Our trip to Dublin

When you think of Ireland you think of dancing, Guinness, leprechauns (/ˈlep.rə.kɔːnz/ Kobolde) and bad weather. We – the English advanced courses – had five days to get to know the reality of Ireland.

On the first day we had a city rallye to get to know the city better.

On Tuesday we went to „Trinity College„, the oldest university in Ireland. Afterwards we gathered to watch an „Irish House Party“. A band showed us traditional Irish music and dance. There we got a first impression of Irish dancing, but also an impression of the Irish weather. Outside it was drizzling though luckily not for long.

Famine Monument für die Opfer der Hungersnot zwischen 1845 und 1849

Wednesday was the day of the „Epic Irish Museum of Emigration“ which showcases Irish history in an interactive way.

Afterwards, we took a train to Howth, a peninsula, known for astounding nature and great cliffs where some of us could even see dolphins and seals.

Lastly we got to experience „Gaelic Games“. There was Hurling (mixture of lacrosse and rugby) and Gaelic football (mixture of soccer and rugby) and handball (a bit like squash but played only with your hands). It was interesting to see sports so similar yet so different to our traditional sports.

In the end we didn´t see any leprechauns, but I think we all had a lot of fun together (craic*) and got to experience a wide range of what Dublin and the Emerald Isle have to offer.

Stella / Q3

*) craic – Irish informal