Ireland

Ok so it won’t be in order . . .but this is interesting

2006-04-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, 4 April 2006

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/04/AR2006040401002.html?referrer=email&referrer=email

Spy and former SF official Donaldson shot dead
18:24 The former Sinn Féin official Denis Donaldson has been "brutally murdered" at his home in Co Donegal (just outside of Derry/Londonderry) this evening. Gardai were called to Donaldson's house in the village of Glenties, Co Donegal shortly at 5pm today where his body was found. It is understood that he was shot dead.

Killers opposed to peace process - Adams

Denis Donaldson: Profile of a spy

North proposal will be 'unveiled as planned'

Killing places 'dark cloud' over talks - DUP

Holiday . . . Celebrate

2006-04-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 11 March 2006

New GrangeThe entrance
the passage where the light will come to the spirits

Tara:

New Grange, Tara, and Slane

the day was big fun. i got muddy and play nicely with others. it was a great tour and i am glad that i opted to do this during my free time

Kilmainham Gaol

2006-04-04T14:15:00.000-07:00

Kilmainham Gaol is one of Ireland's most important buildings. It was designed in an attempt to improve the quality of the penal system, and in the belief that prisons should be hygienic and well-ventilated. Interestingly, the guards could watch the prisoners with their knowledge of it and the ideas of light being good for prisoners. In the States the lack of light is a way for punishing bad behavior in prisons.

Continuous processions of patriots were incarcerated in Kilmainham Gaol from its foundation in 1796 until its final closure in 1924. The building was inspired by the fear of French revolutionary ideals spreading to these shores. This was a perfectly reasonable fear which ultimately found expression in the Rising of 1798. The leaders of the United Irishmen and the participants in the insurrection soon filled the dank solitary confinement and punishment cells. They were followed in quick succession by the losers in the revolts of 1803, 1848 and 1867.

The repression of the prison was brought into sharper focus during the events of the early part of this century. The leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed by firing squad in the stone breaking yard and this single act did more than anything else to swing the population against the continuance of British rule. The War of Independence and the subsequent Civil War kept the jailers and executioners busy until the release of the final prisoner, Eamon deValera, future President of Ireland, on 16th July 1924. Other famous prisoners were the Pearse brothers. These stories reminded me of the Civil Rights Movement in the south of the States.

The jail was abandoned and fell into decay. A voluntary group began the Herculean task of restoration in 1960, only completed in the 1980s by the Office of Public Works. The result is the faithful preservation of the largest decommissioned but still intact 18th–19th century prison in Europe.

A tour around the dungeons, corridors and cells can still evoke a shudder and a sense of the building's tragic history. You can still feel the chill of the outside cold breezes, even though there is now heating in the building. Even though it was my first time in the building, it was all very familiar from movies set in this jail. While walking around and hearing the stories of the men and women that stayed there, it made me think about my opinions on prisons.

County Mayo

2006-04-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

So I went to County Mayo
It was beautiful
The country is very nice and not that different from what I expected
I went for a walk, with my host mom, Caroline, and we were watched by sheep the whole way
I adored my family in Mayo: Caroline, Michael, Tinah (Italian student), Natalie (10), Sean (5), and Oisin (17 months)

Mount St Patrick is really big and huge . . . everyone should go on pilgrimage there

One of the 5

Rassport 5 Slogans

You make up your own mind:

more photos

2006-02-27T12:24:00.000-08:00

welcome to madness

before

during

after

Standoff at the O'Connell Bridge

wish it were a movie?

the aftermath

Check out: http://nytimes.com/2006/02/26/international/europe/26ireland.html?ex=1141707600&en=0956f7f63f46027e&ei=5070&emc=eta1

I Survived History!

2006-02-25T09:56:00.000-08:00

So today was supposed to be the first Loyalist Parade through Dublin, in remembrance of those who had fallen due to Sinn Fien and the IRA. Well, today being a day of remembrance in the south (easter lilly's worn) caused some problems. Also, the parade was starting less than a block away from Sien Fien headquarters and right next to the Garden of Remembrance (for the South) and they were going to process (if you will) down past the G.O.P. Something that should be noted, is that the local neighborhoods are GREAT recruiting areas for the IRA and Sinn Fien and is filled with disenfranchised young republicans. So the day begins bright, early, and cold.

There were 9 horses. I hope that they made it.

These are the Garda and the reporters . . . waiting. Somehow, we get to stay, when all non-reporters had to cross the streets; I guess one of the nice parts about being an american student. One of the biggest mistakes of the day: making the republican drunkingly(I am not judging, but smelt them) wait.

Click on this photo so that you can read the bus lable: Ulster Bus Tour. . . not something I would want to drive around in Dublin.

There were somewhere around 12 or 14 buses, but you never really saw all of them in one place, that is one thing that they did right. That and they used to buses to hide or sheild them for awhile as they played loud music, which was to incite anger.

The marchers are grouping up and waiting still . . . they had severalcountries' flags: USA, Canada, Israel, Australia, and even though it was not supposed to be there . . . Britain. They British flag was waved to the crowd right before they got back onto their buses. A dramatic wave is just the thing to incite more anger.

Click on this picture so that you can see the little flowers that the marchers of paraders were wearing and how young some of them were. I wonder if they really planned to march, since they are not really dressed for the weather.

Although these nicely dressed fellows came from this direction, they came from the Sinn Fien headquarters across the park area.

these fellows were being somewhat silly and rebillious not hurtful. they were of course kept away from the northerners.

It was very cold, but later more faces were covered for other reasons. While rememebering bloody sunday, it became a bloody saturday for some.

Clever, very clever. It cuts quick and deep. These boys were very happy to hold still for me, which was funny; they even offered me some tae (the Irish way to spell tea), but I said no thank you.

This man was glad to pose for my photo. I asked him and he gladly held it for me. He was very helpful/nice to me and explained his views of what was happening, as I played the part of an ignorant american.

A little bit of a peaceful message amongst the madness.

Before it was really crazy . . . before firecrackers and before people throwing objects

Seriously, the only riot police in all of Dublin. Although it did not really help the one Garda hit with a firelog.

Those lovely decorative sidewalk bricks are a lot less scary when they are on the ground and not being thrown or not on fire then thrown.

This is what is left of O'Connell street, a main street in town. Shops were forced to close or not open and many stores were damaged and/or looted.
This was inbetween the two sites and the two riots. I got new batteries and picked up some literature against USA and some other lit on the Socialist Party in Ireland. A very political day.

I wish I could have stopped and gotten a better shot of this.

You sadly can't really see this that well, but I was too scared to get closer or go on the other side of the car, but it is a green Jaguar that is casual parked on the street. There is no reason for this at all.

Did the University of Kentucky just win in the Final Four? Oh no wait . . .I am in Ireland. Then the mob was about to run me down . . . so we all ran.

I am not sure why people are just standing around. The smell was terrible and I was getting nervous that the mob was getting a little out of control AGAIN. Meanwhile, throughout this the Garda were about one bloakc away and just stood their ground.

All that smoke is from 2 cars that were knocked over, smashed with lead pipes or metal pipes, looted, and then set on fire.

I will put more photos up when I can get them from friends.

I love it . . .

2006-02-19T11:35:00.000-08:00

The Irish seem to have a good sense of humor.

You never know . . .

2006-02-15T15:44:00.000-08:00

Well, today my class was sent on a field trip to the National Museum. For some reason we chose to walk, when a bus would have been more efficient. It turns out that efficiency or a good grasp of where we were going (we should have look more carefully at the map) would have made it so we missed a very interesting rally or protest. It was quite odd though. We took pictures and got some of their fliers went away and with 5 minutes everyone was gone: no microphones, no banners, no one . . . well, tourist taking photos of themselves.

they were mainly men . . .

it was very odd to watch and listen . . .

do not be affraid; i am alive and all that

And then here is my classroom and its ceiling. Back in the day, as many of you know, artist had to show their work via their houses so that people could see how good they were and would then hire them.

Some doors . . .

I took these during my lunch break

p.s. see how it is so sunny in these photos it's raining now, all of the sudden that is . . . for no reason

this was wednesday, 8 feb

2006-02-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

to see the tower in the distance, meant that you were almost there . . .

although we are leaving, this is the enterance on the monestary

Glendalough, you've made it

a wishing well that is circled and prayed at

people come to tie a ribbon and make a wish or pray at the tree of the well

with a little help from my friend Leanne, I get three wishes

rapunzal, rapunzal let down your long hair . . .

i hope that you can make this out . . . he died at the age of 106 in 1750!

this is us inside one of the many churches

this is near the women's church. the stories and need for such a place are VERY moving and make me some sad of how the church has been changed by a few people.

such pretty graves

this looks like an enchanted forest, no?

this image impressed me, because you can see this stone wall and the tree growing out of it and the huge tower in the background. it is crazy and VERY symbolic. Marcus our guide/teacher would agree.

crazy, huh

this is on the way to Glendalough and on the way back we saw one of the many Guinness Family houses, needless to say it was VERY nice

this is one of the propaganda posters from of Ireland to get the Irish to fight hoping that they British would leave the North if they helped in the war. this can be found in Johnny Fox's Pub the highest pub in Ireland.

if only in the states we felt so happy about smoking bans

glencree

2006-02-08T17:41:00.000-08:00

This is one of the many mountains in County Wicklow. They are surrounded by bogs and a great place to hide, but also a scary place to be on your own.

This huge house is one of Oscar Wilde's dad's
only a short distance from Dublin and even closer to glencree

It is beautiful all around glencree

So this is where I am . . .

This is right outside our dorms and meeting buildings. It is a spirtitual site; you'll see why in a wee bit.

guess where i am?

2006-02-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

this is all around where i am right now

2006-02-08T00:29:00.000-08:00

yeah, it is really Ireland
it looks great, isn't it
just like Lordes, neat huh
look at the cross with the creek
this is a WW cemtery for German soldiers that ened up in Ireland
this is one such grave
The Celtic Cross Above the Cemetery

life as a retiree . . .

2006-01-21T23:02:00.000-08:00

luncheon with the ladies

. . . more photos to come, but i thought that many of you might want to meet my new friends . . .

they are the only people that i see during the day . . . i hang out with them for an hour or so a day and then read the rest of it away . . .

15 days until . . .

2006-01-20T18:58:00.000-08:00

I am nowhere near ready to leave. But instead of doing something necessary I created this. I hope to post and have pictures for something fun to look back on for myself and to give you who may care an idea of what I am up to.

I may post some of my photos and try to get you to post a photo of yourself that you like. We shall see.