Just a quick update ... We've now spent an entire 24 hours in Dublin, and it's amazing how well the students have adapted so far. They seem to know the location of every pub both north and south of the Liffey (River). ;^)
After our final lecture yesterday in Galway, we ate lunch, packed, and boarded the bus for the 3 hour ride to Dublin -- or rather, to the Merry Ploughboys Pub just outside of Dublin. Wow, what a great time. We were treated to the Ploughboys, who sang very festive and often hilarious Irish songs, as well as a very talented group of Irish dancers. As you can see, everyone had a great time.
After our final lecture yesterday in Galway, we ate lunch, packed, and boarded the bus for the 3 hour ride to Dublin -- or rather, to the Merry Ploughboys Pub just outside of Dublin. Wow, what a great time. We were treated to the Ploughboys, who sang very festive and often hilarious Irish songs, as well as a very talented group of Irish dancers. As you can see, everyone had a great time.
This morning (Wednesday) we had a very nice tour of Trinity College (founded in the late 1500s by Queen Elizabeth I and considered the premiere school in Ireland). The tour included the old library, the 'long room', and the Book of Kells. Later the group hopped on the bus for the short ride to the Guinness Storehouse, which provided an interesting story of the beer-making process, a magnificent 360-degree view of Dublin from the top floor, and, of course, a free pint of Guinness. For some reason we ended up spending much too much time at Guinness, which meant that there was little time left for anything else. Some of the group tried unsuccessfully to join a guided tour at the Jameson's Distillery. Others were more successful in their visit to the Kilmainham Gaol (Jail), which is where many Irish freedom fighters were imprisoned (and some executed) by the British.
Tomorrow we're off to Intel, which is about 30 minutes away by train. We'll spend the morning there, and then we'll head off to the coastal town of Dalkey, which is supposed to be very nice (and reportedly also the one-time, perhaps even current, home of Bono).Friday we jet off to Budapest. This trip is going by quickly!
