Blarney, Cobh, and Kinsale

Hey guys. I just wanted to start this next note off with a few service announcements. One is that it’s my mom’s birthday today! Everyone say “Happy Birthday, Lori!” I’d tell you how old she is, but I’m told that it’s impolite to do so. The second order of business is to let any interested parties know that I have posted some pictures up on Facebook. I’ve only posted the pictures with people in them for the most part, so I’m sorry if you’re excited to see scenery. The internet here is just too touch and go to post all the pictures I’ve taken, but I promise that they’re worth the wait! Lastly, I love that people are reading this blog and are posting comments! They’re fantastic! I would ask, however, that if you do write a comment and don’t have a Google account, with an obvious user name, that you sign the comments with your name. Otherwise I have no way to tell who is saying what. Thanks! Anyway, moving on to other news...

I think I left off my last blog about a week ago on my birthday, so I have a lot to catch up on. I spent the afternoon after my birthday at Blarney Castle with Mom and Carla. It was a pretty dreary day. It drizzled in between pouring, which made the ruins of the castle rather precarious. For those of you who have not been to Blarney, you may not realize that the Blarney Stone, said to give those that kiss it the “gift of gab” (and yes, I did kiss it), is at the very top of the tower. This meant that, in order to reach it, we had to climb up a very tall and very narrow, winding staircase, a situation made even worse by the well-worn steps. Poor Carla almost had a heart attack, but we made it all the way up and back down in one piece, so all’s well that ends well.

Kissing the Stone!

I actually enjoyed the grounds around the castle more than the castle itself. There was a really interesting garden in which only poisonous plants were planted (I wanted to stay and read all the informational signs about each plant, but Mom and Carla weren’t as interested). There was also a place called Rock Close that had a lot of interesting rock formations, including a druid circle and a ruined stone dwelling with a chimney. Legend has it that there’s a witch that lives there and grants wishes. We headed home thoroughly soaked and spent the evening in the hotel so that Mom and Carla could pack. They got on their plane very early Friday and made it home safe and sound, if a bit jet lagged.

Old grave site at Rock Close. The sign said the rock would sometimes shift, but I couldn't get it to budge.

I had my first class field trip Friday afternoon. We all loaded on a bus and headed out to see a Norman castle called Barryscourt. This castle had been renovated and decorated to show what it might have looked like when it was in use (for those of you Iowans reading this, think Living History Farms style). It was a great tour and it provided an interesting contrast to the ruins at Blarney. We made a quick stop at the Fota Mansion, an old landlord’s house, before heading on to Cobh (pronounced “Cove”). This town was the Titanic’s last port of call before heading out into the Atlantic and the place from which many immigrants to North America left Ireland fleeing the great potato famine of the 1840’s. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to see the heritage center, but we did get to see the harbor and take a picture with the statue of Annie Moore and her brothers, the first people to enter the United States through the Ellis Island Immigration Center (where I’m told there’s a matching statue). We also got to do a quick tour of St. Coleman’s Cathedral and see the memorial for the sinking of the Lusitania, which was torpedoed by a German U-boat in the First World War and sank in 18 min, killing almost 1200 people.

Feasting at Barryscourt Castle

The next day I woke up early to meet up with two girls I’ve become pretty good friends with named Kelsie and Liz to catch a bus to Kinsale. After navigating an unfamiliar public transportation system and dealing with cranky bus drivers, we made it to the port town just in time for lunch. We ate at a place called the Fishy Fishy Café, and had some excellent salmon and chips (and I don’t even like fish!). It was cold and pouring (what’s new?), but luckily there was an arts festival going on, so we managed to have a pretty good time inside. We DID get to see an Irish rock band called Mashed Chicken play under a tarp in a square, which was pretty amusing. We did a tour of Desmond Castle, which used to be a French prison and also had a wine museum in it (if you think that’s an odd combo, you’re not alone). Liz, Kelsie, and I headed home, drenched and exhausted. We missed out on doing a walk along the coast to a place called Charles Fort and we didn’t stay for dinner to have some of the famed cuisine, but it was a good day all around. That night a bunch of us went out to the pubs in City Center and met some local color (including a guy on the street who gave us Dominos pizza and an Irish lad who wanted to take me home as his teddy bear- don’t worry, I dodged that one and stayed with my group).

Obnoxious Americans? Nah, we're just having fun : D

The rest of my week has been fairly boring. A bunch of us did get together to watch the world cup final!  Go Spain! : D I’ve been putting a lot of time into my essay, which is THIS close to being done! Yay! The lectures this week have moved on to 19th and 20th century Ireland covering the famine and the war of independence, and they have been unbelievably dry, which is too bad given the potential of the subjects. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m very much an ancient history kind of girl. The seminars, taught by a man named Robert, are the only thing keeping me interested. He’s very knowledgeable and he manages to condense the information from the lectures and make it interesting. Fun fact: He’s also an Iowan! Apparently he got his undergrad degree from Iowa State. The seminars have actually given me a lot to think about and I might do a blog about my ponderings eventually, if I’m not sick to death of writing by then. Right now, however, it’s time for me to wrap this up so I can finish my essay and start studying for my test on Friday. Thanks to Rachel for editing it for me! Also, tomorrow is St. Swithun’s Day and, apparently, if it rains tomorrow then it’ll rain for the next forty days straight. Cross your fingers for me!

Amelia

The 31st International Studies in Irish History group picture. Can you find me?