This One's for You, Buddy

Navan, Co. Meath, Ireland.

What I Know of Sligo

Been a while since my last update. We've moved on from Galway, through Westport, and finally to Sligo. Saying goodbye to Galway was sad; we had a lot of fun there. But now we're here in Sligo and making the most of it. Just to catch you up, last week we took a trip to the Aran Islands and the fort of Dun Aengus, which was lot of fun. We also had papers and a midterm exam, which were not. A couple of days ago, we went to a large collection of ancient tombs out in a field somewhere, climbed a mountain (another one), and got up to the large, very old passage tomb that sits on top. We also went to the beach, which had significantly less educational value. Today, we went to Yeats country, visited the grave of W. B. Yeats, and took a ferry 'round Innisfree. The island (pronounced "Inishfree") is on Lough ("Lock") Gill, and the whole area is the subject of much poetry.

As for the town of Sligo, i's a little more laid-back, more blue-collar, than previous towns. There might not be a lot of charm to it, and the city centre is a decent walk from the hotel, but there are some fine bookstores, pubs, and pizza joints for us to frequent. Last night, Jeff and I saw a Sean O'Casey play called The Plough and the Stars, presented by the Sligo Drama Circle. It was a darker, more cynical take on the Easter Rising of 1916 that ultimately led to Irish independence. The thick accents and community theatre production values sometimes made understanding the play difficult, but it was an overall enjoyable experience. Also, our hotel is a converted mental institution. Now, some pictures.

Sitting on the cliffs at Dun Aengus, Inismor, Aran Islands.

One of the Norman castles we visited, Aughnanure.

Clanmacnoise, on the River Shannon. Site of many very old churches and Celtic high crosses.

Last night in Galway. Bonfire on the beach.

Knocknarea, site of Maeve's tomb. We climbed it as a group, faculty and all.

Jeff on the beach, Strandhill, right before he got all wet.

happy mountain day!

hello there! (echo hello there)

Its been awhile since I've updated the blog so I've decided to do a few posts just on the really cool places we've been in the last week or so. Over the weekend, Kevin and I were lucky enough to partake in a mountain exhibition (hence the echo). Basically, we caught a bus to westport, which took a couple of hours, walked to a mountain, which took a couple of hours, climbed up the mountain, which took a couple of hours, and then climbed down the mountain, which took a couple of hours (noticing a trend?)

we were tired, stinky, sweaty, and sore but the journey was thoroughly worth it. The view from the top was stunning and Kevin and I will be able to say that we climbed a mountain. Yea, that's right...and what did you do today?

I'm Starting a Band Named "Blood Sausage"

Oh. Hello, there. I didn't see you come in. Well, go ahead and have a seat. Would you like anything to drink? Just a glass of water? Okay, well, if you want anything else, let me know. Now, let me tell you a little about the little town of Galway, in the little county of Galway. First, the town is actually a large, thriving metropolis, full of construction and college students. Second, you may not want to drink that glass of water I gave you, for, you see, the city is under a boil order, so the contaminated water is not safe to drink straight from the tap. Third, you probably shouldn't sit down on that corner of the bed, for, as you've discovered by now, the wheel underneath is broken, and the bed simply tilts until the corner hits the floor.

Now that my introduction is over, I'll tell you that Jeff and I are having a great time in Galway, despite the aforementioned complications. Our hotel is nice, and they provide bottled water daily at no extra charge. We've done a lot of walking around the city already, over to Galway Bay, through the shopping district, etc. The bay is beautiful, especially with the clement weather we've been experiencing over the past few days. We ate lunch there and fed the swans (but not the seagulls). We've also been spending a lot of time in the main hangout of the city, Eyre Square (pronounced "air," for the literarily disinclined). There's a really cool park that's always packed with people. It feels a lot like being on a campus quad. We've also gone to a few of the local drinkeries for darts and such. I got to read some Lady Gregory in the park and Joyce at "Fibber Magee's."

That reminds me--there are many good bookstores around here, and in most places we've been. Anyone have any reading suggestions? I'm sure I'll have enough to keep me occupied. Speaking of reading, I'm going to wrap this entry up, so that I can start reading and you can stop. Enjoy the pictures of the bay and the perilous Cliffs of Moher, at which we stopped on the way here.