Hello family and friends!

Well, it seemed like we had just gotten settled into life in Dublin when it was time to pack up and hit the road again! Right now our trusty bus driver Seamus is taking us directly across the country to Galway, so we wanted to take a moment to fill you in on the rest of our Dublin adventures!!  For those of you who aren't familiar with the geography of the Emerald Isle, Galway is essentially located due west of Dublin.

First of all, I would like to start by saying that I really love peanut butter sandwiches. And by love I mean REALLY love peanut butter sandwiches. And let me just tell you, we ate a LOT of PB sandwiches this past week in Dublin because it was the first week that we were responsible for providing all of our meals on our own. So of course, being the thrifty people that we are, we discovered the lovely grocery store Tesco (one of my new favorite places, I’m going to apply for a frequent shopper card this week) and stocked up on peanut butter, bread, cereal, and other basic staples to get us through the week! 

However, even I can get tired of peanut butter sandwiches for every meal, so we made sure to find an authentic Irish pub one night to eat a real Irish dinner, and it was quite delicious! It was called O’Neills (sounds so Irish, right?) and you ordered your meal at the front by picking out your choice of meat and yummy vegetables, and of course, potatoes! SO delicious, and such a classic Irish experience! I would like to point out that I had some wonderful lamb and some delicious potatoes! 

Also, as many of you already know, peanut butter is by far one of my favorite foods. Although it got a little tiresome eating sandwiches, I really did enjoy them! Just a fun fact: William F. Buckley, Jr. also really enjoyed peanut butter. In fact, he enjoyed it so much, he made his own peanut butter and gave it to guests. Dare to dream, folks, dare to dream...

On the topic of food, I would like to confess that I have been really missing Chick-fil-a this week.  So if you choose to eat some Chick-fil-a this week, please do not take it for granted. Savor every single bite, because it is truly an experience to be grateful for.While I am definitely a huge fan of Chick-fil-a, I would also point out that I miss Zaxby's. Miller and I have both lamented our lack of Bojangles on the trip as well...

Okay, moving on from food to some more important things…We spent the rest of the week visiting museums, having class with Dr. Aeisi, exploring the city, and learning about Irish history and culture. 

Let me tell y'all, we were exposed to some fascinating aspects of Irish history and culture this week! Irish history is really interesting, and curiously enough, its history bears some similarities to the history of the Conquered Province (the South). Also, please don't think I am reading into this too much; Dr. Aiesi even acknowledged the common threads! We went to a few different museums, and I will briefly mention a few I really enjoyed. We went to an exhibit on W.B. Yeats, and it was really well done! I recited "The Second Coming" for the class this week, and I actually got to see an original draft of the poem! If you haven't ever read the poem, you should take a look at it. Its a wonderful statement of Modernist ideas. We also went to the National Gallery, and we saw some great work by Jack Yeats (W.B.'s brother). At the National Museum, we saw some interesting archeological finds from Ireland's early history. We also went to the Kilmainham Gaol, a former prison and an incredibly important symbol of Ireland's past. To many, the jail stands as a symbol of the years of British oppression. Prisoners included everyone from Charles Stewart Parnell to Eamon de Valera. (You may not know who these people are, and if you don't, you should look them up!) So much of the Irish identity is tied up in its struggles against the English, and it is pivotal for any student of European history to understand this fact.

On Thursday afternoon, a few of us took a short train ride to the outermost edge of Dublin, a little fishing village called Howth Harbor, and we really enjoyed the break away from bustling city life! We enjoyed walking along the waterfront, admiring the quaint village houses, climbing along the rocky cliffs, and simply gazing out at the beautiful Irish Sea. Much thanks to Katelyn Ammons for suggesting that we visit this hidden treasure- it was a perfect afternoon adventure!!!

This morning on the way to Galway, we stopped at the most beautiful place I have ever seen. It was the ancient Clonmacnoise monastery site, the remains of an old Celtic Christian church and cemetery along the beautiful river Shannon.  Not only was it rich in Irish religious and cultural history, but it was set against a backdrop of rolling green hills and crystal blue sky with perfect white clouds…these pictures cannot even begin to do it justice:

There were also lots of cows in the nearby fields, so of course I wanted to go over and say hello! This plan backfired and I had truly one of the most terrifying experiences of my life when one particular cow started rearing its head and lunging towards me when I got a little too close…oops! It was truly frightening, and I will definitely be more cautious in all my future en”cow”nters with these large animals. I actually was witness to this incident, and I can confirm Julie's terror. The cow was clearly not too happy, and fortunately for all us, Julie got away.

(photo credit and another witness to this terrifying experience: Brian Boda)

Well, we’ve just arrived in Galway so it’s time to go explore a new Irish city, this time on the Atlantic Ocean side! Be looking forward to more stories soon, and in the meantime stay FAR away from cows (unless it’s the Chickfila cow of course!)

Yours Truly,

Thomas and Julie