Dublin ;)

Chester Beatty

CHESTER BEATTY LIBRARY

Our first stop in Dubin was the Chester Beatty Library! This is the only museum in Ireland to win "European Museum of the year". The collections range from countries accross Asia, the middle East, North Africa, and Europe. It consists of Manuscripts, miniature paintings, prints, drawings, rare books, and decorative arts of the collecting activities of Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968).  We werent allowed to take pictures of the exhibit but we took a nice informational tour The Library is a public charitable trust est under the will of Mr Beatty, which was granted probate in 1969. The library is the owndership of a Board or trustees who hold it for the use and benefit of the public.

Trinity College

NEXT STOP.... Trinity College! The college builds on its four-hundred-year-old tradition of scholarship to confirm its position as one of the great universities of the world, providing a liberal environment where independence of thought is highly valued and where staff and students are nurtured as individuals and are encouraged to achieve their full potential. The college was created by royal charter in 1592, at which point Dublin Corp provided suitable site, former Priory of All Hallows. Its foundation came at a time when many universities weer being established across western Europe int he belief that they would give prestige to the state in which they were located and that their graduated, clergy for the most part, would perform vital service as a civil administrators.

THE OLD LIBRARY & THE BOOK OF KELLS

And finally at the end of the day we took the Old Library and Book of Kells exhibition inside of Trinity College. The exhibition places the 9th century manuscript in its historical perspective and allows the visitor to have a greater appreciation of the work. Related manuscripts are also in the show: Book of Armagh, Durrow, and the Book of Dimma. The Book of Kells is one of Ireland's treasures. The finely written, decorated manuscript of the four Gospels of the New Testament is 1200 years old. The book is incomplete. The beginning and the end have been lost, however no fewer than 340 leaves survive. They contain both writing and colour oranament, for the most part, on both sides of the folio. 

The main chamber of the Old Library is the Long Room, and at 65 metres in length, it is filled with 200,000 of the library's oldest books. Build between 1712-1732 it had a flat plaster ceiling and shelving for books was on the lower level. By the 1850's the shelves had become completely full. In 1860 the room was raised to allow construction of the ceiling and upper bookcases. 48 Marble busts line the Long room; other treasures in the long room include one of the few remaining copies of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic which was read outside the General Post Office on April 24th, 1916 by Patrick Pearse at the start of the Easter Rising. 

Oldest Harp in Ireland

Snack after Trinity College tour

Meghan and I in Long room... a little blurry

St. Canice's Cathedral

On our first stop through Kilkenny we stopped at St. Canice's Cathedral. It was founded in the 6th century and named after St. Canice. This church was originally built as a Catholic church but now it is a protestant church. It is a gothic style Cathedral and has huge stain glass windows. It was built back in 1202 and it took about 83 years to complete. Regular services are held in St. Canice's Cathedral, and all are welcome.  

Butler's Gallery

Our next stop was to The Butler Gallery inside of Kilkenny Castle. The show presented in the gallery was by Magnhild Opdol and was titled "Point of no return". At first when we walked through the exhibit i thought it was absolutely ridiculous and made no sense at all. :) BUT when the tour guide explained more about the artist and her representation behind her work i thought it was absolutely awesome! The show is a fascination with things not being reversible such as the depletion of our earth's natural resources, the extinction of species of animals, and the strangeness of a human race that keeps on ravaging the planet, while knowing they are the authors of their own destruction. We went through a room with a giant stack of doughnut boxes stacked on top of one another; while the other room was filled with bronzed doughnuts. Dessert is the main object in "Twin Peaks(tv show) where Opdol highlights the donut, the standard fare of Twin Peaks police department. Donuts and Donut boxes, in this case pink boxes, represents consumerism!

Kilkenny Castle

Last but not least Kilkenny Castle. We didnt really get to explore the castle but Butler's Gallery was inside of it. The castle was HUGE! It was built in 1195 by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke. It was a symbol of Norman occupation and in its original thirteenth-century condition it would have formed an important element of the defenses.  

Afternoon Festivities!!! 

Lunch at the design center! Tomato soup and fruit :D YUM

Cutest little shop.. so yummy!

Got me a nice frap and a choco-latte muffin!

Sara and I with our free Papa Johns balloons :D

The Ring of Kerry- Response 3

KERRY EXCURSION

In the beginning of our trip we headed out to the Ring of Kerry. We stopped to see Lismore Castle. It was built in 1185 by King John; and owned in turn by Sir Walter Raleigh and Richard Boyle, before passing to the Fourth Duke of Devonshire in 1753. Designed in Gothic style and the gardens are over eight acres within the 17th century outer walls; which are believed to be the oldest in Ireland. Recently the castle has been restored and partially turned into an art gallery and even a partial hotel. It was absolutely beautiful and I would have loved to have stayed in it for the weekend. We also were directed to the Lismore Heritage center where we had a presentation from "Robert Boyle" where he demonstrated his Gas law findings, and background of his life, it was very entertaining :D

        

On our second stop of the Ring of Kerry we visited the home of Daniel O'Connell, also known as "The Liberator". He was a politician who achieved Catholic Emancipation which would be the first step in achieving "Home Rule". The house and grounds with it have been preserved and are open to the public. It was opened as a museum by the Irish State in 1967. It is furnished with family portraits, writings and many writings related to Daniel O'Connell. The grounds were absolutely breathtaking! The beach was probably the best of it all! We had lunch on the lawn and relaxed in the sun after taking a beautiful tour of O'connell's house. 

BLARNEY :D 

Muah!!! Kissy Kissy ;)

Badger's Cave

Badger's Cave

KISS KISS KISS The Blarney Stone! 

 The first building in the 10th century was a wooden structure. Around 1210 A.D. it was replaced by a stone structure which had an entrance 20 feet above the ground on the north face. This building was demolished for foundations and in 1446 the 3rd castle was build by Dermot McCarthy; King of Munster and this is the building that still remains standing today. It was occupied at one time by Cormac McCarthy; King of Munster who is said to have supplied 4,000 men from Munster to supplement the forces of Robert the Bruce at the battle of Bannockburn in 1314. The legend is that the king gave half of the stone of Scone to McCarthy in gratitude. It is now known as the Blarney Stone where it can now be kissed to prove courage, perseverance, and good luck. This is the ONE thing that i had to do when coming to Ireland, I practically ran to the castle and Meghan and I were literally the first ones to get there :D It was so much fun and i kissed the Blarney Stone! WOOOOO!

Johnstown Castle & Enniscorthy -Response #2

ENNISCORTHY-Vinegar Hill

Ruins of the Windmill- Where the prisoners were locked inside
 The battle of Vinegar Hill is known as an engagement during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. On 21 June 1798 when over 15,000 British soldiers launched an attach on Vinegar Hill outside Enniscorthy, Wexford. The largest camp & headquarters of Wexford United Irish rebels. It marked a turning point in the rebellion, as it was the last attempt by the rebels to hold and defend ground against the British miilitary. The battle was actually fought in 2 locations: Vinegar Hill and in the streets of nearby Enniscorthy.

ENNISCORTHY -Rebellion of 1798

Video Debate between thomas Paine & Edmund Burke... "The Great Debate" which centered ont he freedom of the irish and their place in the plan for Independence


Weaponry - We were also given a presentation of the weapons used during this time and how difficult it would be to have such a battle.. very cool!

The Irish Rebellion of 1798, also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion, was an uprising against British Rule in Ireland lastin from May to September 1798. The United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary group influenced by th ideas of the American and French revolutions were the main organizing force behind the rebellion. In wicklow, large numbers rose but engaged in a bloody guerrilla war with the military forces. General Joseph Holt led up to 1,000 men in Wicklow Hills and forced British to commit substantial forces to the area until his capitulation in October.




The National 1798 Rebellion Centre- Dedicated  to the rebellion itself, the pinnacle of the exhibition cumulates with a living history approach to the battle of Vinegar Hill where they walk amongst rebels and redcoats amid explosions and gunfire. Enniscorthy creates a cutting-edge, interactive experience, telling the epic tale of the 1798 rebellion. this tour was very interesting.. the layout of the museum was very dedicated of keeping the story of the Rebellion & war very interesting and very educational. The very realistic projecting screens had me super excited! Loved this place... and Vinegar hill was just the icing on the cake!

JOHNSTOWN 

The castle was breathtaking! There wasnt alot to see here just the castle, gardens, and fountains. But it was absolutely stunning! They also hold wedding here! We werent allowed to go inside the castle but the pictures online are beautfiul.

Johnstown Castle estate has been home to 2 Wexford families. The first owners were the Esmondes. They were a Norman family who settled in the county life in 1170's. They constructed the tower houses at Johnstown & Rathlannon during the 15th or 16th century! During the Cromwellian period of the 1640's the estate was confiscated and changed hands several times before being acquired by John Grogan in 1692, whose descendants remained at Johnstown up until 1945. Johnstown Castle was later presented as a gift to the Nation. By 1863 Johnstown Castle was at its peak of development and contained over 1,000 acres. Today the agricultural and Food development Authority, is the owner of the castle estate and has a research facility on site. The Irish Agricultural museum is housed in the old stable and farmyard buildings of the estate

Impressions of Waterford & first group trips

When we first arrived to Waterford my first impressions were about how old and beautiful it looked. I began to think about how living here for the next month would occur... where we would eat, how we would get place to place, where to shop, etc. It was so amazing and overwhelming in one big moment. Knowing this is the oldest city in Ireland and that we would be living here was just an amazing feeling! Once we arrived to WIT we were all so overjoyed! We could not wait to see our rooms & when we finally went up and saw where we would be living for the next month we couldn't get enough of this amazing city. So far it has been such an amazing feeling and everyday is a new adventure; living here, going to classes, and taking trips i doubt we will ever have a simple boring routine and that's the best part about this trip

June 22nd, 2013
We visited Reginalds's Tower, which is the oldest urban structure in Ireland and it has played a vital role in the country's history. An early fort on this site formed the apex of the triangular Viking settlement in Waterford. During the medieval period, the tower was surrounded by water both north and southeast. When the Anglo-Normans attached Waterford in 1170 the tower was a strategic importance and its capture  heralded the fall of the city. Visiting this historic site was amazing! Walking up and down the stairs was such a struggle; how they ever fought on them is crazy. 

June 22nd,2013

We visited The Hook Lighthouse!! This trip by far has been my favorite!! The wind, water, & amazing feeling you get while your there is just breathtaking! This is the oldest intact, operating lighthouse in the WORLD! Located in the south-western corner of Wexford. The vikings called it Vadra Fiord (the weather estuary) which is the origin of the name Waterford. In the 5th century a monk named Dubhan established a monastery on the peninsula. The medieval church at Churchtown, built on the site of Dubhan's monastery, incorporated part of an early Christian Monastery.  

June 23rd, 2013
Waterford Crystal was founded by George & William Penrose. They petitioned parliament for aid to establish for the manufacture of flint glass in their glass house.They were very successful and established an extensive glass manufacturer in Waterford October 3rd, 1783. I  didn't think visiting a place that made crystal would be so amazing... and the history behind it all was the most intriguing. Everything hand crafted and so precise; it was just an amazing thing to listen to. The most shocking thing to me was that they made the People's Choice Awards, and also made a customized piece for Justin Timberlake. 

The precision and detailed work that goes into making this crystal is so fascinating! One of the neatest places ive ever visited. 

All about me & my Pre-Departure jitters

HELLO there! 

My name is Ariel Christian Mitchell; I am 22 years old and I am from Monroe,Ga. I have currently graduated from North Georgia with an Associate of science degree in Pre-Nursing & General Studies. I have 4 other brothers & sisters, an amazing set of parents, and a wonderful man in my life. I'm a very adventurous person, I am in love with every type of music there is and I LOVE to try new things. This trip is going to be AMAZING!!!

Why IRELAND???

Considering i had a few months before going into nursing school i decided to join the study abroad program in Ireland. 
Ireland is and will always be "my place". As far back as I can remember i've dreamed of, fascinated over, & obsessed about how one day i would travel to Ireland and soak up everything it had to offer. I have no idea why i've had this need to see it for myself but for so long i've had this connection with wanting to travel and experience things on my on; and its finally coming true. My parents are a large part in me going on this trip. They have been there through it all and are the two biggest supporters in my life. Without them this trip may not have been possible; I love ya'll :D

The good & the bad 

I am so very excited to finally go somewhere far away from my own comfort zone; away from all of my friends and family and everything that I know. 
BUT this is also my biggest fear. 
I do not know a single soul going on this trip and I think the adrenaline rushing awesomeness of it all helps ease the fear of leaving home for the first time without a close friend or family member by my side. Another equally thrilling but terrifying event taking place on this trip is flying on a PLANE! I have been on cruises, hiked mountains, been out of the country.... but i have never ever been on a plane; and i'm absolutely terrified. 
I hoped to have someone close to me to calm my nerves but obviously that will not be the case, so if you see me acting like a complete loon please don't judge me ;) Leaving my boyfriend of 5 years is probably the most unsettling thing for me, I don't think we've been a minute apart since high school but were both very strong independent people..... 5 weeks in my dream country; I'm sure ill live. :D Even though there may be tons of sacrifices and scary emotions i know that this trip will forever change my outlook on life.

"Traveling is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown"