Semester is finished

I wanted to post this in case anyone comes across this blog.

This Blog was made for the sole purpose for our academic projects during the 2016 Fall Irish Studies Program from Taylor University. Becuase that semester is now over, This blog will not be updated.

Throughout the semester I've been posting the places we see and things we do in great detail, therefore, if you wish to learn more about our adventures in Ireland, please visit my blog -- http://carryingonthestory.blogspot.com/

Thank you,
Elizabeth

Dublin Cathedrals

 This is a post which Eva and Brad wrote for our academic blog about our trip to the Dublin Cathedrals. This blog contains the adventures of Brad, Meghann, Elizabeth, and Eva. 

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Friday afternoon we took the DART into Dublin to visit two cathedrals! The first cathedral we visited was Christ's Church Cathedral. We were able to walk around the inside of the cathedral with a tour guide explains the interior and other important structures. The stone foundation was inspired by Roman design. However, in 1562, the roof of the cathedral collapsed, and the incident caused much destruction. The tombs, memorials, and tile flooring were ruined and needed definite restoration. The architecture was designed by George Henry Street. His work would cost around 13 million euros in today's economy. One of his restoration projects included the flying buttresses inside the cathedral. 

Another part of the restoration that our guide shared with us was the tiled flooring. In the chapel of St. Laud, the original tile was placed next to the restored tiling. It was interesting to see how similar the new tile looked. The original tiles were created out of dirt and shaped in square boxes and dried out until they were painted. These tiles were designed with medieval art. Also in the chapel of St. Laud sits a metal box, which belongs the precious relic that was stolen in 2012. 

The end of the cathedral was the choir which was separated by a screen. The clergy and monks were to be separated from the regular people. Despite the separation, a huge performance was held in the choir in 1742. Handel's Messiah was performed for the crowd. 

If you stand in the east wing, you will find yourself looking at a mix of Romanesque, Celtic and Gothic styles of architecture. This wing is the oldest park of the cathedral and holds stained glass pictures from the 1960s. From this wing, you can enter up to the bell tower. After climbing about 90 steps, you will find yourself in the bell tower of 19 bells. This is the largest set in Ireland and second largest in England. The heaviest bell weighs 2.5 tons. We were able to each take a tug on the rope and ring the bells. The tower was also used as protection. Not only is the tower built up tall, but the cathedral sits on a hill. The view covers quite a bit of land which helps with protection. Our guide also pointed out the holes that were in the winding staircase up to the bells. These holes were also used to see if enemies were coming up the tower. 

Our final stop on tour was downstairs, the crypt! The crypt at Christ's Church Cathedral is the largest in Ireland, and it stretches the whole length of the cathedral. It was first used as a burial, then as a warehouse and marketplace throughout the 20th century. There are three puns in the crypt; they are called heaven, hell, and purgatory! Although these puns have existed for quite some time, the floor of the crypt was dirt until 2000. The crypt held a collection of different treasures. A secular statue of King Charles the first and second were on display. The dresses used in the modern show, Tudors, was staged for people to marvel over. Of all the different pieces to look st that gave this cathedral its personality, I got a laugh from the "Tom and Jerry" exhibit. One of the organ players at the church thought that the sound was off. He took apart the pipes and found a cat chasing a mouse stuck in the pipes and dried out to death. The air passing through dried and preserved the cat and mouse quite well. 

The tour was lovely and very informative; afterward, we were able to look around the crypt and head back to the ground floor. It was great to visit a cathedral and see how well they have preserved and restored the beauty that remains in the cathedral. 


After touring the Christ's Church Catherdral, we went to St. Patrick's Cathedral which Brad wrote about. 

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral is right in the heart of Dublin City Centre. It is known as the National Cathedral of Ireland, but the archbishop of Dublin has his seat in Christ Church. It is one of two Church of Ireland Protestant Churches in Dublin and is the largest church in all of Ireland. 

The Church receives no funding from the state and is solely funded by the attendants and people who want to tour the church. Around 300,000 people visit the church each year. One interesting fact was that Saint Patrick’s was the area where some of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising was condemned to death and then brought to prison. Like many churches, this area is also used as a burial site. Over 500 people are buried underneath the church or in the graveyard outside the church.

 The church still has a children's choir that was for boys only, but now, it has more girls as most boys quit when their voices begin to change. The boys that stick with the choir are considered professional and are paid for being a part of the choir, but, oddly enough, the girls do not get paid. There is a very large and beautiful organ in the church that has over 4,000 pipes that date back to 1695 but was most recently restored in 1963.

This was a self-guided tour which gave us an opportunity to search the premises of the church on own. This meant we could spend more time looking at the things that interest us and not stuck only looking at the guided tour pieces. This did make it harder to have to read everything on our own for research, but this also drove me to do some more research online afterward where I learned about the choir of the church that I did not know just from visiting the church. It still feels a bit odd to me to be in a church as a tourist site as I know that some people still use that place as their place of worship. I have a strong respect for buildings like that to appreciate their history, but still, recognize their true purpose today for worship.
  

Kilmainham Gaol, Arbor Hill, and Glasnevin Cemetery

This is a post which Elizabeth and Meghann wrote for our academic blog about our trip in the footprints of the 1916 Easter Rising Rebels. This blog contains the adventures of Brad, Meghann, Elizabeth, and Eva.

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Kilmainham Jail has been around since the 1700's and has held countless famous political prisoners, but it is most famous for being the place the 1916 Rising rebels spent their last days before they were shot.

Joesph Plunkett is probably one of the most famous of these men. Not really because he was an amazing leader, but because of his tragic story. He was a poet and in love with a woman named Grace. On his final night in the jail, he and Grace were finally married in the chapel in Kilmainham. They were then separated and later given about 10 minutes to say goodbye before he was taken out and shot with the 13 others at dawn.

Joesph and Grace Plunkett

 The interior of the new part of Kilmainham Gaol was stunning. Far too nice for a jail. It is arranged in a horseshoe shape with solitary cells so that the prisoners were more easily observed.

 After Joesph Plunkett had died, Grace was later kept in Kilmainham because of her part in the Sinn Fein. We were able to look into the cell she stayed in.

 In this cell, she painted St. Mary on the wall.

 Some of the cells were opened. This is what a cell in the new part of Kilmainham Jail looks like.

 Then we saw what the old part of the jail looked like. It was far lass nice and more typical.

The inside of a cell in the old jail.

 Then we went to the courtyard where the 1916 Rising rebels were shot. The crosses mark the place. The picture with the cross below is where James Connolly was shot. During the Rising, he was shot in his leg and was the only one of the rebels who did not spend his last days in Kilmainham. Instead, he spent his last night in a hospital. He was then carried in on a stretcher and tied to a chair then shot. He was already dying of gangrene.

 Across from the place where James Connolly was shot, is a cross that marks the place where the 13 other men stood before the firing squad and were killed one by one.

 At the time of the Rising, it was probably the most unpopular rising in Irish History. When these rebels were taken away, even the locals were scoffing and spitting on them. This was because the rising took place during World War one when thousands of Irish men were overseas dying.

But the British made a fatal mistake by shooting these 14 rebels. In doing so, they became martyrs. In the course of two months, the support of the Irish had swung behind the Rising, and they were stirred up against the British, and in the following years, Ireland finally shook off the control of England.

 The flag of the Irish Republic now stands in the courtyard of Kilmainham -- the result of what these men died for.

We then hiked to Arbour Hill where the Rebels are buried.

 The mass grave where they are buried.

 The Irish Republic proclamation is engraved on the wall. On the left in Gaelic and on the right in English.

Glasnevin by Meghann

Glasnevin was founded in 1850 by Oliver Cromwell. The cemetery is 124 acres and over 1.5 million people are buried here. Many important historical figures are buried here including Daniel O’Connell, Michael Collins, and Thomas Addis Emmet MD. We recently had a project where we read a biography of famous people in Irish history. My biography was Daniel O’Connell, it was at Glasnevin’s where I was able to meet him and his children. His grave is one of the easiest to find among the cemetery. Mostly because it is a 51 meter high round tower. He was originally buried in O’Connell square, but his body was moved when the tower was finished in 1865.

It wasn’t only important figures who were buried here, others who joined in the rebellion are as well. Like a woman named Margaret Skinidder, a primary school teacher by day and a sniper for the rebels during her free time. The people of Ireland are also buried here and are still being buried here. There are several mass graves among the traditional burials. Buried with Nicolas Parnell are 11,538 citizens of Ireland who fought and died for the republic. We were unable to explore the entire Grave site, but we were able to see some very significant tombs. It was truly awe-inspiring.

Belfast

 

 This is a post which Eva wrote for our academic blog about our trip to Belfast. This blog contains the adventures of Brad, Meghann, Elizabeth, and Eva. 

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This past weekend we were in Northern Ireland. We spent a few nights on the coast of Downhill, a beach in front of the house and a cliff behind. It was beautiful. Our last day was spent in Belfast. We first heard a lecture from Brian, our bus driver. He shared his personal views and thoughts regarding the Troubles. After that, he drove us around Belfast. Noel joined us on the bus to tell us the other side of the story. It was very interesting to hear from both sides of the conflict, and it was uneasy to physically be in Belfast and feel the weight of sorrow in the city.

We heard from Brian first- so I will share what we learned from him. As we entered the city, Brian pointed out the peace wall as we drove past. He kept mentioning the murals that we would see and how they change often. This proves how the conflict and unrest are still present in Belfast. People are still exercising their freedom of speech because they want to be heard. Despite the reconciliation of peace in 1998, the peace walls are still standing today, although they are more emblems of the war. These peace walls go on for 22 miles, and a good portion of them are covered in murals. Now, we saw a good portion of murals, and it would take up the whole blog to go through and explain each. I also think that seeing the walls in person is more meaningful than reading about them. However, I will share a few that stood out to me during the morning with Brian. One mural simply had the quote, “It is not those who can inflict the most but those who can endure the most that will conquer.” I was not able to catch who said that but I found it profound. Even for my personal life. Another mural had pastel colored houses on a white background. Underneath each house had a child’s name. This got me thinking about how the Troubles affected families. The conflict went on for years and some people only new life between the start and end of the conflict. Again, I was saddened by these thoughts when I looked at the murals. Another mural depicted what is happening in the present with youth employment, learning, conflict resolution, reconciliation, and education. It was really neat to see that in the midst of tension today, the city is working hard on creating a better future for their children. The murals held so many other stories that struck a chord in my heart, but hopefully, that feeling is something that can be experienced by others in person.

We made a few stops with Brian to a few memorials. What stirred feelings of sadness in my heart was the thought that each neighborhood has a handful of memorials dedicated to all the lives that were lost during the conflict from each section of the city. The first memorial had a phoenix rising out of the ashes. This image is powerful in that it tells of rebirth and sunlight. Perhaps the hope was to show that from the horror, peace would be brought forth and light would be shed upon the darkness of Belfast. Another memorial listed civilians who were killed- including six women by the crown forces and loyalist murder gangs.

After some time learning about the Troubles with Brian, a man of similar age came on the bus. His name was Noel, and he held a very different perspective of the Troubles. Noel has spent the last 13 years working on the communication between the two sides of the Troubles and developing tours for people to learn and further understand the issues. What led him to be so passionate about enhancing communication on either side of the wall was from his experience of being an ex-politically motivated prisoner. As we toured around Belfast with Noel, he pointed out how the houses were built by mill owners. These homes were built without any windows to protect against sudden bombs. The houses at the top of the street were Protestant-owned, and the houses at the bottom were Catholic-owned. Noel would tell us about the barricades that were created on either side. After years of conflict, bombings, and prisoners, there was a ceasefire in 1994. However, the tension did not settle then. A peace treaty was drawn up in 1998, but I can attest to the tension and sadness that still exists in Belfast today. When the peace treaty was created, the prisoners who served over 2/3 of their sentence were released. This included Noel and so he was released. From our time with Noel, I was overwhelmed by the unrest and hatred that seemed to exist. At one point, Noel showed us a field of yellow flowers and said how that once was a bonfire during the conflict. My heart ached, but the beauty of the flowers almost seemed to be redemptive of the peace that is slowly coming back to these people. A mural that we saw depicted children playing games in black and white. As we moved along the wall, the color was introduced, and the kids began to play games from this century. The cloth football became a rubber ball, and a game of stones became a kid with a music player. This mural was to educate viewers on the good outcomes of such hard times. One final story that I will share is when Noel took out the guitar and played a song about Billy. It turns out that Billy was a union volunteer fighter who saved his whole team by throwing his body on top of a bomb that went off early. The song was moving, and I was saddened to hear that he was not given a grave.

At the end of the day we were all exhausted, and personally, I was confused, sad and still had so many questions about the Troubles. To come to Ireland and not know much about the history, I have felt a huge sense of empathy for what happened here. I have seen how the history lectures lead up to what is happening today in Ireland and I appreciate that. Belfast was a really interesting day, filled with so much information. However, it was emotionally challenging as well. Other blog sites have held a lot of history that is fascinating and inspiring almost. Belfast held history that confused me and made me revisit the idea of God in all of this. How has God used the conflict in Northern Ireland to bring people together? Surely that is seen through the relationship between Brian and Noel, but where else has that happened? Still, so many questions to ask and more to learn.