I know my blog has been long, detailed, and thick, so I thought that I would just give the short version of everything that I did while I was there. Granted, this as just a much as a reference for me as it is for you…
(28 March) Met Nick, Rachel, & Kathleen at the Tourism Center in Dublin and walked around the city with them. We started at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin Castle, Trinity College, and walked down through town to Christchurch Cathedral and ended at O’Connell Bridge. Ate dinner at Cassidy’s Pub.
(29 March) Went hiking with Rachel up to Kilkenny hill. Saw the gate to Bono’s house and the view of the beach. Walked the long way home and ended up in Dalkey.
(30 March) Started my first day of school at All Saint’s National. Met the teachers: Anna, Martha, & Leah (Leah came in the 2nd day). Liz, the resource worker, and Úna, the secretary.
(1 April) Taught a lesson on the American Revolution to Senior Class (5th and 6th Classes).
(2 April) Went out the beach at Shankill and took a walk. Read my Bible and took pictures of the rocky shore
(3 April) First day of Easter break. Went out to Dun Laoghaire after school and walked the pier.
(4 April) Took a PaddyWagon to the North with the other American Students. We took a bus to Belfast and went up the Giant’s Causeway, Dunluce Castle, the Robe Bridge, and Derry. We came back to Dublin and ate dinner at Fitzgerald’s Pub.
(6-8 April) Went to London with my host family. I saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The Tower of London and took at tour with a “Beefeater,” and saw the “Henry VIII Dressed to Kill” Exhibit of Henry’s amour, I then took the Underground to Piccadilly Circus where I walked around for a while before meeting with my family and doing a bit of shopping. We went to go see Wicked that night. The next day we went to the “Movieum.”
(9 April) Went in to the city with Rachel. We went to the Thomas Roberts exhibit at the National Art Gallery. We went to Temple Bar where we went to a pub and listened to a traditional Irish music band for a few hours.
(10-12 April) Took a PaddyWagon tour through the South-West; I met 3 people from South Africa, 1 from Australia, and 1 from LA. We started by going to the spot in Phoenix Park where the Pope delivered Mass. Went up to the turf pits and went to the ruins at the Clonmacnoise monastery. We stayed the night in Galway where we walked around the city and saw the Bay, the Spanish Arches, & the Cathedral. The next day we went to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher, and took the ferry, drove through Tralee. We stayed the night at Killarney (at a B&B). The next day we took a horse and carriage ride in Killarney, went to the Blarney Stone, stopped for a photo stop at an ancient church (name?), and ended at the Guinness storehouse in Dublin.
(13 April) I met with Kathleen and her fiancé, Dustin, at Temple Bar for dinner and drinks.
(14 April) I went into Dublin alone and saw the Book of Kells, more of the National Gallery, the National Archeology museum, and the National Library.
(16 April) I took a bus tour out to the site of the Battle of the Boyne, Newgrange, and the Hill of Tara. When I got back into Dublin that evening I went to a Gothic music concert and readings from Dracula at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
(18 April) I went back into Dublin and took a Hop on-Hop off bus tour of the entire city. I saw O’Connell Bridge, General Post Office, Trinity College, the old Parliament Building/the National Bank, Nassau St., Marion Square, St. Stephan’s Green, the National Gallery, City Hall, the Cathedrals, Phoenix Park/Dublin Zoo, Jamison’s Brewery, the Collins-Barrack’s museum, and the Guinness Storehouse. At the end of the tour, I got off and went into the Dublin writer’s museum.
(20 April) I taught lesson on the American Revolution to Middle Class (2nd, 3rd, & 4th Classes).
(22 April) I taught a lesson on America to the Junior Class (Jr. Infants, Sr. Infants, & 1st Class)
(23 April) I taught an art lesson on Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel. They lay on their backs under their desks and painted on a sheet of paper taped underneath.
(25 April) Went into Dublin alone and went to the Dublina museum on Viking and Medieval Dublin, and into Christchurch Cathedral. While there, they had a prayer sermon for peace and I stayed for it. Strongbow is buried in Christchurch and I saw his sarcophagus. Then I went to City Hall and went to the exhibit on the history of Dublin city. After I left, I went down through Temple Bar, up Grafton Street, Powerscourt and St. Stephen’s shopping centers, Dawson St to the World’s Smallest Pub, and into St. Stephen’s Green.
(26 April) I took a PaddyWagon tour to Glendalough monastery and Kilkenny. I saw (but didn’t go into) Kilkenny Castle and the churches in the city.
(27-30 April) On-going lesson with Middle Class, using a drama to expand knowledge of the American Revolution. On the last day, we spend time talking about America and they were able to ask me a lot of questions about my country.
(29 April) Taught a lesson about Pirates to Senior Class. After school I went to Dalkey Castle.
(30 April) Taught a Science lesson to the Junior Class
(1 May) Last day at All Saint’s. Taught a second lesson about Pirates to Senior Class about the importance of archeology to history. After school, Martha took Cici and I to the shopping mall at Dundrom. Went into Dublin for some shopping and met up with the other American students for dinner and drinks
(2 May) Went to the Dublin Zoo with Rachel and Kathleen. Then we went to Nick’s host home to watch the Leinster v. Munster rugby match (Go Leinster!!! They killed!)
(4 May) Took a train up to Belfast. I started by taking a Hop on-Hop Off Tour of the city. I saw the Catholic and Protestant Quarters, Queen’s College, the Grand Opera House, the city murals, the downtown area. I didn’t get to see the Titanic Quarter because of a Marathon in the city. I went for a ride of the Belfast Wheel and got a Bird’s Eye view of the city. Then I took a train to the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra and saw the living history village there. I got back to Belfast and wandered around for a bit and did a little bit of shopping
(5 May) I went into Dublin for the last time. I took the Luas to St. Michan’s Church where I took a tour of the crypts and was able to “shake” the hand of the 800 year old Crusader mummy (or rather gently rub his finger). I left St. Michan’s and took the Luas to the Decorative Arts and History Museum at Collin’s Barracks. I spent a few hours there tour its exhibits, including a portion of the “dead zoo” from the Museum of Natural History which is closed for renovation. I went back to O’Connell Street, went inside the GPO (just to say I did), took a picture of Daniel O’Connell’s statue with its bullet holes from the Easter Rising, and walked back through the city one last time: past Trinity and up Nassau, my favorite route. I stopped in Dun Laogahaire on my home.
