Day 5: Connemara
Finally, after taking some photos as a group with the backdrop of Ireland's smooth green hills, we continued our journey to Connemara to begin our hike on The National Famine Way. This trail follows the path of famine emigrants during the Irish Famine of 1847 and begins at Strokestown Park in County Roscommon and ends in Dublin.
Beyond the essential historical context of this trail, the impressive natural landscape alongside it directly relates to my solidified research topic proposal for the class' final exam: how Ireland has leveraged its natural landscapes. Andy pointed out that the hills adjacent to the trail depicted till marks indicating potato farming. Alongside this, the bogs proximate to the trail displayed cutting, demonstrating how many Irish people have sources of heat and electricity. As I further my research into the multifaceted ways Ireland uses its landscape, it is important to remember at its core, Irish people used their land for sustenance and utilities.
The mud and lack of grip during the hike caused many falls. Notably, after choosing to scale an off-route part of the hike, Van fell twice on his descent down, losing his phone. The ensuing panic and possible phone calls from family members were quickly eased when he found his phone at the first spot where he fell. In conjunction with many other falls, embarrassingly including myself, this resulted in a remarkable end to a fun physical activity.
Once completing the Famine Trail, we finished up at the Killery Sheep Farm, where we were able to watch a sheepdog demo and pet and feed lambs. We started the activity in the barnhouse with tons of lambs. The farmers bring the lambs to the farm's barnhouse because the mother sheep can best provide for the strongest of her twin or triplet children. By taking out all but the strongest, each lamb has the best chance of survival.
After a refreshing animal cuddling session, we made our way up the mountains into a stone-enclosed sheep pen to watch a sheepdog in action. The farmer used precise, confident, simple commands such as 'away' and 'on the left' to direct the dog to herd the sheep. He explained to us that the border collie dogs are specially bred for this work, with their tails down, a good personality, and specific coat colors. The dogs are taken out into the open mountains when they're calm enough to herd the sheep to the farmers because the farmers won't be able to see the sheep for about 20 minutes or more, so they have to be able to trust the dogs to bring the sheep to them without seeing where he is all the time. After the sheepdog demonstration, we returned to the barnhouse and bottlefed the lambs.
Around 2 o'clock, we headed towards Shipwreck for a tasty lunch of linguine, burgers, soups, and more. The staff was very accommodating, and our group filled an entire room.
After lunch, we took the bus to the Woodfield Hotel; however, on the way, we stopped for a puck-about, Irish slang for casual, fun practice in Hurling, for around half an hour at a nearby beach. Jaiden, Van, and Blake made advanced hits with their hurling sticks and sliotars, with the guys standing in the sand and their sliotars landing in the water. Others continued to have fun, such as Ms. Ducharme, Ms. Reuss, and Mr. Piller. Scooping up the sliotar was a talent I frequently used (Nicole); however, some sand was scooped as well and passed to my partner, Ms. Ducharme.
Following the puck-about, we arrived at our hotel, finding each of us in trios or duos for rooming rather than bunking in an all-in-one room for girls (and separate for boys). Following check-in and showers, we reflected on our time in Ireland. The group gathered in a circle on the back patio, reviewing our expectations of Ireland, how they were changed, if and when our experiences in Ireland helped with our class projects, and traveling altogether.
For my (Nicole) reflection time, I recalled our time at the bookstore when I bought a book on Irish myths and legends. I have been storytelling to my peers--an Irish tradition dating back centuries. All the history before the 11th century has been oral storytelling; nothing was written down before that time. My topic includes Irish myths and legends, which touch upon all aspects of Irish culture, ranging from Irish landmarks, such as the Tara Hill, the Hill of Uisneach (Ish-knock), Galway, Dublin, and Connemara, as well as Irish dancing, and connections to the land, such as the farming and sheepdog herding. The land, dancing, storytelling, language (such as the names of mythical and legendary gods and important places), sports (Hurling, Handball, and Irish football), and preservation of the culture while continuing with modern tourism are very important topics that continue the culture of Ireland today. Food is also a distinguishable part of culture, which brings us to dinner.
We all enjoyed a warming dinner filled with seafood linguine, soup of the day, burgers, and fish and chips. Following dinner, we took a stroll through the town to the supermarket for packaged ice cream, which the entire class enjoyed while using the supermarket to buy other goods. The group enjoyed their purchases, returning to the Woodfield Hotel to plan for the next day and the bandana ceremony. Van Crocker, with his notable egg-cooking skills at breakfast for everyone, impressive slips and falls during the Famine Trail, continuing to get up, and retrieving his lost phone with a smile, was awarded the bandana for the day.
We cannot wait to kayak the Killary Fjord tomorrow!
--Blake and Nicole
Comments
Post a Comment