.
I think it's been closed for restoration for a while.

O'Brien's Tower, Cliffs of Moher:

[CurlyandGreen]

Did you climb over the rope where it says "do not go beyond this point"?  

It wasn't exactly a rope-just a sign...and a wall.  The wall was about two feet high, but the ground on the other side was as high as the wall, so it seemed more like a runoff barrier than a wall to block people from getting over!  It didn't say Danger-just Private Property.  It didn't make sense, because the guide told us "Go to the right for O'Brian Tower.  Go to the left for the taller cliff and the five mile walk-just don't go the whole five miles."



Also, yes that is me.  Good eye!

At the pub, someone came by and set a whole pint on of Guinness the table and walked out.  Being American college students, we practiced the "watch your drink safety"  and left it be.  One of the employees came around to pick up glasses and when she picked up the untouched pint she looked at my and said with a laugh-"That right there is disgusting!" Wasting a pint, that is...

[Maggie]

.........It wasn't exactly a rope-just a sign...and a wall.  The wall was about two feet high, but the ground on the other side was as high as the wall, so it seemed more like a runoff barrier than a wall to block people from getting over!  It didn't say Danger-just Private Property.

Also, yes that is me.  Good eye!

At the pub, someone came by and set a whole pint on of Guinness the table and walked out.  Being American college students, we practiced the "watch your drink safety"  and left it be.  One of the employees came around to pick up glasses and when she picked up the untouched pint she looked at my and said with a laugh-"That right there is disgusting!" Wasting a pint, that is...

The reason it says "Private Property" and not "Danger" is....insurance, and liability issues.
if you trespass on Private Property, it's at your own risk. If you fall down the cliffs and die, it's your own fault.
It would be a waste of time your next-of-kin trying to sue.
If the sign said "Danger" they would be admitting it is dangerous, although it's pretty obvious!
It's the same reason that the owner of Loughmore Castle puts his bulls to graze around it, to dissuade anyone from trespassing and getting gored to death, or tossed into County Limerick.
Trust me on this....Bulls, Ganders and Billy Goats are just about the only creatures in Ireland who do not welcome you.
They will attack if you wander onto their territory.
Likewise if you wander onto fenced or walled farmland while livestock are giving birth or nursing, you might be gently persuaded to leave by the farmer. By the way.....can you tell the difference between a bull and a bullock?  
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Now on to USC Marching Band....
I remembered a photo you once posted of you in your uniform!
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Now to the Pint of Guinness....it was probably a "welcome" gift.....from someone who heard your accents.
He probably guessed that you had never tasted the "black stuff" and didn't want you to leave Ireland without that experience. The reason he didn't speak was probably so you would not misunderstand his motive.

And rule #1.......you never leave Guinness in a glass! if you don't want it and it's untouched, give it away.
What that waitress meant was....it really hurts, having to pour Guinness down the drain.

[zankoku]

Good tip Maggie on the Guinness

[Shywolf(Craig)]

Maggie,
Good explanations especially on the Guiness at the pub.

Also the Burren used to be a forest many centuries ago and since then, are plants and flowers growing there. Also Dolmens(tombs) with human bones and possibly animals too. Archeologist still doing research there...

[CurlyandGreen]

http://gamecockatul.blogspot.com/

Update!

Also an interesting part of the Burren:  The guide told about tombs like Newgrange, and then took us to one where the earth had worn away and the rock had been stripped away, leaving the table where a person would have been laid to rest.  The back panel on this table had fallen away, leaving a HUGE slab of stone resting on two slats.  The details on years and things are fuzzy right now, but I'll remember!  I was out of it at this point (motion sickness pills!)

[zankoku]

Dramamine used to be a traveler with us when I was a kid.

[Maggie]

Also an interesting part of the Burren:  The guide told about tombs like Newgrange, and then took us to one where the earth had worn away and the rock had been stripped away, leaving the table where a person would have been laid to rest.  The back panel on this table had fallen away, leaving a HUGE slab of stone resting on two slats.  The details on years and things are fuzzy right now, but I'll remember!

That dolmen tomb is at Poulnabrone.
It is Neolithic, I think it dates from sometime between 4000 BC and 3000 BC.
There are many other tombs on the Burren also.
Not far away are the Ailwee Caves, which were discovered by a local shepherd when he went looking for his dog.
Remains of bears were found there, which have been extinct in Ireland for hundreds of years.

A bit further North in County Mayo, a local man was cutting turf when he discovered the Céide Fields, which revealed remains of stone-age houses and tools, which have enhanced our knowledge of our Stone-age ancestors, how they lived and how they dealt with "climate change". Yes, it was a problem back then too.....before gasoline and automobiles!

My uncles Tom and Tadhg were extremely upset when the Céide fields were discovered,
it was too close to their own farmland.
My mother's ancestors have farmed that rocky landscape for hundreds of years, and it was never easy.
I was there last May......the wild beauty, and the tragic history of that place makes me cry every time.
I was relieved to see their part of Mayo had not changed, although Tom and Tadhg have now exchanged
their little white cottage for an even more Heavenly home.
Near that little cottage, some local men were cutting turf to use as fuel....
...the unmistakeable scent of a turf fire means I'm home.

[CurlyandGreen]

That's amazing and very cool that you know your family history so well, Maggie.  I know that I have some ancestors from Ireland on both sides of my family, but both sides moved here (and to the South, where traces of early European immigrants seems to have dispersed over time) in the late 1700's/VERY EARLY 1800's.  Several people here have asked me if I have Irish connections.  I say yes, but quickly add that I only know the last name, not where in Ireland they came from.  I've found that people like to know the story of your connections, and I don't know mine.  It's my plan when I'm older and have a few more funds at my disposal to trace my family tree.  I have found that the links between Ireland and the United States is pretty strong and unique.
 
What you said about farming the land not being easy made me remember something the tour guide told us.  As we were driving through all of this land, miles upon miles of scrubby plant life and limestone with walls stretching as far as you could see, the guide started talking about the Famine.  From here, he told us about emigrating to America and the American wake.  The way he told it actually made me eyes prick with tears.

He said that an American wake was treated like a regular wake, at the home of the family who would be leaving/had children (young adults) who were leaving.  Depending on the amount of money/situation, there might be food, dancing, and poteen, and there might not be.  They were usually more somber than merry. A woman would offer a keen (song or lament.)  The guide said to us that it was called a wake because it was almost like a death. Due to a somewhat unreliable post system and whatnot, it was possibly the last time a family would ever hear from each other, the last time friends would be together.  Often, if it was a young couple who left, they knew in their hearts that it was probably the last time they would see their aging parents.

The following morning, the emigrant(s) would take their belongings, what they could carry, and start down the road to catch a boat and start their new life.  While it had to have been heart-wrenching to leave everything you knew behind, the guide said, you can't overlook the thought of the excitement that would have been felt as someone left towards a new life in a new land.  And although many did not find wealth, many Irish men and women did find success in America.

Now, I've seen movies and read books about people emigrating from their home countries to America and being from the US, I don't think I've ever really understood.  But, as I was standing in Ireland on a huge slab of limestone thousands of miles from my home, surrounded by the cold and land that Maggie described as hard to farm, I felt it come together.  I felt like I could imagine growing up in a place, that place turning into somewhere that seemed to have no hope, and the mixed emotions of leaving home to make a new home.  It was  like I finally had collected enough little pieces to put together and saw the big picture.  

When I got back to my dorm the next night I listened to The New Ground/Isle of Hope and again, I feel like I understand it better now.  Also, it made me feel (even more) proud/humbled to be American.  I am always proud of my country, but now I feel that I have been granted a new lens in which to view it, which is something that I might not have been given had I not been given the chance to study abroad.  Although this is a nice "break' from home and a chance to do things differently, I feel that I'm learning as much about my country as I am about Ireland.

[jillebeans]

Thank you Sarah for sharing. It put me there and touched my heart. I can't imagine how hard that would have been watching a loved leave. Or even turning one last time to say goodbye. Much stronger people than me.

[Maggie]

That's amazing and very cool that you know your family history so well, Maggie.

 
It's not so unusual in Ireland, especially with people of my generation.
We learned our family history from older family members, and documents were passed down.
For example, I know where all of my Ryan ancestors lived in Tipperary, only one young man went to America.
My Clarke ancestors always lived in North West Mayo. We know the Churches they attended, where they were baptized, married, and buried. When I am in Ireland, I can go and pray in the Churches where my great-grandparents and their parents worshiped.....and where they prayed for relief from the Famine.
I am putting it all on a CD and DVD for Thomas Patrick. God Willing, I will take him there myself one day.

Now, I've seen movies and read books about people emigrating from their home countries to America and being from the US, I don't think I've ever really understood.............. I feel like I understand it better now.
..........Although this is a nice "break' from home and a chance to do things differently, I feel that I'm learning as much about my country as I am about Ireland.

Your 5 months in Ireland is going to enrich your education and your life.....so much better than learning from books.
You must get the most you possibly can out of it.
Being able to travel and soak up the ancient atmosphere, complemented by your Lectures at College......priceless!
As you said, you can "feel" the history, and it does give you a better perspective on your own Homeland.
A couple of weeks as a tourist just doesn't give you the same opportunity.
Dave said it was not until he lived in other Countries that he saw the big picture, and understood the World view of America.

I am still curious to know where in Tipperary Aoife lives.....you should sample family life while you're there, too.
I have no doubt you will make friends among the Natives!

[Angie]

This is all so interesting, and I appreciate reading this history and seeing the photo's - I can see you are having a wonderful time there Curly, thanks for sharing, and Maggie too.

[Maggie]

Waiting patiently for the next episodes from Sarah and Megan!

[meganelize]

Lol Maggie, I will get one up shortly- Not too much going on but I will post pics from earlier this year as I just learned how to put pics up in my last post! 

[CurlyandGreen]

Likewise!!! Not much happened this week (which in all honesty was a nice change for once!)  I do have a catch-up bit waiting, but I need to get my personal journal entry done first!

BTW, I totally have an Irish date for Valentine's Day-his name is Butlers   I have another one planned with someone named Bulmers! He's currently chilling in my fridge so he'll be icy cold by tomorrow night!