Oh Darling, Let's Be Irish Adventurers: Connemara and my Titanic moment

Waking up in the morning to nothing being stolen, and somewhat refreshed I would call our first night in a hostel a success. After changing and getting ready, we skipped down the stairs for some breakfast. Lining the bright orange counters was a selection of freshly baked breads and scones, tea and coffee and cereals, all perfectly filling for our tour filled day. Eating the variety of breakfast foods with our roommates until our hearts’ content, Kathleen and I then made our way downstairs and out towards the bus station to catch our bus to Connemara. No sooner had we boarded the bus did we realize we had the funniest, plump Irishman as our tour guide for the day. He consistently cracked jokes and told memorable stories about the places we drove by and stopped at; he even warned the rest of the passengers against messing with me and my red hair. We drove through the western area of Ireland known as Connemara, which is absolutely beautiful, even on an overcast day like ours. The land is dotted with mountains and pop-up lakes and plagued with wild sheep that cross the road as they please. The barren, rugged terrain was a sight like I had never seen before. After driving through the breathtaking landscape and stopping intermediately for a photo op, we finally arrived at our first point of interest, the Kylemore Abbey.

Photo-op spot

Told ya it was beautiful

Literally appears out of nowhere

Turning the corner of a mountain, this massive white stone abbey appears around the bend. Kylemore Abbey is an abbey run by nuns after the original owner, Michael Henry and his wife died. Michael Henry built this beautiful mansion for his wife, and once she died he erected a memorial miniature cathedral, complete with the four different types of marble found in Ireland. Kathleen and I strolled through the grounds, first going into the mansion and touring the few rooms that were open to the public. The few rooms we were allowed to observe were ornate in decorations and furniture; however our experience was interrupted by multiple babies and toddlers crying throughout the mansion, so we decided to find the memorial church. Ambling besides the lake, while the rain held off, we made our way to the church. As we hiked up the hill that the church was seated upon, the wind picked up and we rushed inside. The inside was magnificent, designed to look just like a cathedral but at a fraction of the size. After taking in the splendor of the church, our stomachs decided it was time for lunch, so we marched back towards the café on the grounds for a bite to eat. We slurped our warm French onion soup and sipped our tea before we had to get back on the bus.

Going into my mansion!

Dinner's ready

Beautiful walk even in the overcast

Posin'

The marble inside the church, I'm obsessed with Ireland's marble!

Best smallest cathedral ever

Once on the bus, we took the scenic route through Connemara until we stopped in the village of Cong. Even though the cloud cover had increased and the rain drizzled on the windows of the bus off and on, we still could see the beauty of the landscape, and appreciate the history the tour guide spoke of about these places. We were dropped off in Cong, a small town with a rushing river running around it, and famous for its abbey and as the set for The Quiet Man. Kathleen and I walked in the general direction that the bus driver said the bathrooms were in, and after locating them we ended up in the abbey. With the place seemingly deserted, we climbed around the abbey and then followed the river to an old monk fishing hut situated in the middle of the river. Exploring the hut, we nearly lost track of time and quickly traced our steps back through town and onto the bus.

Can't take a good picture when she's around...

No chance of sun today.

Cutest colored neighborhood? Yes.

Make a wish, Kathleen!

Oh hey, fancy seeing you here.

Deserted abbey

Don't slip Jocelyn!

Just in a fishing hut on the river

After driving for some time, we ended at our final stop, the ruins of a Franciscan friary. We pulled into a large sheep inhabited field, and then we were allowed to play in the remaining stone structures for a while. Exhausted from the day’s touring, I was content that we were heading home after that. Happy to see that our roommates were back from their adventures and as equally hungry as we were, we all set off to find some meatless dinner (it’s a Lenten Friday). We found a restaurant overlooking the bay to dine at, and I yet again had soup, this time tomato. We enjoyed each other’s company, recounting stories from the day and from our various study abroad journeys and life back home; however, no proper night out in Ireland would be complete without a pint in a pub, so off we went for a drink. I was not in the mood to drink in the cramped pub that was filled with middle aged Irishmen, but I tried to enjoy myself. We started conversing with a group of Irishmen, some of whom had studied at Maynooth. They were incredibly nice, even though I could barely make out their words amongst the live traditional music playing on stage. One of the bouncers told us that dancing was banned in the pub, and in true Irish rebellion fashion, one of the Irishmen took my hand and soon enough we were dancing an Irish jig in the middle of the pub. Laughing and trying to follow his drunken lead, I managed to keep up, as an audience sprung up around us, clapping their hands and whistling. Even though it was an older Irish man, I definitely felt like Rose from the Titanic when she danced with Jack in the lower class dance hall. So thank you, Irishman for my Titanic moment, “I’ll never let go Jack!” After our dance and a few more songs, we decided to head back to the hostel for some much needed sleep.