City Center Celebrations
On June 16th every year, Irish men and women celebrate an unofficial holiday known as Bloomsday. The term was coined by a character named Leopold Bloom in James Joyce’s novel Ulysses. It is very popular in Irish history, so the streets are flooded with people dressed in vintage clothing and celebrating the novel. Unfortunately, I had not prepared a costume so maybe next year (hopefully)! However, we had just as much fun as everyone else. We dropped by a pub and even left the city to visit the James Joyce museum on the coast.
It was a rainy day, so the coastline had storm clouds that made it look ominously beautiful.
My friends and I explored the small town and watched street performers all afternoon. The celebrations made for a very exciting day!
Enchanting Explorations
Each week, we explore a new place outside the city, and this excursion topped the last one! We made our way to a place called Powerscourt estate. It was a dashing museum and had the most beautiful, manicured lawn that I have ever seen. The grounds were pristine, and we got lost in all of the gardens and trails.
This one trail led us past a field with grazing horses at the base of a mountain. The Japanese garden was so tranquil that I wished I could read my book for the rest of the day out there.
Once we finished our walk outside, we completed the visit with a cup of tea overlooking the gardens and fountain.
We drove on and landed in a small town for lunch at a pub. Afterwards, we made our way to Glendalough, which means “the valley of two lakes.” It was as beautiful as its name suggests. The weather was perfect for touring the cemetery and church ruins. We hiked to the lakes and goofed off by climbing trees. After a long time, we finally reached the water’s edge and spent the rest of the afternoon there. Pictures do not do this place any justice.
The view was magnificent, from the water to the mountains to the sky. After tons of pictures and a little coaxing, we made our way back to the buses to head back to the city. There was one little pit stop on the way home: a hilltop overlooking the valley and lake that the Guinness family owned.
The wind was so chilled that we could not stay long, but I sure enjoyed every second up there. I could see farmland and green fields for miles and miles. Best class ever.
Sunday Fun-day
This morning, my friends and I decided to visit a Catholic church called St. Teresa’s in city center. We got a little lost and became discouraged but we found it hiding in a beautiful, hidden alley-way off of a main street.
The church was massive, and we had just made it in time before the service began. We specifically chose to attend the service with the chorus and it sounded like angels were singing. I really enjoyed having my friends tag along to witness such a beautiful Mass. Afterwards, we were able to capture a few pictures before the next service and headed off into the city enjoy the rest our day!
We have a busy week coming up! I will be working on my research paper and taking classes, so I will do my best to keep my blog updated. Be sure to click the link to my Instagram below to see my pictures throughout the week! Until next time!
The last destination was a place way out of town called Causey Farm. This farm is fully sufficient and in the middle of nowhere. I was able to see how the business is supported through not only tourism but the animals as well. We took a long tour and visited with many animals – there were cows, sheep (obviously), and an entire litter of puppies! The ultimate surprise came at the end.
After a long day of bog jumping and bread making, we were ready to head home.
And anyone who truly knows me, understands how big of a night it really was. It was opening night and I was lucky enough to witness incredible, traditional Irish dancing. The talent was phenomenal, and I am already trying to book a ticket to see them again in the States when I get back.
The entire experience was unimaginable. On our tour the previous day, we looked around the campus, but today we actually joined an in-depth tour. It certainly did not disappoint! The campus is beautiful and old, and it felt as if I time-traveled with all of the historical buildings. My favorite part, though, was the Book of Kells and Long Library tour. The Book of Kells holds the four books of the New Testament and was believed to be created around the year 800. A tour of the longest library in the world was our last stop.
We all met at a hotel downtown and participated in a traditional concert of Irish folk music. No words can describe the joy we all felt when a couple of us attempted a traditional Ceilidh Group Dance. We all had two left feet which made it quite a spectacle. After all the fun, the entire group grabbed drinks at a pub to complete a wonderful day.
I feel that as a tourist, this should have been one of the first stops to visit when I arrived in Dublin. I figure the fifth day is acceptable. Earlier in the day, my friends and I completed another ala-carte activity and visited The National Gallery of Ireland – Da Vinci Exhibit. The gallery displayed 10 pieces of Da Vinci work, including sketches of famous murals, notes of thoughts, and actual paintings. Other artists’ work was presented; one of my favorites was the Portrait of Dona Antonia Zarate by Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes. It was a gorgeous painting, and a picture online will not do it justice. After the art gallery, we made our way across town to visit the Guinness Factory. I was surprised to see people from all over the world speaking numerous different languages. The factory was 5 stories tall and featured a sky bar at the top. We made our way up the floors to the taste testing rooms, the official lesson on how to properly pour a Guinness, and a sky lounge party.
When the festivities ended, our professors hailed us horse carriages to take us to the Brazen Head Pub, the oldest pub in the city.
After dinner, my friends and I somehow ended up on the incorrect bus which drove us an hour out of town and away from campus. Never have I been so excited to see city center in Dublin after driving aimlessly around neighboring cities for hours. No worries; all is fine and lessons have been learned!
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Meg's Irish Adventure 