Time for some updates, yes?

MANY APOLOGIES FOR THE LONG TIME DELAY SINCE MY LAST POST.

now that I've said that...

I am currently at the Clarion Hotel close to the Dublin Airport. My study abroad program ended on July 21, and my parents arrived in Dublin a day later. We have been traveling around together since then. To fill in some of the gaps (or the large gap):

On American Independence Day, Sunday July 4, our group got to watch the Leinster (one of the 4 provinces of Ireland) hurling final match between Kilkenny and Galway, which Kilkenny won. We learned later that the Kilkenny hurling team is one of the best in Ireland's history. If they win the all-Ireland final in September, they will be the best and most victorious team ever.

A couple days later, some friends and I discovered a really great Indian restaurant, Afsana, in the Temple Bar area. I took my parents back there a few days ago.

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of meeting up with a few friends who graduated from TU a couple years ago - James and Eleanor Bailey. We went to the Turk's Head in Temple Bar, where I discovered Dublin's best fish n chips. We also watched Spain defeat Germany in the World Cup semifinal match. It was great to see Spaniards in the pubs and out on the streets of Dublin celebrating like there was no tomorrow.

The next weekend (Friday), the six new people and I headed out to Galway and checked in to Snoozles hostel. Some of them went to see the new Twilight movie (I did not go...), and the others and I found a restaurant that serves up some really fantastic crepes. The next day, we headed out in the morning on a bus tour of the Cliffs of Moher and surrounding area. The weather was a bit worse than the first time I went; it was raining for most of the tour, but the rain stopped temporarily when we were at the cliffs.

Before coming back to Dublin on Tuesday (no class Monday or Tuesday!), we ate at the crepe place one last time and then headed to bed. I, however, upon returning to my room at the hostel, discovered two cute French gals who were also staying there, and they invited me out into town. How could I refuse? and thus ended my last full day in Galway.

I have more stuff to post later. stay tuned.

new hobbies and a new session

Time for another blog update. In Ireland, a lot happens in 9 days, and we are now a week into session II - The Shaping of Modern Ireland.

The period in between the summer sessions was a relaxing one. A couple of the first session students were staying in Dublin for a week after it ended, so most evenings we got together for dinner downtown. On Saturday, June 26, I encountered a stroke of luck, and I obtained some bravery from the wizard. The stroke of luck was finding on the ground a 30-day, 100 euro bus pass that still had 16 days left on it. I used the bravery to make myself an open coin container out of a cereal box, take the box and my recorder downtown, sit on the ground, and begin playing. For 2.5 hours that afternoon, I pounded out the same three tunes over and over and made myself 10 euros. And bought a milkshake. An Irish guitarist even invited me to play with him later that evening, but I never found him again. And then Ghana defeated the USA in the World Cup and ruined my whole day.

The next morning, six new, sleep-deprived ladies showed up on campus for the second session. After meeting them, I headed back downtown with my box and recorder and earned 3.56 euro in the afternoon. After dinner, I cruised the street and played a couple songs with a Jamaican drummer and another guitarist for another 3.40. I had developed a new hobby, but I haven't had time to work the street since then.

On Monday morning, we had breakfast and a tour of city centre for the new people, and then I took them to O'Neills pub and the milkshake bar. Had to get the local favorites into their brains. Our afternoon tour the next day was of St. Michan's church and crypt, in which there were several naturally well-preserved mummies dating as far back as 800 years. Wednesday was highlighted by a visit to St. Patrick's cathedral and a chance meeting with a friend from college back home. We met up for dinner and drinks in the evening. As it turns out, the walk from city centre to DCU campus is feasible with comfortable shoes and something to occupy the mind.

There was no class on Friday, so four new friends and I headed up to see Howth and Malahide (for the castle, which is overrated in hindsight). On Saturday, we hit some of the southern coastal villages; we did the hike from Bray to Greystones and stopped by Dun Laoghaire on the return trip. In the evening, we had dinner at Bewleys Cafe and hopped around in the Temple Bar area for a while before returning to campus.

In other news.....Happy Independence Day!! I hope all of you will party all day.

The last days of the first session

Hello Americans, I'm Stephen Nimick. You know what the news is, in a minute, you're going to hear the rest of the story.

Things have gotten a bit quieter here at Dublin City University. Many of the friends who were enrolled in only the first summer session have departed for home or elsewhere. Four out of the six people staying for the second session are traveling in Scotland for a few days. So now it is just my buddies Andy, Ariel, and I being Dublin chums. Our only plans so far: shopping (go figure), eating at a burrito place, and finding the city's best Chinese food.

Last Sunday, some of us went to Croke Park stadium to watch a couple hurling matches. As far as I could tell, hurling is a sport played on a large field in a large arena. The players on the two teams each carry a wooden 'hurley' that resembles a field hockey stick, except a hurley is shorter and wider. The one game ball is spherical and is smaller than a baseball, but just as hard. Players can pass the ball to each other or carry it on their sticks or in their hand. The goals are made up of two components: a soccer-like goal at each end of the field, and attached to the upper corners of that goal are two upright poles, much like field goal posts in American football. Hitting the ball through the uprights earns 1 point, while getting the ball past the goalie into the net is 3 points. There are two 35-minute halves. Players where minimal padding besides soft helmets.

After Sunday, it is about at this time when people began focusing on the three essays that would be due Wednesday at midnight. ~Wait, you mean we're taking a class right now? ~ back to the academic reality of things.

We had a group farewell dinner on Monday evening, and not much has occurred since then, save for going out Wednesday for a last night in Dublin (for most people), and seeing some live music and Irish dancing Thursday night.

I will post again when......when it makes sense. Reporting from Dublin, Stephen Nimick. Good Day.

Field Trip - West of Ireland

Last Wednesday, our group departed Dublin and headed west. Along the way, we stopped at the Strokestown House, Museum, and Gardens - a complex dedicated to showing how the 19th century rich landowners lived and the famine's effect on the native Irish tenant farmers. We also stopped at the National Museum of Country Life near Castlebar, county Mayo. As the name implies, this museum displays how peasants lived from 1850-1950.

At long last, we arrived in Westport and checked in to the Mill Times Hotel, a very nice rustic-feeling place. After walking around the town and doing a little shopping, it was time for dinner. Allow me to give you a taste of what was on the menu:

Appetizers:

Soup de jour

Deep fried mushrooms with petite salad and a garlic & herb mayonnaise

Chicken Caesar salad

Main Courses:

Pan fried breast of chicken on a bed of stir fried vegetables with a garlic dressing

Stuffed leg of mayo lamb with pureed vegetables and a red wine & rosemary jus

Traditional deep fried fish & chips with salad and tartar sauce

Desserts:

Selection of ice creams with a brandy butterscotch sauce

sticky toffee pudding with creme anglaise

creme brulee with freshly whipped cream

are you hungry yet?

Breakfast on Thursday morning (and every morning) was a combination of a continental buffet and hot foods to order. We left the hotel at 9:45 to do some hiking and see some famine monuments and memorials. Our first stop was in the small town of Murrisk, near the Croagh Patrick mountain. St. Patrick supposedly built a chapel on top of Croagh Patrick in the fifth century. Every year in July, thousands of people gather at the base to make a pilgrimage to the top. Some of them climb barefoot.

Murrisk is also home to the National Famine Monument, a metal sculpture of an emigration boat, or 'coffin ship'. You can see why.

Later, we headed to Connemara National Park for some scenic hiking through a wide-open, hilly, grassy plains-like area and a chance to play on a playground for kids under 12. We were told to hike along the short loop path, about a 20 minute walk, but somehow we ended up on a longer loop. The beautiful views of the coastline made it worth it.

Then it was back to the hotel for some dinner. Please allow me to show you our menu:

Appetizers:

Soup de jour

Fresh water shrimp salad with marie rose sauce & seasonal leaves

Herterich's pan-fried bavarian sausage with savory mash & red wine jus

Main Courses:

Roast stuffed turkey & ham with a rich roast gravy & potato croquette

Poached supreme of salmon with stir fried vegetables & a white wine cream reduction

Pan fried pork cutlet on wholegrain mustard mash & a thyme & rosemary jus lie

Desserts:

Warm apple pie with lightly whipped cream

poached pears covered in a mulled wine syrup

sticky toffee pudding with fruit coulis

After dinner, we went to see a live traditional band - Captain Mackey's Goatskin and Stringband - over at Matt Molloy's pub. Any fans of the Chieftains should recognize that name. We met briefly and shook hands later in the night.

After breakfast on Friday, we headed to Hennigans Heritage Centre, a museum of sorts in a rural area of County Mayo. The Centre is made up of a house and farm on which the Hennigan family has lived for nearly 200 years. We were met there by Tom Hennigan, a man who grew up in the house and lived there until 1970. The 22 of us gathered in a small room of his 2-room house and listened to Tom tell stories of his family's history. A wonderful storyteller, Tom can give you an account of every artifact in the house, and can remember everything you say in an interview. In the words of one of our directors, Tom is keeping it real.

After grabbing some lunch, we went on a bus tour of the Atlantic coastline, then headed back to the hotel for dinner. This is the last dinner, I promise.

Appetizers:

Cream of vegetable soup

Atlantic seafood chowder

Deep fried brie with petite salad, orange reduction and mixed berry compote

Farmyard chicken and field mushroom vol au vent

Main Courses:

Blackened salmon fillet with ratatouille of vegetables and sweet chilli mayonnaise

Pan-fried supreme of chicken on stir-fry of vegetables, wholegrain mustard and wild mushroom cream sauce

Roast rump of mayo lamb with puree of vegetables, potato rosti and rosemary and garlic jus

Desserts:

Selection of ice creams with butterscotch sauce

strawberry cheesecake with whipped cream

poached pears with vanilla ice cream

sticky toffee pudding with whipped cream

After eating our last breakfast Saturday morning, we hopped on the bus for the last time and drove back to Dublin.

An update from the past few days

Thursday, June 10: I got the chance to play tennis for the first time with Steve - another student in my program. We started on clay courts (a new and difficult experience) and then moved inside to hardcourts once one opened up.

Friday, June 11: We visited Kilmainham Jail at 11:00. This old jail, now a tourist site, once held many famous Irish rebels and revolutionaries from 1796 until 1924.

Saturday, June 12: I traveled alone to the coastal villages of Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dun Leary) and Howth. Both towns have pretty marinas and harbours, and since it was perfect weather, I saw many sailboats going out to sea. I found Howth to be just a smaller version of Dun Laoghaire.

Sunday, June 13: A few friends and I took the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) down to another seaside village of Greystones, from whence we went on a 6 km "cliff hike" north to the town of Bray. It is an easy and pretty hike, especially if the weather is good. It rained on us a little bit in the middle of the hike.

Monday, June 14: Most of the other guys and I visited the old Jameson (Irish whiskey) distillery. It was organized similar to the Guinness storehouse, except the Jameson tour was with a tour guide.

That's about it for now....Tomorrow (Wednesday), all of us are heading on a trip to the West of Ireland to look at some sites significant in the times of the Irish Famine.

The Guinness Brewery - Wed. June 9

Water, barley, yeast, and hops. Those are the four ingredients in each pint of Guinness, brewed to perfection. For 11 euro, you can take a self-guided tour through the 7 floors of the Guinness Storehouse, one of Ireland's biggest tourist attractions. The bottom floors feature information about the ingredients, the brewing process, and the founding of Guinness. Moving up, you learn about the history of the transportation of the beer and the various advertising campaigns. With the price of admission comes a voucher for a free pint, which you can exchange at the very top, the Gravity Bar, and enjoy a 360 degree view of the city of Dublin.

For your reference...

My phone that I use in the USA does not work here, so my local Irish phone number is 083 311 6854, or from the USA 011 353 83 311 6854, i believe. I can receive calls and texts for free.