Maggie's Ireland Blog

My Mom Wants More Pictures.

2010-05-24T14:48:00.001-07:00

Dublin Castle

St. Stephen's Green

Connelly Street

Christ Cathedral

Flower beds in St. Stephen's Green

Country side from the train to Belfast

Stormont Castle

The garden at Belfast Castle

A street in Belfast

The ocean view from the DART train to Bill's

St. Kevin's Monastery

Houses in Cobh

Blarney Castle

The view from the top of Blarney Castle

This was in the back of a restaurant we stopped at on the Ring of Kerry

Killarney House

Killarney Park

A thatched roof house in Adare

Another picture of the Cliffs of Moher

The view of the countryside from the Cliffs of Moher

Enjoy!

Day Twelve: Adare and Cliffs of Moher

2010-05-20T13:36:00.001-07:00

We have had gorgeous weather for our last day in Ireland! If only the volcano could cause another ash cloud so we could stay here a few more days....

We left Killarney this morning and on our way to Limerick, we made a few stops. Our first was at Adare, which is supposed to be the prettiest town in Ireland. It was a very cute town, but I personally preferred Cobh and the seaside. But it was nice to be able to stop and take a few pictures.

Next, we went to one of my most anticipated stops of the trip: the Cliffs of Moher! I cannot begin to describe how beautiful it was; my camera or any camera could not do the view justice. We spent two hours there, which gave us plenty of time to take pictures and grab lunch. I spent a good fifteen minutes with Ryan and Meagan just sitting and looking at the view, reflecting on the entire trip and how it has affected me. I'm very glad that we saved the best stop for last!

For dinner, we went to a medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle. It was very different than Medieval Times in Florida; since it was in an actual castle, it felt more genuine. We were able to enjoy live Irish music and a wonderful four course dinner. On our way back to the hotel, our tour guide Joe led the entire bus in a sing-along! We sang a bunch of Irish songs like Molly Malone and Wild Rover. It was a very lovely evening to end this amazing trip!

I cannot believe how fast this trip has flown by. Now I'm just more determined to make another trip to Ireland and stop at all the places I wasn't able to see!

Adare!

The Cliffs of Moher.

Meagan, Ryan, and me at the Cliffs of Moher.

Bunratty Castle.

Day Eleven: Free Day in Killarney

2010-05-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

We had all day to do whatever we please in Killarney!

Killarney is mostly shops, so Meagan, Ryan and I went shopping after eating breakfast at our hotel. It was dangerous since there were so many shops, but I have so little money! Then we joined Kristen, Frankie, Brittany and Zach for lunch. We had a little picnic in Killarney Park followed by a photo shoot! It was really fun.

Then Declan Malone, the group editor of The Kerryman, came to our hotel to meet with us. He talked about the differences between a regional paper and a city paper, how the Internet is affecting newspapers and libel laws. He was very interesting; he was very open and honest like the speaker from the Belfast Telegraph. I'm really sad that it was our last lecture in Ireland!

Tomorrow, we'll be traveling to Adare, which is supposed to be the prettiest town in Ireland, and the Cliffs of Moher. It will be another long day on the bus, but I'm really excited to see the cliffs!

Me in Killarney Park!

Day Ten: Ring of Kerry

2010-05-18T10:25:00.001-07:00

It's so rainy today; we're finally experiencing the genuine Irish weather!

Today, we left Cobh for Killarney. On the way, we went to the Kerry Bog Museum, which was a few houses set up like it would be in the 1900's. It was small, but interesting.

Then we went to a sheep dog demonstration. It's so crazy how trained those dogs are! Their owner only has to say a certain thing or blow the whistle a certain way and the dogs will immediately obey. They can even tell when he's talking to them or another dog. It was so fun to watch, but I wish we had the opportunity to pet them!

Next, we drove through the famous Ring of Kerry. Unfortunately, it was quite rainy and foggy, so we did not stop as much as we would have liked to take pictures. That just means I'll have to come back to take the pictures I didn't get!

We're now settling into our hotel in Killarney. Tonight, we're going to a group dinner which will be followed by live Irish music. It should be entertaining!

At the sheep dog demonstration.

One of our few photo stops in the Ring of Kerry.

Another photo stop in the Ring of Kerry.

Day Nine: Red FM and Blarney Castle

2010-05-17T19:31:00.000-07:00

Today has been great, but I really wish we didn't have to leave Cobh tomorrow!

First, we went to Red FM, a radio station that is like KISS FM back in Pittsburgh. We met with Grainne Murnan, the advertising and sales manager, which I was more interested in since I'm an ad/PR major and not a broadcast major. I thought it was weird because the radio station license says that everything must target a specific audience, ages 15-34, so even the advertisements must do that. She also talked about the company's specific problem with creating their brand image when it was first created and the different promotions they do. Then we also talked to Elish Barry who does the station's Breakfast Show three times a week and works on all the Irish broadcasts. Apparently a percentage of Red FM's programming must be in Gaelic, even though some people who work there can't even understand the language. I think it's very interesting the lengths the Irish government has gone to in order to preserve the Irish language. Finally, we met with Colin O'Sullivan, the program director, and saw the station's control room. Even though I'm not a broadcast major, I still really enjoyed our visit. I particularly liked hearing about the different promotions that the company does.

Next, we went to Blarney Castle and Blarney Woolen Mills. It was so fun! The stairs up to the Blarney Stone were a little narrow and crooked, but it was worth it. There was a beautiful view at the top and I kissed the Blarney Stone! Now I'm eloquent, according to the legend. I also enjoyed the shops; we almost didn't have enough time to at eat lunch since we spent so much time in there!

We have the rest of the night off, so I plan on going out to dinner with Meagan and Ryan then packing since we'll be leaving Cobh tomorrow. Next stop: Killarney!

The control room at Red FM.

Me in front of Blarney Castle!

Me kissing the Blarney Stone!

Day Eight: Wicklow Park and Cobh

2010-05-16T22:29:00.000-07:00

Today, we left Dublin for Cobh!

On the way, we stopped at Wicklow Mountain National Park and St. Kevin's Monastery. It was so nice to escape the city and see some of the countryside. It's so crazy that the stones of the buildings have been there for about one thousand years and there's no cement or molding that holds it together! We saw a lot of traditional Irish architecture, like the tower and the Celtic cross. It was so gorgeous.

Next, we drove to Cobh and checked into our hotel before taking a guided Titantic walking tour. Our tour guide, Michael Martin, told us a lot of historical information about the city as we walked down near the harbor. It's so beautiful! We have a very nice view from our hotel of the harbor. During the tour, we saw where passengers of the Titantic went before boarding the ship and the Titantic memorial. Overall, the tour was very interesting and I enjoyed learning about the history of the city.

Now, we have the rest of the evening off. I plan on catching up on some much needed sleep.

The entrance to St. Kevin's Monastery.

More of St. Kevin's Monastery.

The view of Cobh from our apartment.

The Lusitania Memorial.

Day Seven: Free Day in Dublin

2010-05-15T23:30:00.000-07:00

Today was our last day in Dublin and we could do whatever we wanted, so I visited my relative Bill, his wife Lillian and his daughter Isolde in Shankill. Bill has a very lovely house that has an amazing view of Killarney. They all showed me a very good example of Irish hospitality! While Lillian made lunch, Bill drove me over to the small town of Bray, which was right on the coast and had a very pretty view. Then we returned for a brunch of scrambled eggs and salmon, which was delicious. I was supposed to go meet more of the family at this point but unfortunately, due to The Last Waltz, I did not have the time to go. But Isolde and Bill took me to the National Gallery of Ireland to see the Taking Stock exhibit, which had art pieces that the museum had acquired in the past 10 years. I was very happy to be able to meet my relatives and I really wish I could have spent more time with them!

Next, we went to The Last Waltz, where a band performed many popular songs from the 60's. It was very entertaining, especially when half of the audience drunkenly began to rock out. Overall, I really enjoyed the show.

I had a very lovely last day in Dublin and I loved our week-long stay there! Next stop: Cobh!

A view of Bray.

Bill, Lillian and me.

Isolde and me outside the house.

Day Six: Belfast

2010-05-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

It's been a long and exhausting day, but I wanted to update my blog since tomorrow will be just as busy!

Like I mentioned yesterday, we traveled to Belfast today. It was so hard to believe that even though we were on the same small island, we were in the U.K. as opposed to Ireland. But Belfast is definitely so much different than Dublin. Although the conflict ended there about twenty years ago, its presence can still be felt because of the hundreds of murals throughout the city. Our tour guide was nice enough to let us stop and take pictures of some of the more famous ones, but it was hard to get pictures of the others while on the tour bus.

Instead of the black taxi tour, we just rode a bus around the city with one of the black taxi tour guides. His accent was so different than anything Irish accent I've heard in Dublin; it seemed like a combination of Irish and English. He was very nice and knew the best places for us to stop and take pictures. I really enjoyed our stop at Stormont Castle, where the Northern Irish Parliament meets. It was gorgeous! Then afterward we stopped at Belfast Castle, but we weren't able to stay there long since we were on a very tight schedule.

For lunch, we stopped at a restaurant near where the Titantic was built. It was so cool that we were able to see where it was built! I'm really excited for our Titantic walking tour later next week.

After seeing some of the other popular streets in Belfast, we stopped at the Belfast Telegraph, a Northern Irish newspaper. We met with Gerry Patterson, the Director of Digital Development. He discussed the impact of the Internet in Northern Ireland, which is much larger compared to the impact in the rest of the island. I was pleasantly surprised by how open and honest he was; he described some of the tension between the print and online journalists among other topics that were normally kept private.

We ate a delicious dinner at the Morning Star. My meal consisted of chicken tempura, bacon and mushroom pasta, and a chocolate fudge cake for dessert. I was so full after that huge meal! Then we walked to the train station and returned to Dublin.

I really enjoyed the trip to Belfast, but I just wish we could have spent a little more time there. The city has so many signs of its recent conflict, from murals to barbed wires to reconstruction due to bombings. I felt very rushed during the day, so maybe I'll just have to take another trip back to the city at some other time.

I'm excited because tomorrow I will be meeting some family around the area and then go see The Last Waltz, which was originally a movie directed by Martin Scorsese depicting the history of Bob Dylan and 'The Band' that was turned into a live show for the movie's 30th anniversary. I can't believe tomorrow will be my last day in Dublin!

Irish country side that we passed while on the train to Belfast.

One of the many murals about the Northern Ireland conflict.

Stormont Castle and the statue of Edward Carson.

The front of the Belfast Castle.

Where the Titantic was built.

A view from the train back to Dublin.

Day Five: DCU and Photocall

2010-05-13T23:09:00.000-07:00

Today started a little later than normal, but I really enjoyed being able to sleep in.

We started off the day with another lecture at DCU by Dr. Roddy Flynn. He talked about social media in Ireland and it’s still so interesting to me how little of an impact it has had over here. I was really surprised when he said that about 8 percent of the Internet users in Ireland still have a dial-up connection. I’m pretty sure I would go crazy if I still had to deal with such a slow connection.

Next, we went to Photocall, a Dublin based photography agency. It was interesting to learn about how a company that started out by using a pay phone booth for its office has grown into a distinguished PR and editorial photography agency. I really enjoyed looking at the pictures from the company's 8 photographers. The pictures from the conflict in Northern Ireland and pictures depicting the drug problem in Dublin were really powerful. We met one of the photographers who was actually from Texas! He doesn't have much of an accent anymore, but apparently when he first came to Dublin, his accent made it hard for him to find a photography job. Overall, the trip to Photocall was very interesting.

After that, the photography students met with an Irish photographer while the rest of us could do as we please. I went to dinner at an Eddie’s Rocket, which is like a diner, with Ryan and Meagan. We were just really craving some American food! I was really surprised with the variety of food places in Dublin; it’s not all about the Irish stew and fish and chips.

Today was more of a relaxing day, which is nice since I’ll have to get up around a quarter to 6 tomorrow to catch a high-speed train to Belfast. I’m excited to go to Northern Ireland, but I will probably be exhausted by tomorrow night; we won’t be returning to the apartments until 11 or so. Hopefully I’ll have enough energy to update my blog!

An almost clear sky as the sun begins to set in Dublin

Day Four: U.S. Embassy and DCU

2010-05-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

We had an early start this morning, but it has been a really great day!

First, we had breakfast with Rosita Boland. I find her so interesting since she has such a diverse background. She started off as an actress, then began reporting. She writes wonderful articles and she had some really great advice for us. I was happy we were able to see her in person since our previous phone call to her didn't work out so well.

Next, we headed to the U.S. Embassy for our meeting with Dan Rooney! I'm so grateful to Jan and Margot Collins for setting that up for us. Although Ambassador Rooney received a phone call from the president of Ireland which cut into his time with us, I'm just happy we were able to spend a small amount of time with him! While we waited, Karyn Posner-Mullen, Director of Public Affairs, talked with us for a bit about the recent energy conference that Ambassador Rooney attended. Then Mr. Rooney arrived and he was so nice! He said we looked just like a group of Pittsburghers and we made him feel at home. He was only able to talk with us for about ten minutes, but we were able to get a group picture with him. You might be able to see it tomorrow on Point Park's homepage (www.pointpark.edu). He gave everyone a pin which had an American and Irish flag on it. He also gave Jan and me a Steelers pin since I had answered a question and he has met Jan on previous occasions. I felt so lucky!

After Ambassador Rooney left, Press Assistant John Murphy talked with us for a while about how he got his job at the Embassy and other Irish affairs. He discussed how Ambassador Rooney constantly gets asked about the Steelers and when Obama will be coming to Ireland; Murphy estimated that our president has a 70 percent approval rating in the country. He was very interesting and I was so surprised to learn that he was only 23!

Then we went to DCU for a little break before a lecture by Helena Sheehan on Irish TV Drama. It was interesting to hear about the Irish soap operas and compare them to ours. She also gave us some of her opinions on our soap operas and drama shows.

We had the rest of the day off, so I took a little nap. Tonight, I will be going out to really enjoy the Dublin night life since we don't have to wake up early tomorrow!

Day Three: PRII and Ogilvy & Mather

2010-05-11T23:28:00.000-07:00

Today was our ad/PR day!

First, we met with the chief executive of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII), Gerry Davis. Considering he has no public relations training, he was very informative about the subject. I didn’t realize how badly the economy has affected the profession. Apparently, one of the first things the Irish president did in response to the economic crisis was cut funding for advertising and public relations by 50 percent. So if I ever wanted to get a PR job in Ireland, now is definitely not the time.

Next we walked to Ogilvy & Mather, one of the biggest advertising agencies in the world, and met with Jo Wood, an account planner, and Claire Carroll, who works with digital media. The company has made some really great advertisements; I really enjoyed their Ford print ads and their broadcast ad for Safefood. Even so, I did not enjoy their lecture as much. The speakers didn’t seem as enthusiastic and personable as Davis.

After the two visits, we had the rest of the day off! After a quick power nap at the apartment, I wandered around Grafton Street and Saint Stephen’s Green with Meagan and Ryan. We experienced more of the typical Irish weather of clouds and rain today. It was only sprinkling on and off for a while, but when it started to rain harder, I caved in and bought an umbrella since I forgot one. Of course, right as we were approaching the apartments it stopped raining. Maybe we’ll have better Irish luck with the weather during the rest of our visit.

For dinner, I ate fish and chips, an essential Irish meal, at The Bull & Castle. Our waitress at the pub was from Virginia and she’s staying in the country with a holiday work visa. It just shows how small the world really is!

Tomorrow, we’re getting up bright and early to have breakfast with Rosita Boland, a reporter from the Irish Times, followed by our meeting with Ambassador Dan Rooney. I’m so excited!

Ogilvy & Mather

Gardens in St. Stephen's Green

The backyard of a cute cottage in St. Stephen's Green

Day Two: DCU and The Frontline

2010-05-11T02:08:00.000-07:00

It has been such a long (but fun) day!

We started off the day with a lecture by Dr. Roddy Flynn at Dublin City University. He discussed Irish media and the different types of restrictions journalists have to deal with. It’s so surprising to me how little the Irish use the Internet and how much they read newspapers compared to the states. Dr. Flynn said about 55-60% of the Irish population read a newspaper daily and 90% read at least one newspaper a week. I also couldn’t believe how long the censorship laws lasted here; it wasn’t legal to post any information whatsoever about abortion until 1996 and pornography wasn’t legalized until sometime around then as well. Overall, it was a really interesting introduction and a lecture that I actually wanted to last a little longer!

After DCU, we had a little break and then we went on a double-decker Dublin bus tour. It was nice because we could get off at any stop (there were 23 around the city at tourist stops like Dublin Castle) and could get back on the bus if we wanted to. A large group of us stopped at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was gorgeous, like most of the city. Then we continued on the tour and saw other places like the Dublin Zoo, Christ Church Cathedral, the Guiness Storehouse and Áras an Uachtaráin, the President’s residence. I really enjoyed the tour, but the weather got a lot colder today, so sitting on the top of a double-decker bus wasn’t the most ideal thing to do.

Our long day ended at The Frontline, an Irish political talk show that airs on Mondays at 10:35. Tonight was a special edition discussing the best way that the country should deal with its economic issues. We had to go there extra early so we could watch a documentary with four different expert opinions on the issue before the show. I tried to follow all the information, but once the show actually started it was hard to do because there were so many people talking so fast! One of the guests was a member of the Irish parliament and there were also a lot of small business owners who shared their opinions. Although I couldn’t really follow the discussion, it was interesting to see all the different broadcast elements. There were so many lights! It was also weird because they only had one commercial break during the entire hour and fifteen-minute show. I’m not sure if it normally lasts that long, but we were told it would end at 11:30 when it really ended at 11:50. As interesting as it was, I was quite ready to leave and go to bed…but of course I had to update my lovely blog first.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Áras an Uachtaráin

The Frontline studios with the cameras and lights...and Dave Fabilli's head.

Day One: Book of Kells and Dublin Castle

2010-05-09T13:41:00.000-07:00

I am extremely exhausted, but I have really enjoyed our first day in Dublin!

We were originally supposed to go on a Dublin motor coach tour today, but we will be doing that tomorrow. Instead, we had some time to explore Grafton Street, a pedestrian shopping area in downtown Dublin. Ryan, Meagan, and I stumbled upon the famous Bewley’s Café. The coffee was a little too strong for my taste, but I was in desperate need of caffeine and it did the job. After that, we wandered around Saint Stephen’s Green, a beautiful park area that I will want to see again – that is if the weather continues to be as great as it was today.

After our little journey we rejoined the group and went to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College. The campus was really gorgeous; I just wish that Point Park could have a campus like that. It’s not too late to change the university’s expansion plans…. But I really enjoyed all the artwork from the Book of Kells. It was all so intricate and colorful, it was hard to imagine that most of it had been done over 1000 years ago.

At this time, my caffeine was starting to wear off, but we had one last stop for the afternoon – Dublin Castle. I actually listened to the tour guide (which is surprising for me normally, let alone when I’m delirious from sleep deprivation) and I really enjoyed the tour! I really loved the back gardens and the ballroom, where the Irish president gets inaugurated. My camera was dying, but luckily I was able to get plenty of pictures!

We settled into our apartments after our tour and then went to dinner at Dublin’s oldest pub, The Brazen Head. I enjoyed an amazing three-course meal that consisted of a Greek salad, salmon with carrots and two kinds of potatoes (which I’m definitely not used to) and bread pudding. Of course I also had to have a Guiness with my first real meal in Ireland. I was definitely very satisfied and full after my first sit-down hearty Irish meal.

It's only a quarter to 10 here, but I'm exhausted and have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. It's going to feel so good to sleep on a bed....

In the courtyard of Dublin Castle

The garden behind the Dublin Castle

The Brazen Head Pub, where I had my first Guiness!

May 8: Traveling Day

2010-05-08T11:05:00.000-07:00

I'm impatiently waiting in Pittsburgh airport for our flight to Philly. Then I will have three or so more hours to impatiently wait there for our flight to Dublin, then a seven hour plane ride...then I will finally arrive in Ireland at around 9 tomorrow morning! (Or 4 a.m. Pittsburgh time.) So just 19 more hours until all my impatient waiting will finally end.

I'm so excited!!!!