During our free day, I decided to take a tour based off of the filming locations for HBO’s series, Game of Thrones. We traveled to a series of different jaw-dropping locations. We first visited Carrickfergus  Castle, which is still intact and was built in 1170. It was impressive for me, because I have never seen a castle that is as old as this one and still in wonderful shape. We then made a stop in the Cushendun Caves, which happens to be in some major scenes in Game Of  Thrones. In the town where these caves are located, also had secret caves set up for Catholic people to practice there faith is secrecy and still be protected. During these times, the Queen had outlawed Catholicism in Northern Ireland.

My favorite part of the day, was the crossing the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and visiting Giant’s Causeway. The bridge was so much fun, and the little island waiting on the other side is peaceful. It was such a sunny day, that you could clearly see Scotland. Our tour guide noted that today was the best day that they have seen in months. We are a lucky bunch to have experienced that.

Giant’s Causeway was like something out of a fairy tale. The hexagon rocks were so breath-taking, and acutally looked man-made. Our tour guide explained the natural phenomena to us. Basically the tectonic plates pulled apart from each other causing lava to bubble up to the surface, causing the hexagon shaped rocks to form. As the iron inside the rocks oxidizes it creates that stunning red color that can bee seen on all the rocks or the sides of the cliffs.

I thought it was such a great experience, and it was so beautiful, it felt like I was apart of a story, or movie. I really enjoyed the scientific facts that followed with the Game of Thrones Tour.

We have arrived in Belfast! I immediately noticed differences between Dublin and Belfast. The main difference to me, aside from the fact that Belfast is apart of the United Kingdom and uses pounds as currency, is the architecture. The buildings here have a very Victorian style, and all of the post boxes are red, where as in Dublin they are green. The city also has a “newer” feeling to it. Which I later learned is due to the fact of rebuilding. Belfast was heavily involved in WWll and suffered from bombings. After checking in to our hotel and ate lunch, we ventured to City Hall, and took a tour. It is absolutely breath taking. The marble was so stunning. The green marble actually came from Greece, and is so rare, that before using it as pillars in the City Hall, it was put on display in London for people to see.

It was also exciting for me to learn that their city’s Lord Mayor, is a woman. She is one of the four women to every hold this title, which is voted on by the citizens of Belfast. Today I was chosen to be the lucky volunteer to try on the thick robes wore during council sessions. They weigh about 20 pounds, and are red with black stripes. Participating in walk through of the ballroom, and city chambers was also very neat. The carpeting is even “royal”. There also seemed to be a wedding reception taking place, and I loved how important City Hall is to the citizens of Belfast.

Our last day in Dublin has creeped up behind our group. Today was full of exciting events and new information. During class, we had the ability to discuss our readings while enjoying coffee at Insomnia. (a coffee shop close to UCD’s campus). We then traveled to the National Gallery of Ireland. It was massive, there was so many different artists on display, and so far (aside from the Vermeer show) my favorite floor was there third floor because it had Spanish artists, and paintings and sculptures, on display. The one thing that I did notice about the art work was how little African, or Black, representation was present. I noticed that if there was a person of color in a work of art, little was said about them, and many times in the information posted on the wall would say something along the lines of “Servants location in painting has little meaning, etc.”

We attended the Vermeer show at 1:20pm, and it was fascinating. We were given these walk-man like devices that allowed us to listen to the facts about the different paintings and artists. I really liked how the artists influenced each other positively. Their work (Vermeer and others) was very similar in style, and in many sections in the showing talked about how artists influenced each other.

Later today, I visited the Book of Kells. It too, was extremely fascinating. Trinity College is beautiful, and the architecture is so old, which already draws me in. The museum is on the first floor of the library on Trinity’s campus. IT was so neat to see a text that is as old as The Book of Kells.

Also learned a fun fact for today- Trinity College sued Star Wars because they (Star Wars producers) had taken pictures of the Library, and used very similar ideas and visuals in a movie when Trinity College didn’t give them permission. Its pretty cool because Trinity won the law suit.

On this day, June 16th, Ulysses written by James Joyce, takes place. Whilst celebrating Bloomsday with fellow Irish people and enjoying ice cream, we went into the Martello Tower where the events in episode one take place. It also happens to be a museum. It was very interesting to see the room were Joyce lived for 6 days in his 20’s. I also enjoyed the live reading, which took place on the top of the tower. It was a very fun experience for me to actually be in the exact same area where episode one took place. Seeing the children today splash around in the bathing area (the open swimming hole) allowed me to imagine exactly what the setting looked like in the book. I found it every helpful to be present in the same setting as the chapter.

After the museum tour, a couple of us walked along the bay/beach area and were able to picture life in 1902. This was just too much fun to imagine what life was like back then. As we were walking, we became extremely giddy and decided on impulse to kick off our shoes, roll our pants up and dip our feet into the icy blue water. I don’t think I could ever swim in it without heat similar to Atlanta’s. A windy day swim is a big pass for me, I couldn’t just take a dip especially during weather similar to today’s.

On a side note: it was also very precious to see families ranging from elderly to small toddlers dressed up in their Bloomsday attire which is basically clothing from the early 1900’s. SO. CUTE.

I visited what I would consider the perfect “post card moment”. Upon visiting Howth, I had no idea what to expect, I was aware of the fact that I would be hiking, and site seeing, but I had no idea I would see a place this beautiful. The air is so crisp and clean, even with the winds whipping at my face, I was able to breathe in the freshest air. The path, at parts, had been narrow and rocky, which made me feel like I was on an adventure. I loved being able to look down and see the white foamy ocean peaks break along the cost line of the cliffs. The seagulls nested on the the steep sides of the cliffs, and dive bombed into the ocean below. It was a scene like something I would see on Planted Earth on Animal Planet.  This view of the Atlantic Ocean will be permanently engrained into my memory.

Howth is also where W.B Yeats lived when he was younger. Which I also thought was pretty cool and I found that out when I arrived. I also delivered my “reading in place” assignment. It was very significant to me because not only is Howth Harbor beautiful, it also reminded me of Massachusetts Bay. My grandfather used to take me and my younger brother on boating trips to seal watch and just to sail around. The main reason for choosing my poem on immigrants setting sail to leave their home land behind was because part of my mothers family sailed to America on the Mayflower, and both sides of my fathers family sailed to America in chains. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for my ancestors leaving their homelands to journey to a new one, which was described perfectly. in my opinion, in the reading I did today.

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“If the prison does not underbid the slum in human misery, the slum will empty and the prison will fill.”- George Bernard Shaw

Walking through the dark, eerie, and damp cell halls of the Kilmainham Jail was so unreal. I could almost see the pain seeping through the walls. Today we took a tour through the Kilmainham Gaol and Museum. The jail itself was built in 1796, which is over 200 years old. Over the course of it being open, (it closed in 1924) around 12,000 people have been inmates, and at least 250 have been executed. During the time of the Great Famine, people were actually trying to get put in this jail just so they could be fed.

It was so unreal for me to be able to actually see the cells of the men who where significant in the 1916 Rising. Specifically James Connolly. I couldn’t believe that I was actually looking at the spot where he was executed- sitting, tied down to a chair and blind folded.

I also was amazed when finding out that women and children had also been inmates, some of the children had even been executed simply for committing theft. The youngest inmate was a 5-year-old boy. These facts made me feel deeply saddened.It was even more depressing for me when I realized that back in America their are still police that participate in public executions, or rather killings of innocent civilians public execution style.

I really connected to this place because it is the original but refurbished jailhouse. I was able to look into those damp, dark and locked jail cells. I was able to walk down the oldest part of the jail- the west wing. Personally, I hold on to historical events when I am actually able to see, feel and be apart of it. I got to experience that today as I walked through the halls of Kilmainham Gaol.

Today we completed the 1916 Easter Rising Tour. The amount of history in this city is amazing, and the amount of blood shed is unbelievable. I thought it was rather interesting to walk down the street along the river in Dublin and see the markings that bullets had left behind. There was constant fighting from 1916-1923 due to the uprising and Irish Civil War, and it was pretty cool to see some of the physical markings left behind on present day buildings.

I really enjoyed going in the Post Office downtown, it was basically a live page in a history book. I never realized the importance of this Post Office to the rebel forces; it was were their main base was located. I also learned about how significant women forces had been. Many places during this time period did not allow women to join in and participate in military forces. They were the ones that were supposed to cook, deliver messages and tend to the sick or injured. Not carry a rifle and protect their base and fight for the cause.

I also really enjoyed our tour guide, Lorcan Collins. He is so full of energy, very funny and was actually able to project his voice, so I never had to strain my ears to hear. Plus the way he told these stories, didn’t miss a beat in the timeline and expressed such detail in these events made me eager to learn more. His book and tour are by far my favorite things we as a group have participated in and read.

The month of June across the globe is the month dedicated to LQBT+ Pride, although celebrating your pride can be done year-round with no limitation. As an avid supporter of equal rights and human rights, seeing pride flags up and down the river in Dublin truly warmed my heart. There are many countries that condemn equal rights or just flat out ignore the rights to those that are LGBT+. I am pleased to see how accepting Irish people are of everyone regardless of gender, race and sexual orientation. Being from Atlanta, I regularly attend equal rights marches, and attend the annual Pride Festival at Piedmont Park.

I’m glad I was able to capture these two flags because they are flying high over a “Traditional Irish Pub” and what better place to experience love than in a pub full of happy drunk people (aside from the small population that enjoy starting pub fights). I am 3000+ miles away from home, and still feel very welcomed and feel a strong sense of belonging and home in a country that I’m traveling to for the first time.

Love is Love. Witnessing and experiencing this first hand in another country lifts my spirits high above the clouds and restores my hope for humanity as we push forward into a more accepting society. I couldn’t be more thrilled about the fact that to me, Dublin is just like a foreign Atlanta to a certain extent. As the days go by and our trip grows slowly to its end, I’m realizing that Ireland is my home away from home.

As I slowly walked though the Huge Lane Gallery, I stopped at this particular painting because my favorite color is purple, well all shades of purple to be exact. Naturally it grabbed my attention because of how perfectly blended each shade is. I really liked how the different shades resembled the sun setting after a long day. After admiring the usage of color, I then realized that this painting is of the country side here in Ireland. It seemed gloomy, but peaceful at the same time. Almost like the feeling of coming home after an extremely difficult day at work, but relaxed because you are indeed home, away from the hustle and bustle that usually follows a busy work schedule.

The landscape, in my opinion, was portrayed beautifully. The darkness of the trees that linger near the cottage house. It’s neighbors peaking out in the distance, and the single power line, which is even more distant than the neighboring cottages, allowed me to picture life in Ireland outside of Dublin. This painting immediately drew connections in my mind between Ireland, and Georgia. Just like Dublin, Atlanta is a roaring city that never seems to sleep. But venture further out of city limits, you come across quite “neighborhoods” like the one depicted in the painting. Just a couple of homes here and there, surrounded by trees and lonely power lines. This place above reminded me of my very own place- my home state Georgia. Sometimes I tend to forget that there is life outside of sleepless cities like Atlanta and Dublin and this oil painting was the perfect example.

Today was absolutely gorgeous! Not a single drop of rain. Our schedule today was pretty busy. After our James Joyce tour, we walked along the river and of course I snapped some cute pictures. Upon walking, we came across this monument. It was in remembrance of the Great Famine. This statues really struck a cord in me; seeing their hollow, sunken in faces, skinny limbs and bare feet made me realize just how bad Ireland had gotten during that particular year. It never fully clicked with me, I had always know it had happened, and that it was a terrible, terrible thing but I didn’t really acknowledge  just how severe it actually was. Families were starving and hearing today Frederick Douglass’s letters about this awful situation made it extremely clear to me that this was just as bad, if not worse to an extent, to the enslavement of the Africans during the same time period.

I never understood the lack of human compassion especially during the 1800’s, because at the same time that African’s were being shipped away in chains, not to far afterwards the Irish were starving to death. It really upsets me, but I was very glad to be able to see this monument and read the plagues about the Great Famine. My heart aches for the past, but now I have a new found appreciation about this depressing bump in Irish history. I am forever grateful that I now know the severity of the famine, and am able to pass the information I’ve learned today to other people who have little knowledge about this particular event in Irish History.