Ireland: Work, work, and a little play

Click on photos to enlarge.


Don in Dublin

Sunday we began our Ireland visit in Dublin for 36 hours, running around doing errands for the study abroad program commencing two days later. Then off to Cork by train 3 hours and more running around before the group arrived Wednesday.

Problem: 24-hour taxi strike throughout Ireland Sunday night to Monday night. Meaning long walks with luggage to the bus we'd take to the train station in Dublin and from the bus to our lodging in Cork. No big deal, but were we beat after the trans-Atlantic flight!


Overlooking Cork

We're a week in Cork, a city of 250,000 and third largest next to Dublin and Belfast. Cork was designated European City of Culture in 2005. It's a hodge podge of elements. I'll try to post more on it later. But now on to Cobh!


Ryan and Brianna on the train to Cobh

Our whole group -- 45 students, 3 instructors, and Don and I -- took a 25-minute train to Cobh (pronounced "cove") today. You can see several of the students in the photo above.

Cobh was the last port the Titanic saw before its demise. Cobh is the harbor more than 3 million Irish people emigrated from mid-1850s to mid-1950s. Cobh is the harbor near where the Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat. In houses and hotels throughout this small town of a few thousand inhabitants, survivors of the Lusitania were welcomed.


Street in Cobh

Don and I walked the hills of Cobh today.


Rooftops in Cobh

This view is from near St. Colman's Cathedral, a huge church for a tiny town. I didn't get a good photo of St. Colman's because it is so tall, I cut the spire off in every one!


Funeral procession for Sheola Keaney

Sadly, this photo of St. Colman's is after the funeral today of Sheola Keaney, a beautiful 19-year-old girl who was murdered a few days ago right here in Cobh. We had heard about her death before going to Cobh today, and forgot about it until we came over the hill to go visit St. Colman's, and there was the casket being removed from the church. Her parents are just at the back of the hearse at left. At least 1,000 people followed the hearse to the cemetery on foot.

I'm sorry to end on that note. It really was a touching experience.

I had hoped for wireless in our dorm room, but no such luck. So we're here at an internet cafe in Cork, which is quite posh, I must say.

I'll try to visit you online and update you soon. I miss you all!