Looking for the perfect day trip from Dublin? Howth is quick 30-minute train ride through the coastal countryside surrounding the greater city area. And with a charming downtown, castle ruins, and a vibrant fishing community, Howth is the perfect one-day escape away from the hustle and bustle of Dublin.
Off the coast of Western Ireland, in the heart of Galway Bay, is a place virtually untouched by tourism. This place consists of three islands known for their wool sweaters and ancient landmarks. The people living on these islands live simple lives, farming, fishing and writing, and all those quintessential “Irish” things. They are some of the friendliest people I have ever met, and I have never had a better meal of fish n’ chips in my life. These three islands are called the Aran Islands and are known as Inis Mór, Inis Meáin, and Inis Oírr – the great, the middle, and the back. In English, they are spelled Inishmore, Inishmaan, and Inisheer, but the Gaelic is just so much prettier. Most people visit Inishmore, the big island, because naturally they believe that this island offers the most to do. While this is the best island to explore for…
The month of March has been all about exploring the beautiful country I have been living in for the past two months. I’ve had visitors along the way to go on these adventures with, and this past week I was lucky enough to have my family along with me. I took them to a few places I had already been, the must sees of Ireland, Blarney Castle, the Cliffs of Moher, and Connemara and Kylemore Abbey. But I also was able to travel to new parts of the country I would not have seen otherwise (thanks to Dad’s need to have his own car despite having to drive on the other side of the road). My mom’s family is where my Irish roots are. My Nana is 100% Irish; her parents actually met on the boat coming over to America from Ireland when they were just 16 years old. Griffin…
Do you remember your first kiss? The first kiss I got yesterday gave me more than just butterflies in my stomach; it bestowed on me the gift of eloquence, or as some call it, the gift of talking your way out of anything. Yes folks, I kissed the Blarney Stone! But, it isn’t as simple as leaning over and kissing a rock; you have to be lowered down the side of the very top of Blarney castle and held on to by someone as you cling for dear life onto the iron rails sticking out of the wall above your head. Terrifying, right? But I did it! I conquered one of the world’s 99 things to do before you die and joined the millions of visitors over the past hundred years who have kissed the stone. The term blarney actually means “clever or flattering” as in a way with one’s…
Guess what; there’s a Boston, Ireland! We passed the sign for it when I went on my first excursion today with my study abroad program, API. The excursions included in my trip to Galway were actually a huge reason why I chose API as my abroad program provider, and I am so glad I did. Not only do I get to go on some incredible excursions around Ireland and even to Edinburgh, Scotland, I also had the chance of meeting Kevin and Finn, my program directors. They are the most wonderful couple and mentors I could have asked for on this trip. Finn refers to herself as our “Irish sister” and she truly lives up to that title. The pair of them are a fountain of information and resources as we plan our own trips around Europe and encounter the day to day challenges of living in a foreign country.…
Well, what do you know, the sun does shine in Ireland! It doesn’t happen often, but when it does you had better take advantage of it! Yesterday was one of these sunshine days; it started off drizzling per usual, but then a miracle happened! The clouds broke and there was sun! For an entire 6 hours it was sunny and beautiful in Galway! I started off exploring where NUIG all began. Pictured here is the Quadrangle and it is the original building on the campus. When the university first opened its doors for teaching in 1849, it was called Queens College, Galway with sister colleges in Cork and Belfast. There were only 37 professors and 91 students whom comprised the college’s 3 faculties, the Arts (including Science and Literature), Law, and Medicine as well as a school of Engineering and Architecture. The story goes that this architecture was nearly used as the building for…
I made it! I am here in Galway, Ireland. The ride from Boston was easy, no hassle at all! Aer Lingus was a great, inexpensive airline to use with a direct flight into the Shannon airport an hour outside of Galway. On the plane, every passenger got to watch the plane’s course of travel on individual screens on the back of each of the chairs. They even played music, movies and a variety of t.v. shows! It was SO COOL! Getting settled in has been a bit more of a challenge because of the scheduling of classes, finding my bearings, and dealing with phone and bank issues, but I have tried to just keep an open mind and explore in the times that I have felt overwhelmed. I am living in the student apartment complex called Gort na Coiribe which is where a vast majority of the students at the…