Dia Duit!

May 5, 2010

As promised to all, the night was full of debauchery. Ended up at a bar named "Fibber McGees" that had 2 for 5£ drink specials...dangerous. The locals loved us and tried to cater to our needs with a musical variety that included Usher and Kanye West. One of the guys chatted with me about America and when I added that I was from Florida, asked if that was near New York. I feel a bit better about not knowing much about Galway. We chose this bar over the one with traditional Irish dancers for the sole reason that we were remiss to encourage displaying children in bars. Instead, we got traditional Irish football fans.

Today was absolutely unreal. Drove a double-decker bus onto an island, where we loaded a ferry and docked on the Arran Islands. Words and pictures could not do the Arran Islands justice. The entire island is lined with man-made stone walls, perfectly shaped into squares which denoted property hundreds of years ago, and is surrounded by the most beautiful water and beaches. First time I've experienced the thrill of the sheer vastness of a cliff: the entire island is built upon them. The water expands for what seems like forever and the colors of the sky, grass and flowers are unlike anything I've ever seen. There is one one-way road that winds through the island and one high school with 80 pupils. Imagine the population! The most amazing cemetary I've ever seen-- all stone with the most intricate carvings with dates back to medieval times. The houses still have thatched roofs and chimneys. Horses mill in people's front yards. We climbed up the enitre mountain of the island to the top fort which was built in 500 B.C. It takes your breath away in every sense of the term. Every photo disappointed me because it couldn't capture just how awesome the sight was. We laid on the edge of the cliff, testing our nerves and equilibrium, until our eyes nearly crossed from the height. Then we ventured down the mountain for toffee squares and homemade ciders while chatting with the locals about their quaint lifestyle.
The ferry ride back and bus ride through the island were hardly easy on the body but we returned to a huge Irish feast at Monroe's Tavern. A gorgeous Irish stew intact with a pint of Guiness! Taught the group how to Sesh (I was Chairman. Aren't you proud Lucky?) and generally caused trouble in the tavern. Off to "study" now. Studying abroad includes understanding the culture in which you study. The Irish culture loves to pub crawl.

Love you all xx

"Slainte!"

(Cheers!)