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Hey everyone!

I just had my first week of classes and so far so good, I am learning a great deal about the troubles of Ireland’s long past.
Last Friday we went out to Connemara and County Mayo, and saw a great deal of sheep/cows and the only fjord in Ireland. It was absolutely breath-taking, the mountains and hills everywhere, and of course tons and tons of green!

I still can’t believe how quickly the weather changes here, there really is no point of a weather channel, I swear. One second it is raining, the next it is sunny, then another second it is sunny but misting, all happening within a minute. But in general I think we have been quite lucky with having more sunny weather than rain and have stayed around 65.

Last Friday night the girls in the program and I went out and celebrated the 4th of July and surprisingly enough there were a great deal of Irish out celebrating as well, despite many had no idea why, ha ha.

I definitely miss the great food from home, the food here is quite bland and a hit or miss. It is impossible to find Tabasco available in restaurants, we tried finding a place that had burgers for the 4th because we couldn’t barbeque in our apartment complex, though the meat wasn’t as bad as I had expected but overall everything was bland. The fish and chips I had a couple of weeks ago at this supposedly famous place called McDonal’s, were okay as well I just wish I had some Tabasco to put on it! I’m mainly missing the cultural variety of food available in the States, even to the point where I’m having cravings for Taco Bell.

Monday we went to the poet W.B. Yeats’ home which was a large medieval stone tower that overlooked the countryside, and then to another writer, Lady Gregory’s home which is in Coole Park. It had an incredibly beautiful garden and the estate sat on a sort of National Park/forest with the first conifer trees I’ve seen here so far and also some the biggest ones I’ve ever seen.

Last week I spoke with a man in a heraldry shop about the possible origins of where the Reilly’s and the Cass’s were from, he said there were a lot of Reilly’s in County Cork and he said that possibly the Cass’s could have originally been from the Casey’s which is in the same county and some in County Mayo which is more west.

Next week we are going to the Aran Islands, specifically Inishmoor the largest of the Islands where they still speak Gaelic fluently and have 3 cars for the whole island’s use. Some of us are trying to stay and explore the other islands; specifically the smallest of them where no one really works and all they do is sing and drink all day because the government gives them a grant. They even have a King that comes and greets visitors at the ferry!

Next weekend a few girls and I are attempting to arrange a long weekend trip to Cork, Killarney, the Ring of Kerry and Blarney Castle.
Also I’ve been learning some Gaelic from the locals, but of course, nothing good. : )

Slainte!

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