Off To Mayo!

Tomorrow at noon, I board the train for County Mayo, in the extreme northwestern part of Connaught, along the west coast of Ireland. I am going with the other ten students studying in my group, and we will be staying in a family hostel, Kilcommon Lodge, outside the seaside village of Belmullet, County Mayo, through Thursday night. County Mayo is famous for its picturesque views and beautiful boglands, but also for its wet and windy weather. Its history is also bleak, being one of the most affected counties during the Famine. It is, however, known for its rural and quaint beauty, and is where the classic John Wayne film, The Quiet Man was shot. While we are there, we will be experiencing a Gaeltacht area, where the first language for much of the population is still the native Irish Gaelic. County Mayo is remote and secluded, and while I'm there, I will have no internet, so do not expect any blog updates or new pictures until late on Friday, but when I return, I will be happy to share all that I have learned!- "To Hell or Connaught"

Where I'm Living:

During my stint of classes here in Dublin, I am living with the O'Dea family, in a little coastal town to the south of Dublin, called Glenageary. I'm about a ten minute walk from the shore, and its very beautiful. The O'Deas are a great family too; Bill, the father, is a big man "24 stone" according to Mrs. O'Dea, and his hobbies include hiking, fishing, cooking, and mushroom hunting. His wife, Freda, is the mother and she takes good care of me, always feeding me and giving me suggestions about where to explore, or what shop to stop in or which restaurant is the best. They have two sons, Ruirea- 14, and Daniel- 11. Ruirea is an Irish name, and he fits every stereotype of an Irish boy, freckles and red hair. They have a dog, named Musha, which is also an Irish word. The expression "Ara Musha" translates as something like "Its alright" or "That'll do." He's only 8 months old and is what they call a Wicklow Terrier- half border collie and half terrier.

My Street- Upper Glenageary Road

The O'Deas House, my home base for the next few months.

Sail Boats off shore

The O'Dea's Church

Backyard

Back path through the garden

Ara Musha, the family dog

Kitchen and garden door

The Dining Room and Bookshelves

A smoked deer leg from Spain, Bill carves off a slice for himself every once in awhile.

 It sits in the dining room.

A portrait of Bill O'Dea, to give you some sense

Out our back garden

Clontarf

On Friday afternoon, I decided to go on a little mini-adventure after classes, to go explore the battlefield of Clontarf, just north of Dublin City. The battle took place in 1014, between the forces of Brien Boru, high king of Ireland, and the forces of Mael Morda, the lesser king of Leinster, and his Viking allies of Dublin. At the time, Dublin was a Viking town, and Brien Boru's campaign was aimed at taking control of Leinster and driving the Viking invaders from the island. On April 23rd, at Clontarf, he met the forces of his enemies, and won a decisive victory, killing 6,000 of the 7,000 Vikings on the field. Mael Morda was also killed during the battle by the son of Brien Boru. This victory did not come without a price though, because as the battle was drawing to a close, several fleeing Vikings came across Brien Boru in his tent, kneeling in prayer and thanking God for the victory. The Vikings crept up behind him and slew the king. Brien Boru goes down in history at the Unifier of Ireland and the man who drove out the first of the great invasions of the island. He was also the last high king of Ireland, and since his time, the island of Ireland has never been united under the rule of one governing power. Clontarf today is nothing more than a small suburb of Dublin, with only a small marker of where the battle took place, and a plaque where Brien Boru fell. It was not very impressive, but  I wanted to go see the spot, just because it was such a significant event in Irish history. Today, the sir name O'Brien, one of the most prevalent names in Ireland, stems from Brien Boru, all of them being "Of- Brien"; descendants of the last high king.

Dalkey Island

St Begnet's Church on Dalkey Island- circa 700

Lighthouse off Bullock Harbor

Young Harbor Seal

Dalkey Island

St Begnet's Shrine

Foundations of Viking Settlement

Foundations of Viking Settlement

Bray Head and Killiney Beach

Ruins of a British Sea-Battery, circa 1804

Medieval Ruins

Ruins of Viking Walls, circa 800

Martello Tower, British Fort, circa 1804

Our Visit to Bullock Harbor and Dalkey Island

       The other day, Sameen, Wilma (two other american students in the program) and I walked down to the coastal village of Dalkey and visited the harbor, where the fishing boats were bringing in loads of lobsters, crab, and mackerel. While we were there watching them come in, one of the lobstermen came over to introduce himself and see who we were, since "he could tell we weren't Irish fishermen." His name was Wayne, and we started talking with him about what where we were from and why we were in Ireland. He explained to us that he was the Harbor Master's son, and that they ran out 13 boats everyday, fishing, crabbing, and checking their lobster pots. While we were there talking, a seal came up right along the dock, and porpoises were playing out at the harbor mouth. We talked for quite a long time, and eventually, he told us that if we were up for it, he would take us up the coast a ways and show us Dalkey Island, where there are a variety of seals and birds, and the ruins of a Viking settlement, a British Fort, and an old Christian church from the 6th Century dedicated to St Begnet. We told him that would be great, and would be back on Thursday when the tide was right.
       Well today, Sameen and I took Wayne up on his offer, and rode the DART down to Dalkey. We went out in Wayne's small fishing boat, The Mary, and saw Harbor seals, Grey Seals, Roseate Terns, Ferrel Goats, Red Throated Loons, Cormorants, historical ruins, and beautiful views around and from the island. It was a great experience, and shows the advantage of making friends with the locals. He even boiled some rock lobsters for us to eat once we made it back to the harbor.

British Shore Battery Storehouse, circa 1804

Feral Goats on Dalkey Island

Remnants of the Holy Well of St Begnet on Dalkey Island

Wayne and I returning from Dalkey Island

Dalkey Island

Grey Seal

Mackerel Run

My Day in Ireland:

So today, after class, it was a nice day with the sun shining. One of the other students, Sameen, and I walked down the river walk along the Liffy to the quays, where we saw the Famine Monument, and one of the restored "coffin ships" that took immigrants to America during the Great Hunger.

After a little sightseeing, we went back to our homestays to get our swimming gear and met down on Killiney Beach, outside of Don Laoghaire. I put on my swimming "togs" and in the 40 degree weather, dove into the Irish Sea. It was very invigorating; I have never swam in colder water on a colder day. We swam for twenty minutes along the rocky beach, where we saw dolphins out beyond the shore. It was very cold but very stimulating. I hope to do it again soon. After swimming, I went home to dinner, where Freda, my host-mom, made a traditional Irish Roast- Lamb, spuds, mushrooms, carrots, garlic and onions, with a side of Yorkshire Pudding and Gravy. It was a great day and so completely Irish!