Wednesday July 17 Kaylee Scott - Fire Alarms, History, and Card Games
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Door-to-door bus service
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In the early morning hours of
Wednesday the seventeenth, the fire alarm went off in the hostel for the first
time. Many of us were all brought together in the main hall at around 1:30 am,
while others decided to remain in bed and chance the possible fire. As a result
of learning how temperamental the fire alarms were, McCabe sent out a possible
fire alarm warning while other patrons were cooking, telling us not to be
alarmed. It was an early start to our day. After being reassured that it was
nothing more than someone smoking in a bathroom, we all headed for bed once
more.
Then we all rushed to get ready in
the morning as per usual. Most of us at this point have an early morning
routine and have figured out the best times to shower, eat, and quickly throw
together our things for the day's adventures. Though today we were lucky and
were told that we didn’t have to stress over making a packed lunch. We all
piled into the bus this morning, with our bags and sweaters. The weather here
appears cold, though most times you end up taking layers off.
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Lord Ventry's (1736–1824) "humble" abode.
Now Coláiste
Íde, an Irish language girls
boarding school.
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I forgot sunscreen yesterday and
fought off sun poisoning today. So a lot of the day is a blur. The bus makes
for good napping opportunities. Which several people take advantage of. I have
loved racing down the bumpy roads, on the left side, while stopping and
restarting when there is another car on the one car length stretches. We got to
explore more sites and got lots of pictures. Everyone has been iNaturalisting,
some in serious competition. Which has been another source of entertainment.
Our first stop on the trip was the old Lord’s house which was converted into an
all girls boarding school. A school that parents all over the country send
their daughters to. We stayed outside as our tour guide, Kevin, gave us a
history of the building and then ventured along the path outside.
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The window through which
one classmate squeezed three
times to ensure good health.
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From there we went to a graveyard.
We learned that many people have been buried in the hills or in other patches
of land. Though in this cemetery there was a church and several stones. I found
it interesting that the plots had outlines where the bodies lay. The church
that we went to was made of stone and was roofless. As many were sitting and
standing, while the guide was delivering a serious past on the building and the blessing that comes from passing through one of the windows three times. Several laughs broke through the silence that
had surrounded as we all looked behind the guide to see a failed attempt at one
of our own trying to go through the window. It was a lightning break. Following the cemetery, we hopped back into
the van and ventured to the museum for food!
We ate as soon as we hit the
parking lot. From which we were given the opportunity to see a mini fifteen
minute presentation. A good handful of us took this opportunity. The
presentation was centered around the history of the Na Blascaodaí (the Blasket Islands) and why
the people chose to leave. We got to explore the museum and view the unique
stories and tellings. Many wrote of their time on the island. Along with the
writings there were also replicas of different furniture and transportation
from the islands to the mainland. After which the majority of us went back to
the hostel, while few went to town.
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Illustration of the only form of transport
to the Blasket Islands in times past.
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As with most nights, we moved into the “guitar
room”. The first week we would stay outside late into the nights playing cards
and singing. However, most nights now we find ourselves in the empty community
room off the big kitchen. With a small handful of people crowded around the
bench tables aggressively playing cards. Though it’s hard to say if anyone
knows what game we are playing or the true rules. It is never a dull moment.
Always filled with lots of laughter and the occasional music breaks. Most
famously Angel from Montgomery or the Nationwide theme song, both are quite
popular. These two weeks have been quite the adventure, with a wonderful group
of people to explore alongside.
Wednesday July 17 Hunter Daily - Let's Learn About History
Today we got up late in the morning around 9:15. Everyone
was able to sleep in and enjoy a late morning before we hoped on the bus at
10:00. Almost everyone was on the bus and we had someone joining us today, a
tour guide to explain the historical landmarks that we would visit.
We went to
Lord Ventry’s home, a historical building that highlighted English rule over
the Irish. We learned the history of this building and its importance. Today it
is an all-girls boarding school.
After we left and saw an old church dating
back 900 years ago. It had a cross nearby and a stone highlighting the
alphabet. We learned about the importance of this church and visited the
graveyard nearby.
Once finished, we went to a museum dedicated to the
inhabitants of the Great Blasket Island. Before we explored though everyone
enjoyed a lunch at Blasket Café. Once we all had our meals, we watched a short
film about the famous people on the island and how they lived. Their happiest
and darkest times that led them to evacuate their homes. Eventually we went around
the exhibit, looking at their everyday tools, learning about the explorers and
authors that made these people famous.
Afterwards we all went back onto the bus
after purchasing books made by the famous authors or about the community
itself. After making the trip back to the hostel, we were let go to spend the
evening how you saw fit. Since we had eaten most of our bought groceries last
night, it was decided by some to head to pubs and get a few drinks and dinner
while some stayed behind and cooked stir fry.
