Ireland - Day 6 - June 10, 2013

We left Dublin behind and headed out to see the country.  I was expecting to be traveling along curvy, country lanes, but for the most of today we traveled roads that are very akin to our state highways, but they are their interstates.  The interstate is a fairly new creation for Ireland, so most of them run to Dublin.  However, we did see cows in the road.

As you probably can tell from the picture above it was raining, but the morning was beautiful and very windy, so I knew the rain would be coming.  Another thing I noticed along the roadside were these bushes/flowers.  They were everyone and usually in clumps.  I don't know what they are, but they are very pretty.

We started the touring portion of our trip at The Rock of Cashel.  This is not a castle as many people think, but five religious building building through the centuries.  The earliest building is the round tower, which is 90 feet high.  It dates from around 1100 A.D.  Cormac's Chapel is next (1127-1134), followed by the Cathedral (1235-1270), a residential castle for the Bishops and Priests, and the Vicars Choral (15th century).  The Vicars Choral is the most renovated of the buildings.  The roof of the main cathedral was removed by Arthur Price, the Anglican Archbishop of Cashel in 1749 so he would not have to pay taxes.  It was definitely windy and cold on top of that hill!

               

             The oldest grave at
            The Rock of Cashel
            1574

Our next stop took of to the small town of Cahir and the Cahir Castle.  It was built in 1142 by Conor O'Brien, Prince of Thomond. This was a quaint castle, if there can be one, perhaps because it was built by a prince.  The historical association had done a remarkable job on its upkeep.  This castle actually looked like it could be quite comfortable to live in. 

Our last tour stop of the day took us the the stop that most people think of when Ireland is mentioned - the Blarney Stone.  By the time we arrived at Blarney Castle it had begun to rain, so our stop was not as enjoyable as it could have been, but it was still quite enjoyable...no, I found it to be quite amazing and the grounds were beautiful.  We first climbed the 100 steps to the top, where Connor kissed the Blarney Stone.  

The castle, as it appears now (stone) was built around 1210, which was destroyed in 1446, but rebuilt by Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, Lord of Muscry.  That is what you look at today when visiting - his creation. 

 The grounds were quite lush and lovely and if we had not been pushed for time and the fact that it was raining, I would loved to have explored them more fully.  There were some very beautiful and unique plants around.  Maybe if I ever get to come back I will have to make sure that I have the time. 

We ended the day by traveling to Killarney for the night, where we met the most charming owners of a restaurant called Mac's.  They are known for making their own ice cream, which I admit is quite good.  I could become very addicted to the Bailey's Irish Cream and the amazing sticky chicken wings they serve.

Dublin for the weekend - June 8 and 9, 2013

Very rarely do I get to enjoy a day with absolutely nothing planned.  Today was marvelous.  What did I do....go to the zoo.  I think this was the first time I've been to the zoo without small kids or my group of students.  Just to leasurely walk around the zoo was so pleasurable.  The Dublin Zoo is comparable, I think, to the New Orleans Zoo.  The layout just allowed for a pleasurable stroll.  The animals were cute (as best they could be) and I loved the different vegetations we saw.

 


On our walk to the zoo, we strolled through Phoenix Park, sitting for a spell and just enjoying our environment.

My day would not be completely free as I had came back to the hostel and did a little work.

On Sunday we have a VERY leisurely day.  Connor and I strolled along Mary and Henry Streets on the South side of the River Liffey and did a little shopping.  We came across a bookstore where we bought books to go enjoy in the park (St. Stephen's Green) and that is exactly what we did.  I truly wished we live in the type of weather/environment where this would be possible for us to have back home.  But we fight the heat and the ants.  I noticed that not one single bug of any type crawled on me while lying on the grass.  Guess is the great upkeep of the parks that makes the difference.

Tomorrow we're off the the Southwest to see the Rock of Cashel, Chair Castle, Blarney Castle and head toward Killarney.

Ireland - Day 3 - June 7, 2013

Another absolutely beautiful day in Dublin, although it was a bit on the warm side at 75 degrees.  No...it was hot.  We had a little later start this morning, which was a plus considering we were all tired from the lack of sleep.  It doesn't get dark here until like 10:45, so it's really hard to wind down and go to bed.

We started the day by finishing up the lectures with Dr. Ciara Meehan.  Today's discussion was the Battle of the Bogside (12-14 August, 1969 in (London) Derry) and Bloody Sunday (30 January, 1972 in (London) Derry)

Battle of the Bogside

Bloody Sunday

The information shared by Professor Meehan was definitely though provoking.  There are a great many parallels between American Civil Rights and Irish Civil Rights and over the past two days she has given us much to think about and vice versa.  It was an excellent experience for all!  Before I can write in-depth about what we have learned, I will have to digest it and give it a little more thought.  There is one thing that I can share at this moment.  Today we discussed political apologizes and how so many people view them as insincere.  However, British Prime Minister David Cameron sincerely apologized for Britain's role in Bloody Sunday.  The video can be seen here.  I must say, this was probably the most sincere political apology I think I've ever seen. 

Everything we covered in the past two days with Dr. Meehan was only reenforced by the visit to the Museum of History.  This is a wonderful museum housed in the former British Army Military Barracks.  They had a wonderful collection of artifacts and beautifully explained the Civil Rights Movement in Ireland through 
their many displays.  The unfortunate side is that we only had a couple of hours :(. 

Artwork dedicated to the memory of those who lost their life on Bloody Sunday.

The final tour for us today was at the Guinness Brewery.  This was one of the "fun" things built into the agenda for the students.  Something that Ireland is known for...and it's still history related...in a way.  The tour was very informative.  Our lovely tour guide gave a great tour instructing the group in each and every step of the brew process.  It's quite amazing how it is all done and that you can go from field to can in less than 15 days.  We even got to taste test and learn how to pour a proper glass.  Guinness Brewery won't be going anywhere either since Authur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease!

Ireland - Day 2 - June 6, 2013

How do you sleep when the sun doesn't go down until 10:00 p.m. and comes up at around 5:15 a.m.?  You have to be extremely tired!  Well, I was since I was out like a light, but I was wide awake about 2.5 hours after going to sleep.  I woke up at 1:30 thinking it was 7:00.  I actually was disappointed that it wasn't!

When the day started, I was off to find 49 Merrion Street and meet with the historical speaker (lecturer) who was going to deliver a talk regarding the Civil Rights Movement in Ireland.  I'm usually pretty good with directions, but I don't think I've ever been so lost and have been within 1/2 mile of where I need to be.  I was told to walk straight down Merrion Street until I found #49.  Well...we cross the street and the numbers went from 31 to 62.  Now, I'm not that good in math, but I do believe there are numbers between 31 and 62.  Finally, we figured it out.  Irish Streets are very random!  They are not like what we are use to in America to say the least.  30 minutes late, we finally found the place, profusely apologized and began our lecture.  Dr. Meehan made the students feel very at ease and they asked GREAT questions.

The afternoon brought us to St. Patrick's Cathedral and Christ Church for tours, but first a couple of free hours to enjoy St. Stephen's Green and grab lunch.  A few of the students were fortunate enough to catch a "Romeo and Juliet" abridge parody.  Instead of Juliet dying by the dagger, she died by the spoon.   Others took in a street performer balancing on a nine-foot tall ladder, juggling flames and swords.  Grafton Street really is quite interesting in more ways than one!

St. Patrick's Church was much bigger than I expected.   I was thinking it would be something near the size of National Cathedral in D.C., but not quite.  The sad part was that it seemed dirty and in need of repair.  The fortunate side is that there was construction going on and they are indeed beginning a repair. It's a beautiful church!  However, I did favor Christ Church more.  It was absolutely beautiful.  Christ Church is 983 years old.  Unbelievable that a church has been on that site for almost 1,000 years!  Within the church you can see 13th Century and 21st century side-by-side.  The tiles on the floor are actually replicas of the 13th century.  While doing repair work many years ago the workers actually uncovered the tiles and replicas were made.  There were many beautiful things, but the most was being able to hear the choir rehearse for a service that night.  I think some of the most beautiful music is hearing an organ being played and a choir signing in a cathedral.  The acoustics are awesome!

The most interesting thing today doesn't really have to do with history or our tour, but something found in Christ Church - Tom and Jerry were found in the pipes of the organ upon replacement.

Ireland - Day 1 - June 5, 2013

After the worst plane ride I've ever had - the Birmingham to Charlotte leg was terrible - we boarded our plane for the seven hour ride to Dublin, Ireland.  We actually landed 20 minutes early to a beautiful cool morning.  My fellow Alabamians, you would be jealous - it was like a cool March day.  After checking through customs we met our tour liaison, Claire Novotny and continued to the hostel which we will call home for the next five days.  Immediately after storing our luggage we hit the tour trail.  Our guide was a wonderful man by the name of Sean Patrick O'Rourke.  Can you get any more Irish?  He was delightful - so full of humor and historical knowledge.  Around the city we went for the next three hours - Up to Christ Church for a lesson on how the Vikings settled a part of they city, down to The Bakery for pastries that just melt in your mouth, around to Dublin Castle, over to the Halfpenny Bridge, down to O'Connell Street and monuments to those who have played significant roles in the Irish civil rights and independence moments and ending at Grafton Street where he left us.  We were treated to quite a bit of history in those three house and it was truly delightful. My favorite story he told came from Dublin Castle.  The Castle gate has a statue of Lady Justice on top but she faces the castle (which is the government), so the Irish like to say, "The Lady Justice...her eye to the castle and her ass to the nation."

Lunch time - Guess what I had for my first meal in Ireland???  Let me give you a hint.  Connor was with me.  McDONALDS!  I came 3,000 miles to eat at McDonalds!

After lunch and walking around Grafton Street, which is a pedestrian mall-type area we were again treated to a delightful tour.  This time it was Trinity College.  Our leader was a humor-packed young lady who was also a student at Trinity, working on a masters in French and Modern Literature.  In the 30 or so minutes we spent with her we learned much.  I can say it is true that the Irish are natural story tellers.  Just on the first day and I am already enthralled by their stories.  I learned something...well I learned many things in our tour...but the reason why there are so many half doors and "fake" windows in Ireland is that they had a lighting tax back in the day.  That's right...they were taxed on how much natural light was let into your house.  We Americans have our closet and windows taxes and they have their light tax. She left us at the door of knowledge....the Long Library, which also holds the Book of Kells and thousands of years of books.  The Book of Kells was amazing.  It was beautiful and to think that someone took that much time to create such a work of art.  If I could I would spend days in the Long Library just going through the books, but I had to settle to just sit and smell.  I love the smell of a book...new or old...there's just something about it!

Our day ended with a delicious dinner at The Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Dublin.  The atmosphere was incredible.  It was the ideal Irish Pub! And to top it off, Sean came and joined us for dinner and entertained us with many more of his story-telling ability. 

Needless to say when I hit the bed last night I was out like a light!!!

Faith prevails

The past couple of months have been a whirlwind to say the least and now that school has come to a close, I can relate some of the events of the past two months. I touched on this in my last post as well.  Needless to say, my professional life, and life in general, is about to change.

About two months ago I received a text to call a colleague and friend when I got a break in my classes.  That was it, just a text to call.  My curiosity was peeked and I was just a little bit excited because she has great ideas and my first thoughts went toward some brilliant idea for a project or paper she had come up with and wanted to involve me.  Well, I made the call about an hour later and boy was it SOME big project she was proposing.  Calling it a project is not the right word for it, but it’s all I could think of immediately after the call.  Her request came in two-fold.  I’m usually never one for a loss of words, but that day I couldn’t put two together if I had to.  Her proposal was for me to step in as an assistant professor for social studies education at The University of Alabama for one year (an interim position).  My mouth did the proverbial – it hit the ground.  WOW!  Me, be an assistant professor?  To step into my mentor’s shoes.  Are you kidding???  Heck yeah! I don’t know what took me the better part of a week to accept this position, but I did.  Starting August 16^th I will undertake a new professional challenge of being a teacher-educator.  Even two months later, I still can’t fathom the enormity of this opportunity. 

When I completed my Ed.D. last year I had all intentions of staying in the high school classroom and passing my passion for social studies along to the students.  I never really saw myself leaving this type of environment until I retired (5-10 years down the road).  I truly love the students who pass through my room.  Teaching is a second career for me and given the bashing that the teaching profession has taken this year, I could easily return to the private sector, but I LOVE what I do.  Why would I want to leave “my kids?”

I thought telling them would be one of the hardest things to do, but they were genuinely happy for me.  Not completely shocking, because I have/had a great group of students.  Some have taken a class from me every year they’ve been in high school.  The one qualm that I leave with is that some of them will not be able to fulfill their wish to take my AP psychology class.  I may be gone from the school, but I’ll still be in town if they need me J

The second question involved a professor who was unable to teach his summer class and would I take over.  It was a class that I felt confident that I could teach, in that I had taken many classes related to the subject matter and had taught much of in on the high school level.  I was contemplating it, even more so than the first request, when she mentioned that it would be taught in Ireland.  It took me all of about two seconds to reply with a resounding yes!  To teach civil rights in Ireland!  What an AWESOME opportunity.   This coming Tuesday, eleven students and I will depart for Ireland to compare American civil rights to Irish civil rights and tour the country.  What professor can say they have a new position and their first class/assignment takes them to the beautiful country of Ireland???

As special to me as the events have been, and I can’t even properly relate them with enough magnitude, it was the revelation that became clear to me when I reflected back on the transpiration of events.  What became clear is that God once again reminded me that He is in control of my life and He will direct how it should go.  When I look back on every major event in my life – meeting my husband, having my children, getting my jobs, etc. – I see just how much He played a hand and how little I did.  I think and hope that I am finally gaining the wisdom to quit trying to control everything and let Him do it for me.  He is a much better director than I am.  Throughout everything that has happened this year I have been praying for faith.  The faith to trust that things will happen just the way God wants them to.  When I think of my life at the moment, I am reminded of Mark 11:22-24, “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly, I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

I have faith, but it is nowhere near the faith that I should have and that is something I will continue to work on.   Although faith (religion) and education do not go hand-in-hand in our secular world I am thankful that I live and teach in a region that is so grounded in religious principles and that I have a core group of students, colleagues, and friends who can openly share our God successes.

If you become what you think, who do you think you are becoming?

The past few weeks have been the busiest, bittersweet, most awesome, weeks I have had in a long time.  All the details still are not completed, but enough that I can now talk about them.  But, before I relate the news...

When I graduated high school, which was the mid-80s (I know I’m breaking a Liz Taylor rule to never reveal your age) it was the idea of becoming a millionaire by the time we were 30 that had everyone my age going into business.  It was the age of the beginning of Donald Trump and movies like The Secret of My Success had us all believing it.  Well, long story short, I didn’t become a millionaire by the time I was 30, nor have I now.  I’m sure if you added up all my annual salaries, I still would be far short of the goal.  However, I did earn an associates degree in business and enjoy a 15-year career in the business world.  Then, my life changed again.

I have always loved history and would gravitate toward anything history related – tours, sites, books, TV, etc. – so when I got tired of the business world I took a long introspection of my life and decided that the best fork in the road to take was to take my love of history and passion for learning to the world of education.  That is exactly what I did and over the past 12-years I have loved every moment in the education world and instilling my passion for learning and history into my students.  I know I have been successful a few times, but only time will tell in the long run. 

Now, back to the past few weeks.  To say the least I have been completely floored and honored by what has been asked of me.  You see, I have a small complex.  A complex that what I do is “just doing my job.”  Others tell me all the time that I’m quite good at what I do and I should take more ownership in that.  That’s easier said than done, because I have many colleagues who I feel are much better at it than I.  However, I had a teacher who told me back in high school that, “If you become what you think, who do you think you are becoming?” and it is that saying that has had me reevaluating myself lately.  If I continue to think myself mediocre, is that what I will become or if I think of myself as quite good, will that what I will become?  Well, what happened to me this week has me finally coming to grips, in a way, with becoming quite good.  In a way I think I have always known I was good at what I do based on the comments of colleagues, professors, and my students, but just didn’t want to believe it.  Well, now I think I should be a little more accepting.  These past few weeks have provided me with a couple of very awesome opportunities.  I have been asked by a great professor, friend, and colleague at the University of Alabama to take over for my mentor, on an interim basis, and teach in the College of Education while they conduct a national search for her replacement (she was promoted to Senior Assistant Dean for the College of Education).   Needless to say it took me a couple of days to let that fully sink in!  Another great opportunity…as a result of accepting the opportunity I have been asked to teach a summer class that will have me traveling with students to Ireland for three weeks.  WOW!  I am completely blown away and looking forward to what these opportunities have lying in state for me. 

“If you become what you think, who do you think you are becoming?”  After much reflection, I think I am becoming a great educator who wants to inspire her students (both secondary and postsecondary) to become life-long learners and to be passionate about their subjects and experiences, all the while keeping a realistic perspective.

Keeping it realistic, have you considered…“If you become what you think, who do you think you are becoming?”