Dublin and the Aran Islands

Wow, in two days I will have been in Ireland for a month. It feels like I have already accomplished so much in these short few weeks. I have made amazing new friends, learned so much about myself and about Ireland, and have started to explore the countryside. This last week we took our first field trip to the Aran Islands and traveled into Dublin.

To start of with, the Aran Islands were absolutely beautiful. To get to the Aran Islands you have to take a ferry. I had never been on a ferry before but I absolutely loved it. The top of the ferry was open so you could go see the ocean. Although it was freezing cold and raining, riding the ferry was a blast. After porting we got to explore the island. Inis Mor was the island we stayed at for our trip. Inis Mor is the biggest island of three, having a year round population of about 800 people. Even though it is the biggest island it is only around 12 square miles big, so it does not take very long at all to travel from one side of the island to the other. Most of our day was consumed with a tour along the cliffs of the island. We ended up walking about 7 miles along the cliffs through the rain and cold. It was beautiful and awful at the same time. The views were breathtaking. Seeing the ocean hit the cliffs with such force was amazing. However, by the end of the day we were all soaking wet in 30 degree weather. Even through the freezing cold and rain I would recommend traveling to Aran Islands if you ever have a chance, just maybe try going in the summer time.

After spending a couple days in the Aran Islands we returned back to Spiddal for one day of class and then we were off again. This time we were venturing to Dublin the capital of Ireland. I absolutely loved being in Dublin. In Dublin I got to tour the Kilainham Gaol. This jail is significant because it is where 14 members from the 1916 Easter Rising were killed for fighting for the independence of their country. To stand in front of cells and see the conditions they endured through was heartbreaking. The next day I got to experience ziplining and rock climbing in Ireland. I pushed my body as far as it would go trying to beat my friends in climbing challenges. Lets just say I was sore for 3 days and no I did not win. It was all great fun and the best part was that we ziplined over a herd of sheep, very Irish. On the way home from Dublin we got to stop at Trim Castle. Trim Castle was were Braveheart was filmed in 1995. We got to go in the castle and explore the ruins of the once great main hall. Overall, Dublin and the Aran Islands were great first field trips and I cannot wait for more to come.