By: Kaytlyn Coyne and Annalisa Donisi *Disclaimer: due to the weather, the following pictures have been artistically altered by our bus.  Monday morning we all piled onto the bus to make our way to Achill Island, home of the smallest pub in Ireland.  During the drive, the weather quickly turned grey and dreary as it … Continue reading Day Ten: One Sheep, Two Sheep; Red Sheep, Blue Sheep →

By: Mary Conlon and Nirali Patel Hey everyone...welcome back to our blog! Today, January 18th, we began our day by seeing one of the rarest and hardest types of marble in the world at the Joyce family-owned Connemara Marble factory. At first we were shocked to see the size of the factory to be quite … Continue reading Day Eight: Marble-ous Crystals →

by Alexis Ketchem and Michael James On Thursday we departed the International Hotel, and as Killarney faded into the distance, Galway appeared on the horizon. A two-and-a-half-hour bus ride took us from Ireland’s past into its future. As soon as we drove into the city limits, it was apparent that Galway is an Irish city … Continue reading Day Seven: Galway, Where the Past Meets the Future →

by Britta Brownridge and Eleanor Boling Before we got to Ireland our professor warned us about this hike. It is so difficult that she even made it optional. Still 15 of us decided to take on the challenge. We were met in the lobby by Gerard Mangan, our extremely knowledgeable guide. He explained to us … Continue reading Day Nine: The Pilgrimage of a Gael →

One of our three Jarvey Drivers preparing for our ride. At ten o'clock on Wednesday, we met our Jarvey drivers outside our hotel. Our driver was Michael. Michael’s horse, Sally, is still a baby. Throughout our ride through Killarney National Park, she went a lot faster than the other horses, like a toddler running everywhere. … Continue reading Day Six: Write on! →

by Paige Anderson and Jordan Pastor The Journey Begins Our ride from the International Hotel in Killarney to the Blasket Island Center on the coast of the Dingle Peninsula started off rather grey and dreary. Most of us had never heard of this cluster of islands before and were curious to see what significance this … Continue reading Day Five: The Blasket Islands →

by Daniel Walton and Eleanor Anderson Today our class traveled from the coast of Beara in County Cork to the town of Killarney located in County Kerry. On our very scenic and sunny bus ride, we came across wild goats and copious amounts of sheep. We took a quick pit stop along the way in … Continue reading Day Four: California Roots in Ireland →

By Graham Wade and Mikayla Cree Sunday was a very exciting day on the Beara Peninsula!  After a couple of days enjoying the more urban setting of the city of Cork, this rural gem in the West of County Cork offered us a natural beauty steeped in ancient history.  Beara actually has the most ancient … Continue reading Day Three: The Beauty of Beara →

By: Adriana Avila and Shanna Nollette Nineteen lucky Saint Mary’s Gaels landed in Dublin, Ireland Thursday morning, January 10th. Shortly after the long flight, we met Philip Smith, our amazing driver. After a quick walk to the bus, we loaded our bags and began our journey. From the moment we arrived, we were graced with … Continue reading Day One: Welcome! Fáilte! Welcome! →