Ryan Gliganic

Posted on Mar 11, 2016 | 0 comments


Ryan Gliganic

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Day 1- 2/26/2016 – Airport and Travel

I arrived at Newark Airport straight from my Internship in New York. I had been so concerned with asking my supervisor to leave early, catching the correct trains and the airport shuttle to the right terminal, that I did not have time to be nervous or even excited about the upcoming trip. Once I had finally navigated my way to the correct terminal and finding the group, I began to become anxious and impatient to begin the trip. We got our tickets, checked our bags and then began the long and boring process of going through security. I got some food and waited to board the plane, reading and listen to music. Once we were finally boarded the plane and had taken off I alternated between watching movies and attempting to get some sleep. I had the inflight meal and several snacks on the plane. Overall the the flight took about 6 hours and was not a bad as I expected it to be. We were able to see the outline of the Irish countryside as be began to land in Ireland.

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Day 2- 2/27/2016 – Arrival and Guinness

Arriving in Dublin Airport we were all extremely tired and groggy, it was difficult to get much sleep on the flight. Not to mention that we now had to wait another hour and a half for the other group from St. Vincent’s College in Pennsylvania to arrive. I got some breakfast and met our tour guide,, who we talked with about our upcoming trip. I also talked with him about the upcoming Rugby match that Ireland would play against England later that day. Once the other group had arrived and gathered themselves and their belonging we got on the tour bus, meeting the driver, Hugh, and left. It was decided since we couldn’t check into our hotel, The Belvidere, until later that day we would drop our luggage of and then head straight for the Guinness factory. Once at the Guinness factory, and paying our 10 Euro admission, we took a tour of the different levels, each explaining the process of how the drink was created. From the harvesting of the barley to malting, brewing, fermenting and barreling was explained with many antique machinery items of the factory’s history. There were also several taste testing and sampling areas which I enjoyed though my companions, not being great beer drinkers, did not. We were also taught the official art of how to properly pour a perfect glass of Guinness, which I of course aced, and then enjoyed. After the tour we were able to explore on our own the roof top bar on the factory, which introduced us to so interesting aspect of Irish life.  We encountered a “hen” party, the Irish equivalent of a bachelorette except it includes, from my observation almost every generation of the friends and family of the bride to be, easily distinguishable by their bright pink sashes and apparel. We then headed downstairs to get some food (I was starving) and found a food hall with live music playing, both traditional Irish music and contemporary songs. We got food, delicious burgers prepared in front of us, and sat down with a drink to enjoy the music.  Here I should note my first impression of the quality of Irish food in general, it is delicious and of excellent quality, if slightly more expensive, all of it seems to be made on hand and is clearly not farmed the same way as in the States. Once it was time to meet at the bus we departed for the hotel and checked into our rooms and got a much need couple hours of rest. Afterwards we went to a nice dinner in the hotel and afterwards my group classmates and I decided to explore downtown Dublin a bit. We walked down O’Connell Street and crossed the river Liffey before heading into a nearby sports bar called, apply enough, the Riverside Pub. We stayed for about an hour before continuing our walk along the river to the Temple Street Bar, which was very crowded. We decided that we were all too tired to go in and returned to the hotel to get some rest before our early morning the next day.

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Day 3- 2/28/2016 – Dublin, Phoenix Park & Trinity College

I got up around 7:30 and headed downstairs for breakfast. Then we headed for the tour bus to start our guided tour of Dublin. We headed down O’Connell Street and got to see and hear the histories of places such as the garden of Remembrance, commemorating the fallen of the 1916 rebellion as well as the General Post office, where much of the fighting of that rebellion took place. We then took a tour of the city down to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, where we got a tour of that historic building from its medieval roots, in dynasty feuds between the legendary Butler and Fitzgerald clans to the Jonathan Swift in his tenure ship as its Dean. Unexpectedly I ran into several friends from Seton Hall who were also in Ireland for spring break on a School of Business trip. The next stop was at the historic Phoenix Park, passing the American Ambassador’s house and the President’s mansion on the way. Phoenix Park is a extremely large park which used to be an enclosed hunting preserve for the rich nobles of feudal Ireland. In the middle of the park is a hill with a large metal cross was erected in commemoration of the time Pope John Paul II visited Ireland and gave a speech to over one million people at that spot in the park. It is a very impressive sight, with a view of a wide plain in all directions, a clear spot to address such a crowd.  Next we visited Trinity College and got to see the Book of Kells and learn the history behind it.  It is a beautiful work that is a testament to the extensive and intricate history and culture of Ireland. We also got to see the original proclamation of Irish independence for the 1916 rebellion. Afterwards we stopped at Shoppe Street to do, what else, but some shopping. We went into several shops and I bought gifts for my family and a woolen scarf for myself. We then stopped at a café for lunch. After a quick stop back at the hotel we went to the James Joyce museum, learning about his life and see the original manuscript copies of his works. After this we went to the Joyce Center, and old restored period building to meet up with Joyce scholar Anne Fogarty. There we discussed Joyce, focusing mostly on his work A Portrait of the Artist as Young Man. After this we left to walk around the town a bit. Eventually we ended up at the pub J.S. Sweetman’s to get dinner, but had trouble getting service so we headed down the Liffey to a small pub where we got dinner and then stayed around after for a few drinks. Some in our group left to go back to the hotel while others, myself included, took a walk around town visiting, once again, the Temple Bar area before heading back to the hotel.

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Day 4- 2/29/2016 – Causey Farm

After once again waking up early and having breakfast in the hotel we boarded the bus and left for county Navan to visit a traditional Irish farm in order to see the “real” Ireland. Despite it being a rather cold and rainy day the country scenery was beautiful. On reaching the farm we were by the owners and their sheepdog, Patches. Once inside and having warmed ourselves we were told to wash our hands and head to the kitchen where we were instructed on how to make traditional Irish bread. It was a lively and fun experience. Once the bread was put in the oven we went to take a tour of the farm, visiting the barns housing their sheep, cows, and oddly enough, reindeer.  We got to see and hold newly born lambs and learn the everyday ins and outs of life on the farm. Next we headed to another building where we were taught to use traditional Irish drums and then dance a traditional Irish dance called “the Siege of Ennis”. The dancing, though very fun, was not my forte. Afterwards we headed back to the kitchen to have a nice meal which included our freshly baked bread. The las thing we did before leaving was to watch a demonstration by the farmer and patches on sheep herding. It was very entertaining and to watch patches herd the sheep together in once group from one ended of the meadow to another, solely by a few commands by his master. After thanking the farmer and saying goodbye to patches we then departed back towards Dublin.  After stopping to rest and change at the hotel we went Murray’s Bar and Grill for dinner. It was a very nice place though slightly more commercialized than the other pubs we had been to so far. Once dinner was over we walked around, stopping in several shops before eventually heading over to J.S. Sweetman’s again, this time only for drinks. We spent a good amount of time their talking, laughing and listening to the live music they have their every night. Eventually we made it back to the hotel to get so much needed rest.

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Day 5- 3/1/2016 – Northern Ireland: Belfast & The Giants Causeway

We awoke early the next day for our long day trip to the North of Ireland. It was a four hour bus ide from Dublin to Belfast, again passing through beautiful countryside. Perhaps the most interesting part of the journey was passing through the invisible border between the two countries, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, of which Northern Ireland is still apart of. There was no imitate nor even perceivable difference in the scenery between the two countries, aside from an average looking sign telling you that you are now in the UK. As we journeyed further north there became a different, though still pleasant feel to the surrounding area. As we got closer to Belfast it was clearly a more urbanized place, one that was much more industrial and business minded. It remained me a great deal more of working cities back in the states, and less like the more tourist friendly Dublin. I imagen that is more comparable to cities in England and Scotland then in the Republic. In Belfast we first walked around the beautiful city hall and ate lunch their before going onto a bus tour of the city. The most interesting part was seeing the painted wall murals all over the city related to the Troubles and each murals were noticeably different depending if you were in a Nationalist or Unionist neighborhood. We stopped at Queen’s college, one of the two colleges in Belfast, it was beautiful Victorian era building. We also stopped by the old shipyard, famous for building the titanic. Once the tour was over we headed even farther north to the Giant ’s Causeway, a geological formation about an hour and a half away from Belfast. According to legend it was made by Irish mythical giant Finn MacCool so he could fight a giant over in Scotland. It was an impressive sight, made only more so by the long walk we had to take to reach. This was made even more difficult because of the stormy weather that appeared as soon as we arrived. The strong winds and fierce rain made it a true battle against the elements to reach the cliffs, but the view was made more iconic by the weather. It was then a long drive back to Dublin, and we were so tired that we all made it a early night in.

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Day 6- 3/2/2016 – Walking tour, Brazen Head Pub & Juno & the Paycock

This was our last day in Dublin and by far the busiest. We visited the Yeats museum seeing many of his old belongings including his poetry manuscript. We listened to some of his poetry read aloud. We then explored the National Museum of Ireland, and got to see historical artifacts from Irelands past, including the much acclaimed bog bodies. After this we walked to a bar where we started our walking tour of the 1916 Rebellion lead by the knowledgeable Lorcan Collins. He lead us around the city from Trinity College past the park to the general post office explaining what and where the action was in that nearly week long rebellion.  We even ran into a group that was protesting the proposed demolition of a number of historical site related to the Rebellion to build a mall.  After the tour out group split up, the girls went shopping with my roommates and I headed back to the hotel. Since we had a few hours to ourselves I tried to call my cousin who lives in Dublin to see if she wanted to get a late lunch. But unfortunately my phone plan did not work well n Ireland and by the time I was able to reach her it was too late and I had to go to dinner.  In the meantime I got lunch in a nearby pub and passed the time having a couple drinks with several locals I had met as well as talking to another American tour group that happened to stop in.  I rejoined my group at the Brazen Head pub, the oldest pub in Dublin were we got dinner. Afterwards we went to the Abbey Theater where we watched the play Juno and the Paycock. I thought it was a wonderful performance, and I understood the plot and symbolism behind the scenes much better than I ever could have by merely reading the story. The jokes were also much funnier performed. After the play most of my group was tired and headed back to the hotel, but since it was my last night in Dublin I was feeling restless and so I headed out to O’Connell street to meet up with my friends from the Seton Hall business group. I found them, after much effort, on Temple Bar Street and then we went into several pubs and recounted are adventures so far.  When it grew late we all headed back to our respective hotels.

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Day 7- 3/3/2016 – Galway & Monastery

We had to rise early once again in order to depart for Galway. On the way we stopped at Clonmacnois Monastery on the banks of the river Shannon. It is an ancient and beautiful complex of buildings, the oldest of which date back to the 6th century AD. There were beautiful chapels, tombstones and round towers all crowded near the central site, as if the proximity of their burial to the holy site would bring about their eternal salvation. Situated right on the bank of the Shannon, which was much wider than normal due to recent flooding, the site’s bare stone walls and buildings seem to be lost in time.  When we had to leave he past the ruins of an ancient castle guarding the monastery.  We then drove another several hours to the town of Galway on the west coast of Ireland. It is situated at the head of a wide bay and entering the city center we drove over a number of rapids on its central river. We parked the bus by an old cathedral made green and for several hours we walked around downtown Galway. We explored the many small shops. I was with two guys from the other group when they meet up with a friend they knew who was studying abroad at the University in Galway and he gave us a quick tour of the campus. It was a beautiful campus located almost in the middle of the town. By the end of the tour I was desperate to study abroad there. Once it was time to meet back at the bus we headed to our hotel, which was located just outside of the town. We got settled in and had dinner before turning in for the night.

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Day 8- 3/4/2016 – Cliffs of Moher & the Burren

We departed early from Galway and took the route through the Burren, a vast expanse of barren rock formations nearly devoid of trees and grass. We stopped at one site constructed by Stone Age peoples that served as a burial site and place of worship. The Burren was an incredibly impressive geographical phenomenon, the sheer expanse of it is breathtaking. From there we moved on to the cliffs of Moher. This huge cliffs emerge from the gentle Irish countryside to brace against the crashing waves of the sea.  The cliffs were an incredibly impressive site, with paths going up and down the cliffs, at parts without even a guard rail to separate you from the cliff edge. Luckily the weather was mostly clear and sunny, providing for an excellent view from which we could see the Arran Islands, which we were unable to visit due to rough seas. We then departed the cliffs for the long drive back to Galway. Luckily we were able to take the scenic route along the coast back, taking in the view of the coastline and its many islands. Once back in Galway we decided to make the most of our last day in Ireland and so we were dropped off in the center of the town where we got dinner at the King’s Head pub. Afterwards we walked around a bit and stopped in a couple pubs, I even got to watch some of a Connaught rugby match. We then took a lively cab ride back to the hotel where we then packed our bags for our departure the next day.

 

Day 9- 3/5/2016 – Departure

I woke very early on the last day and gathered by suitcase and my last remaining unpacked items and headed downstairs. I grabbed the prepacked breakfast the hotel staff had prepared for us and headed for the bus, hoping to continue sleeping once I boarded. Once everyone else and gathered onto the bus we left for Shannon Airport. On arriving we said goodbye to our tour guide and bus driver and headed for our terminal. We went through U.S. Customs, with its annoying screening questions, checked our bags and then went through security. We had arrived early, and so had to wait around for our flight, but luckily that was a chance to catch up on sleep. We boarded our flight and left Ireland with a lovely view of the river Shannon.

Tips:

Raincoat-            I would recommend always caring a raincoat of some kind everywhere you go when outdoors. Ireland as relatively mild weather, but is extremely rainy, it is rarely stormy but even on the nicest days there is a chance that you will get a little rain.

Umbrella-           I would also highly recommend bringing a small umbrella anytime you know you are going to spend a significant amount of time outdoors.

Euro Currency Exchange-            It is absolutely necessary to have some Euros in your pocket when you arrive in Ireland. I would recommend at least 200 as not to have to deal with the hassle of currency exchanges and banks.

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