Ceilidh at the Irish Cultural Institute

July 8, 2011

Shortly after we arrived at UCD, we went for a walking tour of Dublin.  Dublin is a lively city which oozes character.  We started our tour on O’Connell Street followed by a promenade in the ‘Cultural Quarter’ known as the Temple Bar.  We also visited the grounds of Trinity College followed by promenade down Grafton Street, known for its shopping and enthusiastic street performers. 

We became very patriotic when we came upon a Tim Horton’s and many of us simply had to make a purchase.

The most memorable part of our evening was however the Ceilidh at the Irish Cultural Institute in the southern suburb of Monkstown.  The Ceilidh is a group Irish dance accompanied by live music.  Not only did we get to hear traditional Irish music, we also had the opportunity to learn a few Irish jigs.  Even those of us who never thought of themselves as dancers could not resist joining in the fun!!

We also celebrated a very special day.  Happy Birthday Aliya!!

Mr. Del Monte’s Class

Poetry Reading by Andrea Bowser

July 8, 2011

Mr. Del Monte took my class and I to a pub called “The Queys” for us to read the poems that we wrote to one another. Galway was an amazing city. It seemed to have a magic that we have never seen because everyone there was so happy and patriotic to Ireland. This was a great experience for me because the ambience that was around us really made the mood a lot more fun. I think that as a class it made us closer to one another because we were able to express our feelings in our poems. I found it very nerve racking at first but then as I stood up, and everything became a lot calmer and I became closer to everyone after because I realized no one had judged me or laughed at me. The class just listened to mine and listened to everyone else’s with respect. It was really nice to stand up in front of everyone and have the respect that we gave one another. I hope that we are able to go out as a class and learn together with fun, and respect as we did today.