Ireland - Day 4 and Day 5

Two for the price of one :)

Day 4: Belfast

Yesterday we did a full day trip to Belfast and took the "Bullets and Bombs" tour. This means we drove around on a bus and went to Falls road and Shankill Road and the Peace Lines. It was intense to see the murals and the cement wall and to hear the history of such an intense civil war between the Catholics and the Protestants. It was definitely a different world than what I've been seeing in Dublin but I'm way thrilled that we got a chance to see that. Our tour guide was truly amazing.

We also got to go to NICIE, which is the Centre for Integrative Education and learned that since the Good Friday agreement (60 schools, or 6%) have chosen the integrative model. I thought that was wonderful that they've at least been able to get that far. I'd say that's a picture of hope but I guess I might be an optimist...sometimes...when I feel like it.

After Belfast, I headed out with Tara, Jennifer, and Brian to the Temple Bar District. The Temple Bar itself is damn cool. I love the courtyards and the music but the craziness felt a little much at times. We were often shoulder to shoulder, which made it hard to go anywhere and I'm not really a club person so it took some getting used to. We also visited Oliver St. John Gogarty's pub and that was neat too. They had a great Irish band playing upstairs and I even knew the words to a few songs (Whiskey in the Jar and Leavin' of Liverpool).

Around midnight, I went home and crashed :)


Day 5

I'm gonna say it -Thank Heaven for Starbucks!! I really don't think I've been sleeping that well. I mean, I've been sleeping but I don't wake up feeling refreshed or anything.

Today we had five of the doctorate students on our trip present on issues, such as mental health, substance abuse, gender roles, and sexual orientation. We had a really great discussion and I was totally on top of the class participation :)

Then, we went to County Wicklow to visit Glendalough. OMG!!! It was amazing. It's the ruins of an old monastery and you could just feel the ancient thrum of it all in the stones and the grass and the wind and the water coming off the two lakes. It was a heaven for a deeply spiritual Pagan girl like myself. And our tour guide was amazing.

Tonight we took in a concert at the National Concert Hall for the band Alton, who were backed up by the RTE concert orchestra. It was a truly stunning experience and I loved it massively. The singer's voice was so soothing and so beautiful, it was hard not to feel entranced and mesmerized by the power of the strings and songs.

And tomorrow I have a free day...which I plan to spend going to the Guiness factory, visiting Dalke, and going on the Ghost Bus Tour.

Also...I can't wait to show you all pictures when I get home!!

Ireland - Day 4 and Day 5

Two for the price of one :)

Day 4: Belfast

Yesterday we did a full day trip to Belfast and took the "Bullets and Bombs" tour. This means we drove around on a bus and went to Falls road and Shankill Road and the Peace Lines. It was intense to see the murals and the cement wall and to hear the history of such an intense civil war between the Catholics and the Protestants. It was definitely a different world than what I've been seeing in Dublin but I'm way thrilled that we got a chance to see that. Our tour guide was truly amazing.

We also got to go to NICIE, which is the Centre for Integrative Education and learned that since the Good Friday agreement (60 schools, or 6%) have chosen the integrative model. I thought that was wonderful that they've at least been able to get that far. I'd say that's a picture of hope but I guess I might be an optimist...sometimes...when I feel like it.

After Belfast, I headed out with Tara, Jennifer, and Brian to the Temple Bar District. The Temple Bar itself is damn cool. I love the courtyards and the music but the craziness felt a little much at times. We were often shoulder to shoulder, which made it hard to go anywhere and I'm not really a club person so it took some getting used to. We also visited Oliver St. John Gogarty's pub and that was neat too. They had a great Irish band playing upstairs and I even knew the words to a few songs (Whiskey in the Jar and Leavin' of Liverpool).

Around midnight, I went home and crashed :)


Day 5

I'm gonna say it -Thank Heaven for Starbucks!! I really don't think I've been sleeping that well. I mean, I've been sleeping but I don't wake up feeling refreshed or anything.

Today we had five of the doctorate students on our trip present on issues, such as mental health, substance abuse, gender roles, and sexual orientation. We had a really great discussion and I was totally on top of the class participation :)

Then, we went to County Wicklow to visit Glendalough. OMG!!! It was amazing. It's the ruins of an old monastery and you could just feel the ancient thrum of it all in the stones and the grass and the wind and the water coming off the two lakes. It was a heaven for a deeply spiritual Pagan girl like myself. And our tour guide was amazing.

Tonight we took in a concert at the National Concert Hall for the band Alton, who were backed up by the RTE concert orchestra. It was a truly stunning experience and I loved it massively. The singer's voice was so soothing and so beautiful, it was hard not to feel entranced and mesmerized by the power of the strings and songs.

And tomorrow I have a free day...which I plan to spend going to the Guiness factory, visiting Dalke, and going on the Ghost Bus Tour.

Also...I can't wait to show you all pictures when I get home!!