After the Fighting Words visit, we split up and went to Grafton Street for lunch.

Jessica Etchell with her favorite hot chocolate

Throughout the trip, Jessica Etchell had been raving about the amazing hot chocolate she had in Dublin.  Every time someone ordered a hot chocolate on the trip, Jessica was always quick to remind that person that it wasn’t as good as her out of this world cup of chocolate from Insomnia.  This frustrated Katie Burnett to no end.  Katie was the biggest chocoholic of the trip and was thoroughly disappointed that she missed out on Insomnia during the beginning of our trip when we were in Dublin.

Kathryn Geraghty, Katie Telle and Katie Burnett at Insomnia

You can imagine our excitement when we finally reached the day when we could try this famous hot chocolate.  As we tucked into our hot chocolates, we had to agree with Jessica—it was amazing!

After saying goodbye to downtown Dublin for the last time, the class headed to the Department of Foreign Affairs.  We were dressed to impress as we entered the building and received a personal tour of the building.

The grand building has housed the Department of Foreign Affairs since 1939 when the Guinness family handed the property over to the government. The building has a colorful history during its time as the townhouse for the Guinness family. It was like Ireland’s Hearst Castle…tales of glamour, celebrity, and debauchery amidst the priceless sculptures, tapestries, and paintings. One painting that hangs in the dining room was a gift from Mussolini.  The place has welcomed such prestigious visitors as President Kennedy, Grace Kelly and of course the Gaels of Saint Mary’s College.  After the tour of the building (which contains an impressive 30 rooms and a massive ballroom!) we were treated to tea and coffee while we sat at a long circular table and were briefed by Orlaith Fitzmaurice on the current state of affairs in Ireland. Orlaith is from the Anglo-Irish Division of the Department and specializes in Northern Ireland and international relations.

The Gaels at the Foreign Ministry

After traveling the country, we had a better understanding of the long and volatile history of the troubles of Ireland and how its history has helped to shape the country today. Ireland is a neutral country she explained.  Neutrality was formed in terms of World War II when Ireland refused to enter an alliance with the UK after it had achieved its independence not long before. Ireland also is one of the world leaders in helping to alleviate world hunger. The famine is embedded in their culture and never far from their memory. They frequently partner with the US to organize programs to aid problems of hunger.

Ireland also has deep connection to the US. The US has played a huge part in the peace process of Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement. President Clinton had been a Rhodes Scholar in England during Bloody Sunday and the massacre always stayed with him. When he became president, he saw it as his personal mission to end the troubles in Northern Ireland.

Ireland also has ties to the US in other ways. The diaspora of Irish immigrants has made a huge impact on the US.  “Most retain links to Ireland and celebrate that heritage,” said Orlaith. “They identify as Irish-Americans and are a part of our global Irish family. Everywhere you go, you will find some connection to Ireland.”

Students Awaiting Their Briefing at the Foreign Ministry

There are few national days which receive national attention like St. Patrick’s Day does. Every year around St. Patrick’s Day the Irish Prime Minister visits the White House. “Other countries are very jealous of our access to the US,” Orlaith joked. In addition to recognizing Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day also promotes tourism and celebrates Irish culture and the diaspora around the world.

After leaving the Foreign Ministry we rushed back to the Ashling Hotel (where we had begun our amazing trip in the beginning of the month!) to take our final and have our class dinner and a celebration later in the night.

Some of the girls on the last night in Dublin

20 tired bodies marched down to the lobby the next morning at 5:30 a.m. as our beloved bus driver Philip took us to the Dublin Airport.  On our flight to Atlanta, the class made a huge impression on the flight crew.  “Your group is the nicest class we have had in a long time,” one flight attendant told us.  The pilot also came on over the loud speaker to acknowledge the Gaels of Saint Mary’s College of California and welcomed us back to the United States after spending a month studying in Ireland.

After a 4 hour layover in Atlanta and then a 6 hour flight to San Francisco, the group had mixed feelings as we flew over the Bay. The experience was the trip of lifetime and something most people never will experience in their lives.  Even most Irish people we ran into were amazed at our itinerary and had never seen the places we went. “It feels like we’ve been gone a lifetime but it also feels like everything passed by so fast!” exclaimed one student.  “It will be great to sleep in my own bed and eat good food again but I will miss everyone from this trip so much,” said another.  Spending a month nonstop in each other’s company created many close newfound friendships.  As goodbyes were said reunions were already in the works.

Fighting Words Centre

As presumed by the title, upon the class visit to Fighting Words, a writing center established by Irish author Roddy Doyle and his friend Sean Love, the students of Saint May’s were allowed to go back in time to their childhood. When entering the centre the back wall was lined by what seemed to be a white bookcase. But upon saying the class chosen password of “uisce beatha” the bookcase transformed into a doorway that led into a much larger room. Sara Bennett, the manager and volunteer coordinator for the centre, was there to greet the class as well as demonstrate to the class what the center does for Irish youth.

Upon entering the larger room by way of the bookcase, the class learned that they would be creating a story collectively. As the ideas started flowing the main character of Larry the Turtle was chosen, as well as Larry’s best friend, Joe the snake. The plot was simple: the two best friends were on separate islands desperately trying to reach one another.

Fighting Words' Volunteer Coordinator Sara Bennett seads SMC students in their own story workshop.

But water was not the only thing that stood in the way of these two friend’s reunion. There was also a mongoose named Marty. As the conflict reached a climax, Sara notified the class that this is the point where the story would be stopped and had the group been secondary and primary students they would then be told to separate and create their own ending for the story. After doing so, some brave souls would then read their stories aloud and then all of the stories would be “published” or turned into a hard copy. Therefore each visiting child would leave the centre a published author.

Fighting Words was established by the Irish author and playwright Roddy Doyle and his friend Sean Love, though the idea for the center is not entirely Irish. On one of Doyle’s book tours in America he was invited to visit  826 Valencia in San Francisco which was established by award-winning author Dave Eggers and has since expanded to multiple locations nationwide. Doyle made the idea his own by opening up a center that was solely focused on creative writing, and has grown to include classes on playwriting, animation and radio shows.

This anthology published by Fighting Words features stories by Irish teens and a foreword by Roddy Doyle.

by Sean Flynn and Matt Boschetto

Talking with Claire Keegan in County Wexford, where she lives and writes.

Oftentimes, a class reading assignment seems more like a chore than a rewarding intellectual experience. Fortunately, our class has consistently delved into and enjoyed the wide range of Irish literature we have been exposed to throughout the month. From James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man to John McGahern’s Amongst Women to Dermot Healy’s The Bend for Home, our reading list has provided us with a profound insight into the complexity, beauty, and even the dark secrets of Irish society. As amazing a tool as literature can be in our learning process, however, nothing compares to face-to-face interaction with highly experienced and articulate Irish people. This is precisely what our class was treated to today in our meeting with renowned Irish author Claire Keegan. Known for her powerful short fiction, Keegan has published three collections of short stories, won an array of literary awards in Ireland and abroad, and been featured in prominent literary magazines and journals such as the New Yorker. Having recently read Walk the Blue Fields and Foster, our class was ready and eager to listen to what Keegan had to say and to pose some questions of our own.

Before we began specifically discussing her works, Keegan gave us a fascinating insight into her life and perceptions of the world. She explained how she “goes sideways” while most of the world “goes up and down”. Despite her great success in literature, she does not consider writing to be her career. In fact, it seems she does not believe she has a career at all. As she put it, “a career is something mainly in the hands of other people. They can control it and even destroy it.” Conversely, Keegan is in complete control of her writing. She is the only one who can have any impact, positive or negative, on her works. It is a freedom she cherishes but also a heavy burden to carry. She explained that writing does not come easy to her or anyone else, and anyone who thinks otherwise has it all wrong. She has to force herself to maintain a rigid writing schedule, as: “no one calls to ask why I’m not at the office in the morning.” Her talk definitely dispelled any notions of creative writing being an easy or carefree career.

Claire Keegan's second collection, Walk the Blue Fields

Keegan’s outlook on financial situations was very compelling. She grew up in relatively modest conditions in a large Roman Catholic family in rural Ireland. However, she took up the opportunity to live with a family she had cooked for while they were in holiday in Ireland. They turned out to be one of the wealthiest families in the state of Louisiana, and Keegan enrolled in college at Loyola University in New Orleans. Living one of the most luxurious lifestyles America had to offer, complete with mansions, country clubs, and private neighborhood security guards, taught Keegan a very surprising yet valuable lesson about money. She learned that the only real disparity in wealth is that between those who “have enough” and those who don’t. For her, the difference between working class, middle class, and the “one percent” don’t mean nearly as much as the difference between those who can put food on the table for their children and those who can’t. Our class quickly recognized that this theme was very applicable to Foster. In the story, a young girl leaves her overcrowded home to spend the summer with a cousin of her mothers. Although she is understandably hesitant about living with strangers, the girl finds the love, care, and attention she has been starving for her entire life at home. Instead of being viewed as a burden by her parents, she is valued by her “foster” family. As this story demonstrates, the difference between “having enough” versus “not having enough” does not solely apply to financial situations but emotional relationships as well. It was truly remarkable to converse with an established author who was so unconcerned with her reputation, “career” as an author, or any financial gain from her works. She demonstrated the pure essence of what it means to be an artist, and provided our class with an invaluable insight into the literary world an Irish culture.

Claire Keegan's short story, Foster, has appeared in The New Yorker, but not in book form in the U.S.

Claire also expressed to us a certain characteristic of her culture that, for some of us, created quite an unsettling effect. This was the “circuitous” nature of the Irish people. This is echoed in her novella, Foster, when one of the characters says, “Many’s the man lost much just because he missed a perfect opportunity to say nothing.” Unlike the direct and in-your-face nature of American culture, the Irish, she claimed, are a complex, almost secretive people. They will not let you in as easy as an American; rather they use comedy and small talk to divert one away from any personal conversation. As she said, “the Irish are the best actors in the world.” For a few of us, this called into question the experiences we had talking with people throughout our tour through Ireland. It makes sense, seeing that such a complex culture cannot wholly be taken in talking to a “bloke” in a pub. Anyhow, Keegan’s comments surely expressed that Irish culture is something much deeper than anything one can find in a history book or at a traditional pub.

As our conversation with Keegan progressed, this characteristic of Irish culture began to make sense. It seems to be the result of the historical circumstances in which the culture had to flourish. The Irish, for many centuries, were a colonized people. In order to keep their culture, they had to develop a “language,” or a code, of their own which their oppressors could not break into. It was then not surprising to find out that, during her stay in the United States, she identified with the literature of African Americans, South Americans, and South Africans. This is definitely due to the fact that they are all colonized cultures. It makes perfect sense that an Irish born writer would share more in common with these people than any Irish-American. Like all oppressed people, certain measures must be taken in order to retain their cultural identity. Whether this is a good or bad thing is another question, but there is no doubt that it has greatly affected and inspired Keegan in her writing.

Overall meeting Claire Keegan was a very fascinating and eye opening experience. Her acclaimed writings only mirror the intriguing person she is. From her experiences in America to her insights to life in Ireland, we received more in- depth access to Irish culture than we could ever have hoped for. She really taught us that only an Irish born Irishman or Irishwoman can truly know the culture in its entirety. We applaud Clair Keegan for her wonderful writings, and thank her for her honesty.

Blarney Castle

Today, the whole class was excited to go see Blarney Castle! On our way to the stone our friend, Philip, informed us of its tale. He describes how once upon a time there was a man named Cormac MacCarthy. One day when he was walking in the woods he came upon a woman drowning. Heroically, he saved the woman. The woman was filled with gratitude and told MacCarthy she was a witch. Horrified, MacCarthy told her that if he knew she was a witch, he would not have saved her. To express her appreciation she gave him a magical stone. She told MacCarthy to place the stone in the top of his castle’s tower. When he kissed the stone he received the gift of gab, allowing him to never be lost for words.

Still, the stone is located at the top of the tower in Blarney Castle. Today, thousands of people travel to Blarney Castle to kiss the magical stone. Professor Graham informed the Gaels that she would not be getting anywhere near the stone. The girls jabbered in the front of the bus about whether they were going to kiss the stone. Not only do thousands of people kiss the stone, but a rumor had spread the night before that people pee on the stone. This made everyone uneasy. The girls then contemplated whether they should kiss the stone, or just blow a kiss.

(Katie, Jessica, Jack, Kiersten, Kathryn)

Once the bus arrived everyone was ecstatic to see The Blarney Stone! Even though it was raining the Gaels marched towards the castle. The stone was hard to find. Some girls accidently took a wrong turn and wound up almost crawling down a castle tunnel. Fortunately, some of the Gaels found the right path. After climbing up 97 stairs in the castle’s tower, we finally reached The Blarney Stone! People who worked at the castle helped to lower every Gael backwards to kiss the stone. Individually, we each laid down on our backs and leaned backwards while holding onto slippery hand rails. We then tilted our heads upside and kissed the magical stone.

After kissing the Blarney Stone, the class had lunch together at The Mill. The restaurant offered tons of warm food to heat us all up after trudging through the rain. When we were back on the bus we were all happy that we literally “Bent Over Backwards” to kiss the stone!

Katie Burnett Kisses The Blarney Stone!

The Girls Eating at The Mills

The Boys Eating at The Mill

Please find below a compilation of footage from our lovely visit with one of Fr. Tom’s many relatives, Tadhg O’Maolcatha (Mulcahy).  He brought along with him musicians and dancers a part of the  Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann association. As the Saint Mary’s Gaels danced the night away, we found that Irish students share much in common with us. From interest in sports, music, texting messaging habits, and, most importantly, how to flirt, the young Comhaltas members got along great with the “yanks.” When the music died down, the younger dancers took notice of Jessica Etchell’s wardrobe and, from here, a lengthy conversation on the wearability that is Hollister Co. formed. Jessica, in turn, asked, “Do the girls in Ireland wear Hollister, too?” They response was a unanimous and ecstatic “YES!” By the latter half of the evening, most Gaels stuck around to entertain and learn from these talented kids. The exchange was one of the friendliest encounters throughout the entirety of the trip!

Today our adventure began in a wonderful town named Killarney. As we all stumbled out of our heated class discussion, we were surprised by what we saw waiting for us outside, and no it was not a pot of gold. Instead, it was a horse and buggy. The journey began when all twenty of us hoped in the back of a couple buggies. The only problem with our plan was that my group’s buggy did not fully fit all six of us, although this did not ruin our experience. Unfortunately, Katie Burnett had to hang on for dear life when the buggy started to move because she was at the back. As the journey began we came upon Killarney National Park, which is 26,000 acres. Throughout the ride we saw some spectacular sites, such as Ross Castle and the native red deer. It was difficult to see the deer at first because they camouflaged into the forest flawlessly. As our tour guide, Mick, was pointing out the deer’s he became very interested in our buggy’s girls. This was first seen when he attempted to whoo Kristina into being his wife. As the ride continued, he moved from girl to girl attempting to find his perfect partner, which in the end he finally found. This lucky girl was Kiersten Snyder who he later renamed “Coochie-Coo”, which to be honest I am not sure is even a real word. The rest of the girls took a big liking to the name “Coochie-Coo” and started to sing the Scooby Doo theme song. Instead of singing “Scooby Dooby Doo, where are you? We need some help from you now?” the girls changed “Scooby Dooby Doo” to “Coochie-Coo”. This translated into them singing “Coochie-Coo, where are you? We need some help from you now” throughout the journey. To say the least it was a very funny experience. At the end of the buggy ride Kiersten was given a kiss on the cheek by Mick and they went their separate ways.

We took a break from our buggy rides when we arrived at Ross Castle.  After everyone got out of his or her buggies, we took a quick walk through the castle gates, where we had another surprise waiting for us.  In front of us was a stunning lake called Lough Leane, where a boat was waiting for us.  We all boarded the boat and were given a wonderful tour of the lake.  The mountains surrounding the lake were incredible to look at with the lush forests and greenery covering them.  To the class’s surprise, the mountains were named the Macgillycuddy Range.  At hearing this from the boat driver, many of us burst out in laughter.  This was comical to some of us because we gave Matt Boschetto, one of our classmates an honorary Irish name, which happened to be Macgillycuddy.

The buggy and boat ride gave a great opportunity for a relaxed day in the middle of our non-stop schedule.  It was great to have a day to relax and enjoy our surroundings without the stress of traveling from location to location on the bus.  After our trip through the National Park we were given the remainder of the day off to explore the city of Killarney.  We stumbled upon a great shop selling Shillelagh.  The Shillelagh is a walking stick, which can also be used as a club like weapon.  As you can imagine, these were of extreme interest to the boys on the trip.  After the Shillelagh purchasing, we stopped by a small shop selling many of the harder to find Irish whiskeys.  It was quite a tough task telling myself that I had already spent far too much money and shouldn’t bring back a bottle (I still may go back to that store!).  After a relaxing day of carriage riding and strolling into through the city some of us settled into the hotels lounge and Snooker room where I proceeded to play three epic (if I may say so) games of pool against our bus driver Phil.  He came out on top 2-1, but I will have my chance at revenge this evening!

One of the buggy horses named Robin

Ready to go!

Our path through the park

Mick and “Coochie-Coo”

St. Marys Church

Under Construction

Ross Castle

A monastery located on an island

St. Marys Church on the horizon

Unfortunately there was no pot of gold!

The Tri-Color

by Michael Sparks

Our day started off with a normal routine: Buffet breakfast at the hotel and then on to our class discussion of the book Amongst Women by John McGahern. After our discussion we were treated to a surprise meeting by a pastor who is from the surrounding areas of Westport. Father Ted Moran, who is a relative of Kathryn Geragthy, spoke to us about life here in Ireland and then gave up a brief history of the hike we were about to do. After waiting around for 30 minutes for taxis, we hoped in and made it to the base of the mountain.

Croagh Patrick is a holy pilgrimage site which overlooks Clew Bay in County Mayo. The tradition of pilgrimage to this holy mountain stretches back over 5,000 years from the Stone Age to the present day without interruption. Its religious significance dates back to the time of the pagans, when people are thought to have gathered here to celebrate the beginning of harvest season. Croagh Patrick is renowned for its Patrician Pilgrimage in honor of Saint Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint. It was on the summit of the mountain that Saint Patrick fasted for forty days in 441 AD and the custom has been faithfully handed down from generation to generation.

As the class began the hike, the boys were in front followed by the girls followed by myself and the stragglers. We took the hill in at a slow pace and climbed the mountain. The mountain seemed large and vast but it was a beautiful sight even with the massive cloud cover and fog rolling in and out. At some points of Croagh Patrick the mountain was very steep. Lots rocks comprised of shale and gravel were found on each step of the climb. But to those who made it to the top, which was at least half of the class, were greeted with the sight of small white plaster stone chapel. Even Father Tom, at the age of undisclosed, made it to the top of the 2000ft mountain.

The descent of the mountain was breath taking. You could see, when the fog wasn’t present, the ocean and the bay with the little islands that covered it. At the bottom of the hill we found a small bar and café called Campbell’s and ate some food and had some delicious hot chocolate. The hike up Croagh Patrick was one of the best hikes that we have done on this trip through Ireland.

I did not grow up in a family that emphasized religion and its practices so I wasn’t sure about what to expect when I realized that we were attending mass at Saint Bridget’s…and in Ireland of all places. I had been to a Catholic service before as I had been in Catholic school before (though only for kindergarten and first grade), but I had also completed some of the sacraments – baptism, communion and confirmation – so I was familiar with the way mass was conducted. I had learned that I did not have the patience to sit through an hour-long mass. However, the mass at Saint Bridget’s was a pleasant surprise to myself and the rest of the class.

The mass in its entirety was only half an hour long, but missed no important part of a Catholic mass in the States. We walked into the small church and immediately tried to find seats near a heat lamp to keep warm in the otherwise nippy church. When the service began, we received some attention when the residing priest said “the Yanks are here,” to everyone’s amusement. The parish had been prepared for our eventual visit and they welcomed us with handshakes during apart of the mass by many of the church’s regular visitors. The highlight for our group was when Father Tom’s cell phone started to ring half way through the mass. He frantically patted his pockets through his robes to find his phone to turn off the ringer. We watched from the back of the church, laughing, reminded of the instance when his phone went off a few days before during class and the story he told us of another time it happened during a different mass. Even with Rosemary’s short and impromptu speech during the mass, the mass was short, sweet and to the point – my kind of mass.

Afterwards, we were invited into the rectory my Father Tom’s cousin, Betty, for some food and tea. We all happily munched on delicious scones, smoked salmon, brown bread, a sort of chocolate cake and apple tart, all of which were absolutely delicious and sipped tea to wash it down. We followed some chatting with each other into a conversation with a young film-maker. He was interested to hear about our experiences and opinions of home and the technology advances that face our generation and the generations that will come after. We discussed plans for our own individual lives after graduating from Saint Mary’s, what we wish to do, what fears we may have (some of us are worried about the large debt that we’ve accumulated from our undergraduate educations), and our childhoods. Throughout our discussion I realized how similar we think about the push toward being technologically dependent and the fears many of us share for our lives after we leave the shelter of Saint Mary’s.

Though we may not agree on our views on technology, we will gladly use it to look back on our pictures from the trip and our Ireland experiences.

With all of the driving around we have been doing, it is very easy to become accustom to our beloved Philip’s cozy bus. We have all made our own little homes in our (somewhat unspoken) designated seats, perfect for curling up, reading, socializing…and the occasional nap. At times, the descent off the bus into the cold, cold reality of the real world can be a shock. This past Saturday, when we arrived at County Clare’s Cliffs of Moher (http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/TheCliffs.aspx) there was no lazy stroll into the sharp air, as there usually is. Instead, we were thrust off with a strong blow wind. There begins our adventure.

To reach the top of the Cliffs, one must address a large set of stairs. To us who have been partaking in daily stair workouts in our numerous hotels, this would have been no daunting task. Said wind was billowing against us, making the incline more of a fight against nature than a simple workout. After reaching the top, a few soldiers were already finished, needing to refuel at the cafe. The rest of us, however, powered on.

Thinking the worst was over, I started to get a wee bit cocky, and began to jog towards the edge of the cliff to partake in the gorgeous view. Mother Nature had other plans. Suddenly, the wind picked up to an unfathomable strength, attacking us along with some light hail. Being a San Francisco girl, I was not used to such ridiculous weather. This is the point where I contemplated slipping away to the warmth of the visitors center. I quickly decided that a solo escape was not my plan of choice, as I was sure to meet an untimely death facing the elements with out the protection that comes with a group. We huddled, facing the wind, squinted eyes, creeping towards the viewing point. Then, as suddenly as it started, the flash storm subsided. The wind remained, at a slightly more bearable degree. We made it to the edge, our breaths taken away by the view. The water was endless, and the cliffs massive. At this point, we all realized how incredibly blessed we are to be experiencing such a beautiful country, a feeling that has occurred countless times over this last month.

Our resident photographer, Elisa Sahagun, crouched down to snap, as Father Tom would say, an “award winning” shot. Much to her surprise, after clicking away, she was unable to get back up! The winds were pushing down on her so hard, that she couldn’t move. After a team of our merry travelers rescued poor Elisa, we were on our way once again. Our trek back to home base, however, was delayed by our fun with wind. We were able to lean back with all of our weight, and be suspended by air. A few of us reenacted a famous scene from the Titanic movie (remember, the Titanic was built in Belfast!), and others enjoyed the new hairstyles produced by the harsh elements. When we finally decided to end our dillydallying and head towards the promise of warm soup, we were met by a new batch of winds, which at this point, was to be expected. I grabbed the hand of the person next to me, and ran – or rather, flew- down the steps. We had to stop halfway through to find refuge from a wall, but other than that, our journey was pretty successful.

The adrenaline provided by the combination of 1. The extreme winds and 2. Standing on the edge of the cliff, is not to be forgotten anytime soon. It was a totally different experience than what I was expecting, and though there were times in which we may or may not have been fearing for our lives, everyone enjoyed themselves. Great craic indeed.

Friends facing the ferocious winds

By Kelly Nuckols