Day Two of the Ireland trip began in Belfast and ended in Omagh. We started the day by packing up and leaving the house we were staying at and walking to the bus station in Belfast. We traveled to Downpatrick--a short bus ride away--and visited Down Cathedral, the sight of the Tomb of St. Patrick, St. Columba, and St. Brigid. After asking for the intercession of these Saints, we walked a couple of miles to Inch Abbey. This was one of my favorite stops of the trip. Inch Abbey was a Medieval Cistercian monastery built in the 12th century. It is in a beautiful spot, right on the River Quoile. We walked around the ruins and marveled at what the monks were able to build. We then had a pipe inside what used to be the nave of the church. It was a very peaceful and enjoyable smoke. On the walk back to Downpatrick, a light rain began to fall, which we all thoroughly enjoyed. We ate at a little sandwich shop in town. The ladies working there were very friendly. They remarked that the weather was really terrible. We said that it beat the weather we had back in the States. They then told us that some of the states (including North Dakota), had been in the news because of their temperatures. After we had our food, they pulled out the one table they had so that we would not have to wait for the bus in the rain (this was after they looked up the time it left for us), and then they gave us some of their freshly made soup for free. When the time for us to leave had arrived, we thanked the workers profusely, and departed for Belfast. We went straight from Belfast to Omagh.
Upon arrival in Omagh, the people we were staying with picked us up at the bus station, saving us the walk or taxi. We then found out that there had been a miscommunication somewhere along the line and our hosts had only been expecting two people, not three. Without batting an eye, they set up another bed in our room and then offered to take us back into Omagh in an hour, saving us a walk or taxi again. Once in the town, we ate at Sallys. I had a delicious burger, some garlic potatoes, and a pint of Guinness (still my favorite beer from what I have tried). Following food, we went to a High Kings concert; it was phenomenal. For those of you who are not familiar with this band (probably most people), they are an Irish folk band. The four guys who make up the band are ridiculously talented singers, and they each play multiple instruments. The show was incredibly fun, with a good mix of upbeat, raucous folk music and slow, beautiful ballads. One of the highlights was when they opened the song "Finnegan's Wake" with the intro to "Thunderstruck" played on accordion (here is a link to a version of it if you want--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGIwzGcu3-Q). With the end of "Parting Glass," the concert ended. We took a taxi back to the house and talked and went to sleep. The following morning we were fed by our host. We had a delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage, and toast. They then called a taxi for us and we went to the bus station. Before leaving, we thanked our host profusely for her kindness and helpfulness. If you ever end up in Omagh, Northern Ireland, I would highly recommend staying at Arvalee Retreat House. From the bus station, we departed for Dublin where we could get a bus to Galway.
Day Three of our trip was uneventful. We rode buses for most of the day, arriving in Galway in the evening. We walked to our hotel and checked in. We then walked back into town to eat (I had sausage, potatoes, and soup), and we went to a bar (I had a pint of Guinness again). We then walked back to the hotel and hung around until we fell asleep.
A two general notes about Ireland. First, the country is exceedingly beautiful. People do not exaggerate when they describe it. It is incredibly green. The look of the rivers running through the countryside, the ruins of monasteries and occasional castles, and the old towns remind me strongly of how I picture the Northern areas of Middle Earth. Being a history major, having the ruins pop up randomly on the landscape is awesome.
Second, based on our interactions with several people, as well as what we saw on newspapers and TVs, people in Ireland pay attention to American politics. It was really interesting and kind of eye-opening to see how much people pay attention to America.
Well, that's all I have to say about that.
(Here is a link to Nick's blog: https://www.nicholaswaddell.com)
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