We were treated to dinner today by a group of students who went shopping, bought all the "fixins" and made chicken alfredo. We also had salad, bread and apple pie. We all indulged. It was delicious.

We wandered around the city, finding Lynch's Castle, where it is said in 1493, mayor James Lynch found his son guilty of murder, and ordered him to be hung....hence the term "lynched" (from Moon Handbook, Ireland).

Today was a quiet day. It was a beautiful day with NO rain. Eyre Square was teeming with people.

Today we had a very busy day with visits to several sites. The day started with a trip to Celtic Crystal, an export company which is owned and operated by an Irish family. All crystal made on site is related in some way to Irish history. The owner is the sole designer of all the crystal. The themes are the claddaugh, religion, the great hunger and Celtic design (from the Book of Kells). You can see from the pictures the beauty of the pieces made. We were treated to a demonstration of the crystal actually being engraved. The master engravers are required to serve at least seven years as apprentices before they become "masters". The company's owner recently did shows in Syracuse and Albany and has had pieces commissioned around the world.

Our next stop was Kylemore Abbey, a beautiful site with a Church and an incredible mansion. It had functioned as a boarding school, but this is no longer the case.

We then traveled to Crough Patrick, the site where St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. A church has been build on the top of a mountain in honor of this. A challenge was issued by a member of the group, indicating that the treck up the mountainside was meant for St. Patrick (in barefeet), and that St. Bridget did not make the journey. To several others in the group, this meant that women were not capable to making the journey so......... although we only had an hour, several of us walked up to the first tier. The pictures in the album show the incredible view from that point. It takes at least 2 or 3 hours to make the treck to the top, so that just was not possible today. Perhaps the next time we visit we can make a day of it...... and demonstrate that ANYONE can make it to the top.

The students are working diligently on their journals and organizing their papers which will be presented on our return to Elmira. It is hard to believe that two weeks have passed. We are off to Derry on Monday, so more information about our travels will continue as the internet is available.

A Happy Mother's Day to all our mothers, grandmothers and anyone who fills in as "Mom". We miss you and are thinking of you.

celtic crystal factory

kylemore abby

Finally Pictures

	Dublin 4/27

Pictures are finally here! click on the single pictures to see the full albums. They are rather jumbled and some are not captioned, but we are still figuring this blogging thing out. Enjoy!

Dublin

Elmira College Ireland 09

Fields of Athenry and Conmacnoise

Thank Goodness for better weather today! We visited the Fields of Athenry, where St. Mary's stone church has been transformed into a historical information center. We were given a tour, and lots of information about how life was like in medieval Ireland. Our tour guide seemed to enjoy seeing us cringe as he explained how each weapon or device of torture could be used. Two of our students helped demonstrate the "Love Bracelet," a kind of movable twin set of stocks, where rivaling enemies were forced to stay attached by the neck and hands until they could resolve their issues. We were provided with medieval costumes, which resulted in some spectacular photo ops! Back in our own clothes, we headed out to the archery range, where Team Stephens beat Team Margie by around 1000 points.

Our second stop of the day was Conmacnoise, an old monestary and graveyard. We explored the ruines of old churches and round towers, and wandered through the beautiful celtic cross headstones. Some had been moved inside the visitor's center to protect them from weather and vandelism. Altogethor a satisfactory day for all. Look forward to more pictures in the future!

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

It has been another busy 3 days, traveling from Tralee to Limerick and landing in Galway for 5 more nights. On Monday we traveled to Adare and Bunratty Castle. Tuesday we saw the Cliffs of Moher. Breathtaking is the only way to describe the sites. Everyone stayed far enough "from the edge" so as not to give anyone a heart attack. We arrived in Galway on Tuesday and are staying at Kinlay House Hostel. It will be a great place to be for 6 nights.

On Wednesday we traveled to the Aran Islands. It was a rocky (or should we say wavy) trip out, with quite rough seas. Several people on the boat turned a bit "green". We have decided that the back of the boat is the best place to sit, and of course, a window seat to keep an eye on the horizon! An explanation was offered as to the science behind the size of a wave. Most were more interested in getting a cracker or two to ease the distress. The weather was cool and rainy, but interesting. The island of Inis Mor is the largest, and has over 4,000 miles of stone fences. Between 800 and 900 people live on the island. It has its own schools, one physician, two nurses and a clinic. Most who live on the island also work there with tourism being the major industry. Our trek to Dun Aonghasa was very interesting. There are sharp cliffs with water crashing all around. It was important that the strong winds were blowing in from the ocean. The power of the ocean was in full view today. AWESOME. Some students found places to take pictures "over the edge" out of the site of those who might like to discourage that type of activity. All students were accounted for at the end of the day. INCREDIBLE!

Thursday is a day to explore the city of Galway. Thursday evening we will all go out for an evening of Irish food and music. Friday to Athenry and Clonmacnoise. More to follow then.

Blarney Castle