Along with my environment, the music here is so authentic and exciting to witness. I'm learning a lot about instruments and Irish traditional music in general (having no real choice, living with a talented fiddle player). Him and Rebecca have so graciously shared their iTunes libraries with me, so here are a few of my favorite Irish traditional bands, I hope you enjoy!
Fiddlehead- Northwest Irish musicians playing the fiddle, uillean pipes, flute and whistle
01 Crowley's - The Otter's Holt - The Pure Drop
Hanz Araki- Irish flute and whistle player
02 Reels Crock Of Gold, Palmer's Gate, Bridgewater Corners
Kevin Burke and Cal Scott- Irish fiddlers
02 The Green Fields Of Woodford Seanamhac Tube Station
Monday, January 31, 2011
GoPro fall at Garden of the Gods
Check this out: one of our leaders told us to watch this...thinking I won't be transitioning from gym rock climbing to real rock climbing anytime soon. Epic fall!
Caherbarnagh (Hike...Round 2!)
After my day trip to Kinsale on Saturday, I woke up early Sunday for my second hike with the UCC Mountaineering Club. If it's possible, it was even more breathtaking than the first. We took an hour and a half bus ride to Caherbarnagh, just west of Milstreet, and started our journey...up, up, up!
Joanie being crazy
Up we go
One of my favorite moments of capture
More patchwork quilt action!
Rebecca and I
Kasey, Laura, and I
Harry, our trusty leader, braving the ice. He later invented an ingenious game where we would throw rocks, break the ice, then try to slide rocks into the holes we made (I think we were delusional at this point)
I'm still not used to so much green!
This hike was still a series of direct, uphill mountain climbing, needless to say I was exhausted by the time I got home Sunday night (Mom can attest to my virtual incoherence on Skype). Yet, I was talking to my friend who lives in Dublin, and she says she never gets a chance to see the countryside so I feel extremely lucky to experience something like this! The perks of living in a town like Cork where you have a city feel, but it only takes an hour or so to get out to rural places. I'm glad I went with my gut instinct and chose Corcaigh.
Charles Fort, Fishy Fishy Cafe, and pastries, of course!
Another weekend spent in the picturesque countryside of Éire! My friend that I met at EAP orientation took a bus from Dublin to Cork to stay with me for the weekend, and a group of us planned a day trip to the port city of Kinsale. It's located Southwest of Cork, which is supposed to be the most beautiful area of Ireland (think of the coastal Ring of Kerry). We also heard that it claims the best seafood in Ireland, so you can only imagine my incentive for going. Interestingly, Kinsale reminded me of Mykonos and Santorini in Greece, mostly due to the architecture of the houses and the relaxed charm of it being a tiny, coastal town. After exploring the city center, we walked to Charles Fort, made our way back to Fishy Fishy Cafe (yay, puns) for local seafood chowder & brown bread, stopped at a local pastry shop for dessert, did a little shopping, and headed back home.
Slowly learning bits of Gaeilge.
Laura, Nicole, Kasey, and Jacqueline
The obtrusive door leading to...nowhere?
Built in the 1700s to protect Kinsale from the invading English.
We were actually able to climb on top of the bastions!
Mmmm...pastries
Without a doubt, Kinsale is my favorite city in Ireland from what I've seen thus far. Why couldn't there have been a study abroad program here?
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Glad to be dancing again :)
Classes are starting to pick up, and I'm now at a point where I have to face the facts: taking all upper-division English classes means tons of drama, fiction, and poetry reading. I felt like I was coasting the first couple of weeks, but now I have a barrage of reading to do. I'm really enjoying my first foray into Irish literature with James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man set in the 1920's. It's a really dark piece on an artist struggling to embody aestheticism within a strict Catholic Dublin. Interestingly, it's having the effect of making me abhor organized religion even more than I did previously because Joyce has this brilliant method of taking Catholic symbolism and utilizing it to transgress the religion itself.
I'm also loving my traditional Irish Step Dancing class. I had my first lesson yesterday, and was completely surprised by how it went. Due to scheduling conflicts I couldn't make the previous week's so I went into it figuring I'd be lost. This first twenty minutes was initially spent figuring out the style of the dance, which is nothing like tap. Instead of having your feet point out (first position, ballet-esque), Irish step dancers work within a third/fourth-position stance and point their toes whenever they leap up. It really is much more beautiful and streamlined than tap in my opinion, and much much harder. I have this wonderful old lady as a teacher, who is kind but expects fast learning, even from beginner dancers. I was thoroughly surprised and delighted when we learned a new dance called "Hornpipe Din Moores Drumming Step," which is supposed to be pretty difficult. Thankfully, I was able to learn it from the beginning (unlike the other dances that were taught in the previous class, in which I looked like an idiot trying to attempt) and got it within the first two run-throughs. After the dance, she addressed me in front of the class and said that I must be a dancer because I was pointing my toes at all times and had my arms out. I found that a little hilarious because I was trying so hard to look like I knew the form of an Irish stepper and somehow it worked! I absolutely love this type of dance and think I will continue to take lessons even when I'm back in Santa Barbara (let's hope they have the style of dance there). I'm so happy to be dancing again.
Yesterday I also had my first rock-climbing experience! And let me tell you, so much harder than it looks. Thankfully, an Irish leader of the Mountaineering Club saw my pathetic attempts and lack of know-how and gave me a crash course. I learned briefly how to belay and he gave me lots of tips on the strategy of climbing, which I'm still grasping. It was so much fun, though, and a really great social sport so I can't wait to go back and get some more climbing experience. Also, I realized how weak my wrists and arms are...they've been killing me all day!
I'm also excited to report that Ireney will be visiting me the second week in February :) I'm calling shenanigans!
I'm also loving my traditional Irish Step Dancing class. I had my first lesson yesterday, and was completely surprised by how it went. Due to scheduling conflicts I couldn't make the previous week's so I went into it figuring I'd be lost. This first twenty minutes was initially spent figuring out the style of the dance, which is nothing like tap. Instead of having your feet point out (first position, ballet-esque), Irish step dancers work within a third/fourth-position stance and point their toes whenever they leap up. It really is much more beautiful and streamlined than tap in my opinion, and much much harder. I have this wonderful old lady as a teacher, who is kind but expects fast learning, even from beginner dancers. I was thoroughly surprised and delighted when we learned a new dance called "Hornpipe Din Moores Drumming Step," which is supposed to be pretty difficult. Thankfully, I was able to learn it from the beginning (unlike the other dances that were taught in the previous class, in which I looked like an idiot trying to attempt) and got it within the first two run-throughs. After the dance, she addressed me in front of the class and said that I must be a dancer because I was pointing my toes at all times and had my arms out. I found that a little hilarious because I was trying so hard to look like I knew the form of an Irish stepper and somehow it worked! I absolutely love this type of dance and think I will continue to take lessons even when I'm back in Santa Barbara (let's hope they have the style of dance there). I'm so happy to be dancing again.
Yesterday I also had my first rock-climbing experience! And let me tell you, so much harder than it looks. Thankfully, an Irish leader of the Mountaineering Club saw my pathetic attempts and lack of know-how and gave me a crash course. I learned briefly how to belay and he gave me lots of tips on the strategy of climbing, which I'm still grasping. It was so much fun, though, and a really great social sport so I can't wait to go back and get some more climbing experience. Also, I realized how weak my wrists and arms are...they've been killing me all day!
I'm also excited to report that Ireney will be visiting me the second week in February :) I'm calling shenanigans!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Culturally, I've been gleaning lots of observations while running errands around town, listening to lectures at UCC, drinking in pubs, and generally people-watching wherever I go. Here's what I've surmised about Ireland, in a nutshell:
1. In speech, "like" is said at the end of the sentence, not in the middle. Ex: "I went to the market the other day, like." For some reason, hearing this all the time has made me cognizant of my unintelligent American habit of saying like several times within one sentence.
2. Adidas > Nike (I don't understand this in the slightest)
3. I was talking to my friend Gabby's Irish roommate and she gave us the 411 on this...apparently dating on any level doesn't exist here. Irish boys don't take girls out, and apparently if you've hung out enough times you are somehow labeled as in a relationship? (Vague.) There are also loads of colloquial words for "fooling around," if you will. My favorite is "shifting" (as in making out in the States).
4. One of the biggest surprises for me coming here was that Irish girls are quite obsessed with image. Girls cake on tan makeup that makes them look orange and fake. On a Thursday night, you'll also see them wearing super short dresses and skirts with high heels, and NO tights. I don't know how they:
A) Walk on the cobbled streets of Cork in heels
B) Stand the freezing cold at night wearing next to no clothing
And I thought Isla Vista was bad!
5. In customer service at a cafe, pub, or restaurant, an employee will ask you, "Are you okay, like?" The first time this happened to me, I felt shocked that such a random person would be wondering how my mood was, and replied with, "I'm fine!" I quickly realized that this is their way of asking if I've been helped out yet.
6. People are wonderful cooks here! I don't know if this is a pure generalization because I can't cook for the life of me, but the friends I've encountered have been eager to cook meals for me (I declare that I have no problem doing the dishes.) Between my friends from Toulouse, Montreal, Quebec, and Boston, I feel like I've been eating like a queen.
7. Michael Collins= Big hero here. I'm delving into Irish History, so this is starting to make more sense. He was the "founding father"/Irish revolutionary leader who was also a huge Nationalist.
8. Which brings me to the palpable Britain vs. Ireland rivalry that still exists to this day. I've encountered Irish people in pubs who are still going on about the Black and Tans arriving with "guns and savagery" and how horrible of a country Britain is. As I'm beginning to study more and more history here, I don't blame the Irish, either.
On a lighter note, it's been a shockingly sunny week here and I've found that there's only one way to take advantage of such a treat in the middle of an Irish winter...weekend day trips! My friend Gabby, from Montreal, and I decided to take the Bus Éireann to explore the small town of Killarney in County Kerry. Just an hour and a half West of Cork, it's renowned for world-class Irish musicians and the beautiful Killarney National Park. We explored the park first and then went for tea in town.
There are swans everywhere here!
1. In speech, "like" is said at the end of the sentence, not in the middle. Ex: "I went to the market the other day, like." For some reason, hearing this all the time has made me cognizant of my unintelligent American habit of saying like several times within one sentence.
2. Adidas > Nike (I don't understand this in the slightest)
3. I was talking to my friend Gabby's Irish roommate and she gave us the 411 on this...apparently dating on any level doesn't exist here. Irish boys don't take girls out, and apparently if you've hung out enough times you are somehow labeled as in a relationship? (Vague.) There are also loads of colloquial words for "fooling around," if you will. My favorite is "shifting" (as in making out in the States).
4. One of the biggest surprises for me coming here was that Irish girls are quite obsessed with image. Girls cake on tan makeup that makes them look orange and fake. On a Thursday night, you'll also see them wearing super short dresses and skirts with high heels, and NO tights. I don't know how they:
A) Walk on the cobbled streets of Cork in heels
B) Stand the freezing cold at night wearing next to no clothing
And I thought Isla Vista was bad!
5. In customer service at a cafe, pub, or restaurant, an employee will ask you, "Are you okay, like?" The first time this happened to me, I felt shocked that such a random person would be wondering how my mood was, and replied with, "I'm fine!" I quickly realized that this is their way of asking if I've been helped out yet.
6. People are wonderful cooks here! I don't know if this is a pure generalization because I can't cook for the life of me, but the friends I've encountered have been eager to cook meals for me (I declare that I have no problem doing the dishes.) Between my friends from Toulouse, Montreal, Quebec, and Boston, I feel like I've been eating like a queen.
7. Michael Collins= Big hero here. I'm delving into Irish History, so this is starting to make more sense. He was the "founding father"/Irish revolutionary leader who was also a huge Nationalist.
8. Which brings me to the palpable Britain vs. Ireland rivalry that still exists to this day. I've encountered Irish people in pubs who are still going on about the Black and Tans arriving with "guns and savagery" and how horrible of a country Britain is. As I'm beginning to study more and more history here, I don't blame the Irish, either.
On a lighter note, it's been a shockingly sunny week here and I've found that there's only one way to take advantage of such a treat in the middle of an Irish winter...weekend day trips! My friend Gabby, from Montreal, and I decided to take the Bus Éireann to explore the small town of Killarney in County Kerry. Just an hour and a half West of Cork, it's renowned for world-class Irish musicians and the beautiful Killarney National Park. We explored the park first and then went for tea in town.
Notice how nothing in the Irish language is
discernible to English (thank goodness for their
translations)
discernible to English (thank goodness for their
translations)
I felt like I stepped right into a "Pride and Prejudice" scene
There are swans everywhere here!
The exquisite lunch we made. Baguette, crackers, a variety of cheeses, bean salad, garlic & clove onions, and trail mix (you can see that we're totally living like starving college students).
Here are some superfluous pictures from my life in Cork:
My flatmate Toumtam from Toulouse, France at one of our favorite pubs "The Corner House" that has live music every Wednesday.
My college. I feel like I'm attending Hogwarts on a daily basis! (I think this is having a proufound effect on my subconscious because last night I dreamed that I had joined UCC's Quidditch team...if only)
Monday, January 17, 2011
"Be one with the sheep."
Well, I have to state that as my days progress here in Ireland, I find myself meeting diverse people and throwing myself into situations I'd never even consider before my arrival. This was my first weekend stay in Cork, and it was nothing short of lovely! Saturday evening was spent at a wine and cheese party, where I was able to purchase my first bottle of alcohol (legally!) Since I'm no wine connoisseur, I went by the English Market and attained recommendations from the helpful wine seller who paired my Bordeaux up with delicious edam cheese and stuffed olives. The party was great...I was invited by my French-Canadian friend and most of the people there were French-speaking, so that language barrier was a little tricky. However, once the wine started flowing, communication became much easier :) I was also exposed to a lot more Irish people at that party, and that was great conversing with them. I'm beginning to generalize Irish boys as a little obnoxious, easy-going, and loud-mouthed about political and religious world-wide issues (I can't tell you how many times I've been asked..."So, are you happy that Arnie's gone?"). Of all the nationalities of people I've met here, the Irish stand out as the most entertaining and fun to speak with. They really know how to have engaging conversations! (Perhaps it's their aptitude for always proposing just one more drink)
Yesterday was spent...and wait for it...hiking the Mahon Falls in Waterford County! Now, I know I'm not much of a hiker, nor an outdoorsy person for that matter, but I went for it and decided to join the Mountaineering Club at UCC. I figured it would be an accessible way to see parts of the countryside that are rare to even the Irish resident. We left Sunday morning around 8:00 am, and took a two hour bus ride outside of Cork just to the base of the falls. I really had no idea how difficult the hike would be and definitely wasn't prepared attire-wise. Gators...high-tech hiking boots...camelbaks...all foreign necessities to me! Sadly, I arrived in running pants, trainers (running shoes), and a snowboard jacket and probably stuck out like an avid, under-prepared, sore thumb amidst Irish students that have been hiking all of their lives. With ample amounts of nervousness setting in at this point, we headed out (or shall I say directly up) on our adventure.
Yesterday was spent...and wait for it...hiking the Mahon Falls in Waterford County! Now, I know I'm not much of a hiker, nor an outdoorsy person for that matter, but I went for it and decided to join the Mountaineering Club at UCC. I figured it would be an accessible way to see parts of the countryside that are rare to even the Irish resident. We left Sunday morning around 8:00 am, and took a two hour bus ride outside of Cork just to the base of the falls. I really had no idea how difficult the hike would be and definitely wasn't prepared attire-wise. Gators...high-tech hiking boots...camelbaks...all foreign necessities to me! Sadly, I arrived in running pants, trainers (running shoes), and a snowboard jacket and probably stuck out like an avid, under-prepared, sore thumb amidst Irish students that have been hiking all of their lives. With ample amounts of nervousness setting in at this point, we headed out (or shall I say directly up) on our adventure.
The quaint little coastal town of Youghal we stopped at on our way to the falls.
The Mahon Falls!
Hiking across the countryside.
The landscape was rife with bogs and a type of grass that resembled tufts of pom-poms. This was extremely cumbersome when scaling down the mountains (I nearly twisted my ankles fifty times). I've never been so grateful for flat concrete.
The rolling hills of Waterford.
After we'd hike up a mountain, we would come across expanses of land like this littered with small lakes.
A patchwork quilt!
Many Irish families own sheep that scatter the countryside, so to differentiate they spray them with colors. It was hard to catch them immobile like this...they're quite skittish critters!
A foreboding sign that you should never lose the rest of the herd.
It's still a mystery to me how the sheep scale craggy mountains like this. A Corkian hiker I met on the trip told me that sheep are the "real philosophers of Ireland" who survey the landscape while they chew meditatively on grass. After hours of hiking, my mantra became, "be one with the sheep" for one obvious reason...they've found a way to live on the treacherous topography!
The payoff to hours of hiking...simply breathtaking.
What Britt christened "the babbling brook," signaling the end to our long journey.
All in all, it was the hardest and longest hike (five hours total) I've ever partaken in and tested me not only physically, but more in the mental sense. There were so many moments where I wanted to quit, but when this happened I forced myself to breath and survey the beautiful land around me. The Mountaineering Club takes us to different hiking locations every Sunday, so I'm looking forward to next week's adventure. The club leaders also hold rock climbing sessions at our gym so I can't wait to try that, too.
It's my third week of class, and I can't help but fall in love with this place more and more everyday. Absolutely no work, minimal amounts of time spent in lecture, lots of reading paired with drinking beer on my own time (which I might add is an ingenious coupling), and the meeting of new people on a daily basis has been divine. I'm beginning to discover that most facets of Ireland suit my identity in so many ways: a laid-back drinking environment that involves having meaningful conversation, cold weather that allows me to bundle up (I have an excuse to be this white!), and a culture based largely around music. Such a refreshing change from the craziness and superficiality of Isla Vista!
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