Controversial Opinions

"Wine comes in at the mouth

And love comes in at the eye;

That’s all we shall know for truth

Before we grow old and die.

I lift the glass to my mouth,

I look at you, and I sigh."

Being in Ireland it is only right to talk about alcohol. While being here I have had the privilege of visiting both the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin and The Midleton Distillery which is the home of Jameson. This may be a controversial take, but I am not a fan of either, hence why I can relate to the poem " A Drinking Song" written by Yeats. I can specifically relate to the last line of the poem where it states, "I look at you, and I sigh." 

    I really wanted to do my best to enjoy them but to me, they were just not as enjoyable as they were to other people. When it came to the Guinness, I am not positive about why I was not a fan, but I think it was because of how dark it was and how strong of a wheat flavor it had. I already knew before I came here that I was not a fan of whiskey, but I told myself that I was going to give it another chance. Within the tasting, there were three different types of whiskey that we could taste: Jameson, Powers, and Green Spot. I am going to be clear they were all nasty to me, but if I had to choose one, I would choose the Jameson. Did I like them, no, but was it an experience that I will forever be grateful for, yes! 

The Coast

  Growing up the beach has always been an important part of my life. My family vacationed to many different beaches where so many memories have been made. Watching my aunt and uncle get married on a beach in the Dominican Republic. Even as far as going to Presque Ilse in Erie, both with my grandparents when I was a child or going there with my friends on the weekends during the fall semester. No matter what It has been the coast and beach has meant something to me. So when I read the words of Yeats in his poem "The Meditation of the Old Fisherman" I felt like I could relate to the whole poem. 

Within he is talking about a boy who has never had his heart broken by t
he water playing in the waves and just being able to be happy.  These words really stand to resonate with me. No matter what age i have been the water on the beach and the waves crashing have brought me peace... even all the way in Ireland. When we were at the Giants Causeway and sitting on the rocks just looking out at the horizon, it brought me peace. All of the issues that it felt like I was having tended to just disappear. Yes, there was not a beach there but it was just being on the coast. 

The same goes for when I took a walk yesterday along the river here in Dungarvan. I was sitting in Starbucks and was stressed about the amount of homework that I had to get done within the next week. I decided that I just needed to walk and see where my feet took me. I explored. I walked around town and went into shops that interested me, but if you can guess where this is going. My feet, and heart, lead me to the coast. I just ended up standing there listening to the birds and the breeze blows my hair. Like the poem says i felt like there "was never a crack in my heart." When I realized that I needed to get back to reality, I walked along the water until I could not anymore. It was the peace that was needed after a
long week. 

A Whole New World

 

"I composed habits for those acres

so that my last look we be

neither gluttonous nor starved. 

I was ready to go anywhere."  

Today is a month that I have been in the country of Ireland. I have laughed, cried, smiled, made new friends, built stronger connections with others that I had, and maybe bought one too many pints! The poem by Heaney that I feel best describes the time that I have had so far is " Land" which is quoted above. 

While being here I have brought myself to form habits and to have a schedule. People are starting to look familiar to me and I am not only getting to know the country better but Dungarvan better! I have seen sights that I never thought I would see. I experienced things I never thought I would experience and have enjoyed every moment of it! I will not lie there have been the hard parts, like missing family and friends, and not being home for family events both good and bad, but this is not something that I would ever want to take back! 

It is wild to think that we have only been here a month! We have 4 weeks left in this wonderful place! In that time I get to help two of my friends who are here celebrate their birthdays, celebrate Easter, get to have a visit from my paternal Grandparents, travel to Amsterdam, and those are only the things that I have planned. That does not include spontaneous decisions! I can not wait to see where the time takes me! 

CJ in Kerry

 Being a criminal justice major, anything true crime or anything really related to that catches my attention! So when we were doing a bus tour in the Ring of Kerry and the bus driver mentioned that a man had gone missing, it really caught not only my attention but also my friend's. This was one time when I was really interested in what he had to say! He explained that there was CCTV camera footage of him in Killarney on the 22nd. There were also reports that he took most of his money out of his account and bought a prepaid phone. This man was a farmer in the Kerry area. We actually passed his farm and saw the Garda searching his fields and property not only that but they have called in the Kerry Mountain Rescue to look for the 56-year-old man. Tony, the other bus driver was telling us at a stop that the search and rescue has gone as far as emptying the vats where they store that cow poop, once they clean it, up just to make sure that he was not in there. At this point, the man has been missing for eight days. 

I will not lie, connecting poetry to an event like this can be very difficult, but going through the works of Heaney his poem "The Return". There are no specific lines that I feel can really explain the situation that I am talking about but I feel like this poem has a connection to the topic.  The return being talked about in this is not just physical, but also an emotional and psychological journey. We can only imagine what this man is going through while he is missing. Not only that but if he has family or even friends how is this affecting them. Overall, this is a sad situation and I can imagine it can be difficult for anyone involved. 

The Gift of Gab

"Not the language of the speaker,

But the words that take their time,

Coming slowly from the earth,

Like bricks that build a wall

To keep the voices inside." 

    These are the words of Seamus Heaney in "The Speech of the House" even though this is not specifically talking about the Blarney Stone I feel like it can have some significance to it! For a little bit of background for those who do not know if you kiss the Blaney Stone then you are said to get the gift of the gab. When I told people that I was going on this trip one of the first things that they asked me was if I was going to go see the stone. The first line of this poem really speaks. S
o many people come from so many different parts of the world to kiss the stone. It is well-known that no matter where you come from people go so that they can get this gift! 

    Not only this but the third line also speaks to the experience that I had while we were there. You have to climb up the castle. You may think that it is an easy walk up, that's definitely what I thought but oh was I proven wrong! It is a round stone staircase that is very steep! When you finally get to the top of the stairs you feel like you are out of breath and your legs are sore but not only that you feel like you are coming out of the earth! It seems like you can see for miles after you exit the top of the tower made of the brick walls that had just encapsulated you! 

    Overall the experience is something that was that will give you an adrenaline rush! So you have to sit down on the ledge and then lie down. As you do this you have to grab the two bars they have for you to hold on to. Not to mention that you are leaning over an open grate that you can see the ground below you! At least for me, it feels like it goes so fast but it was actually something fun to do and be able to say that I was able to do! 

Baby Lambs and Dingle Town!

     To continue our trip to the West Coast of Ireland, we explored the Dingle Peninsula! To be very honest, the day we did this was one of my favorite days on the West trip so far! We took most of the day to explore and do some sightseeing. There were only six students and two of our professors on the bus that I was on so therefore we were able to really play the day by ear! Our first stop was so that we could stop and hold baby lambs! It was something that most of us on the bus had wanted to do for a while so when the bus driver asked if we wanted to stop it was a given! Holding that lamb was one of those moments that you can never forget, it brought so much happiness to not just me but all of us! 

    One of our other big stops was a beach, but it was not only that there was a mountain that we could climb. We were quite literally walking on the sheep's path up this mountain. Boy was it worth it though! The views from the top of that mountain were breathtaking. I know that I have said that about many of the views I have talked about but it is true for all of them! In a poem written by Seamus Heaney called "The Peninsula" he says "When you have nothing more to say, just drive/ For a day all round the peninsula." Oh, and did we drive. We just explored the peninsula. If we saw a place that we thought was pretty we would stop! Not only that but when we got back to town we explored the town and just to see what we could find! These are things that I love to do I find them to be very relaxing! Heaney later says "And drive back home, still with nothing to say" On our way back to the hotel I was thinking that this is a place that I would love to stay not only in Dingle but in Ireland as a whole! There is nothing else to say other than this country is so beautiful! 

Potatoes and a yapping bus driver

"The famine was long, and the years were grim,
The fields lay empty, the future dim.
Yet, from this grief, the land will rise,
A testament to survival that never dies."

 Since we have been here there has been a lot of talk about potatoes. Sometimes they are talking about fries but most of the time they are talking about the famine. a quick history. There was a famine in Ireland lasting from 1845 to 1852. At this time most of the potato crop got what is called blight and did not survive. Because of the blight, they were not able to grow crops on the land that was already infected so there for they could not grow potatoes. This was a huge tragedy that led people to either leave the country or end up dying from hunger. The Irish though are not afraid to talk about this because it was a major part of their history. There are many memorials all over the island remembering those who struggled. 

Anyway while we were on our way to Kylemore Abbey this last weekend our bus driver was feeling very talkative. Most of the time it got a little annoying but at one point I found it interesting. We were driving through the countryside and he pointed out bumps that were on the side of this one hill. There were patches of them everywhere. He went on to explain that on the side of the mountain, those bumps were where during the famine people were trying to grow potatoes but they were still getting the blight, and because of that the land was affected and got these bumps. I thought that it was very interesting. Something that affected people so long ago is still showing reminiscent in the land.

I feel like the poem above by Heaney describes both of these anecdotes well. The famine happened so long and and the fields are still lying empty with the land that is risen from all that time ago. I feel like this shows even though time moves on some things can still stay the same.