Arcadia Ireland

Last weekend was very busy for Arcadia Ireland with two co-curricular trips on one day. While Dr. Tom Kelley accompanied our Dublin students on a Game of Thrones filming locations trek (keep an eye out for Tom’s blog!) I got to travel around the wild west of County Clare with students from University of Limerick as well as others from University College Cork, University of Dublin and NUI Galway.

My fears of rain where immediately quelled when I woke up to a bright and sunny Fall day in Limerick. We set off west out of Limerick, our first stop was Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. Bunratty is a preserved 15th century castle where visitors can saunter around the battlements, view the historic bedrooms, dining rooms, great hall and banquet hall. Our tour guide was able to fill us in on the historical facts; showing us the dungeons where prisons where kept, the banquet hall where the feasts where held and even decorative elk antlers over 10,000 years old!

When we left the castle we were able to wander through the Folk Park, a living construction of the homes and environment of old Ireland. Stretching over 26 acres, the park is designed to imitate and present a typical Irish village 100 years ago. It does a tremendous job! We were able to explore several different types of traditional Irish home; from the cottage of the peasant farmer to the more affluent. The park even contains a little village; along with a church, elementary school, shops and of course (it is Ireland after all!) a pub.

After our morning adventure in Bunratty we set out along the coast road to Doolin, a real traditional and tiny village on the Coast of Clare. As we passed green fields, white beaches and cute villages I did my best to fill the students in on the area we were in. The west of the Ireland is regarded a peripheral region of Ireland, worst affect by the famine of the 1840’s, many of the farms are still very small and dependent on grants from the European Union. This is what keeps it so beautifully quaint and undisturbed. The west of Ireland is where you can find the few remaining Irish speakers, plenty of traditional Irish music and dance not to mention the most simple and delicious seafood you’ll ever taste!

We stopped for lunch in Doolin, best known as a great place to go surfing. First stop was O’Connors pub where you can get the absolute best seafood chowder in Ireland. O’ Connors was followed with a trip to the Doolin chocolate shop, where we were able buy home-made fudge and chocolate. I might have been sad to leave the chocolate shop but our next stop was the highlight of the day – The Cliffs of Moher.

Of course I’ve been to the Cliffs a few times before, but it never ceases to amaze me. In rain, hail or sun the Cliffs are always breath-taking. The Cliffs are extremely high (over 700 feet) and stretch for ages (5 miles). It’s a completely unique and surreal experience, just standing on the edge of the world. Imagine once upon a time people thought it actually was – I don’t blame them! I cannot do the Cliffs justice in my description and neither can any picture. It took the journey back to Limerick to find one word to describe the experience – Epic.