Erin-Go-Bragh

So, I realized that a bunch of my older blogs haven't really talked about IRELAND yet! So, here we go!!!

Where can I begin?

People at home keep asking me what my favorite part of Ireland is so far, and I always respond without a thought: the national pride. Wherever I walk around Galway, I am reminded of the fact that I am in Ireland, whether it be rugby jerseys displayed proudly in store windows, groups of authentic Irish bands blasting their music down Shop Street, or the joyfulness of a hearty laugh from a thick Irish brogue. As I gaze around at the city that is Galway, I realize that Ireland has literally permeated itself into every cobblestone, alleyway, and pub. Not a day goes by where I forget where I am, but, more importantly, not a day goes by where I'm not proud to be a part of this beautiful country. Now, by no means am I claiming to be a legitimate Irishman; I will always be a slight tourist to this place, but it certainly doesn't feel like that with the people I've encountered. Whether I'm discussing plays with a Donegal native or befriending people from Cork, it seems that my mere presence is enough for others to say, "Hey, come join us!"

I have encountered some truly unique individuals while being here, whether it be an elderly bus company tour driver who impersonates leprechauns, an elderly woman who sits outside of SuperMac's charging 5 euro to tell your fortune, or the hordes of young college students trying to stamp your hands for a discount at the club next door. If I had to describe the daily mood of people in Galway, I would have to say "pleasant." Actually, that word does absolutely no justice to the feeling here, but let me explain. I walk around the streets every day realizing that people are happy, but not the in-your-face-oh-my-God-I-wanna-punch-you-in-the-face-cuz-you're-so-obnoxious-happy...it's a calm happiness. People's walks suggest that they know they live in one of the country's coolest cities, but they don't have to brag; all they have to do is bask in the awesomeness.

I went to the Aran Islands this past weekend, and I think it was my favorite trip thus far. Now, don't get me wrong, the Cliffs of Moher are an absolute breath-taker and Connemara is such a quaint, beautiful region, but nothing beats the authentic feel of Ireland quite like the Aran Islands. Before I left, my friends who had previously studied here told me this was a must-go destination, and I wasn't going to pass up a ferry ride! Over the weekend, I went with three friends for a day of exploration, biking, and epic adventures. We took an hour bus and a half hour ferry ride to get over to the main island. Right away, I was blown away by the simplicty of everything; we walked past the bay area which seems to be the center of town and saw multiple vans waiting to whisk us away on island tours as horse and buggy drivers watched from the other side. These horses were unbelievably beautiful; they looked more like ponies than full-grown horses, but we were informed otherwise. Right away, we had to grab lunch and once again, I am blown away by the quality of vegetable soup in Ireland. Seriously, you can vegetable soup ANYWHERE!!! It's not like in the states where the soup is kind of watery; all soups here are cream-based, which makes them even better!

Anyway, after eating, we rented bikes and set out to find the Black Fort, which was a destination one of the Irish students told us to check out especially if we were writers (win!). Now, let me explain how the road system on the islands was. Basically, the road was wide enough for one car. There were no sidewalks or biking areas; we merely had to watch out backs as we biked. It was funny to see all of us slowly moving to the right side of the road before realizing that everyone drives on the left here. We had more than one close call that day (I think I almost got run over by a truck carrying piles of hay..but I'm not positive). We were told to look for an orange house after some turns, and that would lead us to the Black Fort. Thank GOD for that orange house; being the typical tourists we were, we completely started getting lost in the scenery of the bay rushing past us as we biked. If we hadn't noticed the only orange house on the entire island sitting atop the hill, we probably never would have made it to our destination.

After vigorous biking, we had to walk our bikes the rest of the way of a rising trail of pure rocks. The hill started to resemble the Burren with all of the rock formations surrounding us; eventually, we made it to the top and were greeted with the most stunning view of the ocean I have ever seen. Seriously, check out my facebook to see pictures of the view. My words and pictures cannot do justic to the beauty of that area. We stood atop a cliff side that was over 300 feet high; the sea was so powerful that foam collected on top of itself, making the water look like snow. The sun perfectly sparkled across the water, giving us the most beautiful view of nature in the world. For me, this was a moment where God existed, no "ifs", "ands", or "buts" about it.

We all decided to take stupid pictures of ourselves hanging off the ledge side and peering over the cliffs. Eventually, we found a bed of grass so thick that it actually felt like a bed (more comfortable than most college beds!). We proceeded to bask in the air on this hillside as we slept/talked in the grass, simply just enjoying life. However, little did we know the epic adventure about to occur. As a friend of ours explored one of the other cliff sides, she noticed a crack in the ground that led deep into a crevice in the cliff. Well, we weren't going to pass up an opportunity to go spelunking free hand, so a few of us descended the crevice deep into the cliffs. It was so cool to see all the raw iron deposits that had formed, painting the bottom of the crevice red. We passed animal bones that had collected over the years (we think lambs had come to the cliffs and fell into the crevice) which was really cool but pretty creepy at the same time. Small ropes had been attached to certain rocks so we could descend further and, eventually, we found ourselves right above the water level, basically at the bottom of the cliff!! We could feel the waves splashing against us as we peered out towards the water. It was a magical moment.

Soon, we realized we needed to find this fort, so we climbed back up and hussled over to a figure we saw in the distance, which we assumed was the fort. And the fort it was! I don't know any of the history of this place, but basically the Black Fort is this collection of rocks tat forms a small wall that looked like a blockade from the sea. I climbed atop and watched the rocks run away from me; I dubbed the Black Fort "The Great Wall of Ireland." Behind it were cool rock formations that created maze-like shapes. We walked atop and past the fort to a cliff edge where we all sat, only to discover that the waves were so strong where we were that the splashes could hit us! Think of the log flume rides you used to go on at theme parks, and multiply it by ten. That's basically what happened to us. As we watched the waves crash against the rocks, we realized that one of the sets of foam was rushing towards us! For a moment, I couldn't see anyone or anything as I was covered in a layer of liquid white. Still one of the coolest things I have EVER experienced!! We took this as a sign to start heading back to the ferry, which is exactly what we did.

So...there you have it folks! This description is really lame and not well-written and totally dry: I know. But I had to get these experiences somehow out of my head. All you need to know is that I love Ireland. Ireland is exactly what I needed this semester. I definitely miss all you guys back in the states and abroad in other countries, but by no means do I wanna' leave this Emerald Isle, this land of beauty. Erin-Go-Bragh!

With Irish Blessings,
Jim Jam