Utah State University and University of Nebraska Kearney 2022 Civil Rights Trip
Day 1 of our USU Ireland program – and just to hydrate our desert-y Utah people, the lovely Atlantic weather sent us sweet soft rain for the day! No enthusiasm dampened – we did a class on Irish Mythology, Fairy Folklore and Origin Stories, and then off we went to the Cavan Burren to explore the secular and sacred spaces of Ireland’s first farmers. We examined Atlantic Rock Art, climbed into portal tombs, saw 330-million-year-old limestone with fossils, we tasted wood sorrel and stood in mega-old hut sites, had a picnic, and everyone was still smiling all the way home!
Day 2 of our Utah State University trip- began in the classroom with a lesson from Niamh all about Iron Age Ireland, including the Epic ‘Táin’ story, and naturally we had to go visit Queen Medb and hike up to her cairn on Knocknaree. Those views! We also visited Creevykeel Court Cairn, and we finished off our hike with a yummy icecream at Mammy Johnston’s Ice Cream Parlour & Cafe in beautiful Strandhill, County Sligo. Fabulous day!
What an afternoon! Utah State University were guests of Bundoran Surf Co – most of the students had never surfed before, – but into wetsuits we got, and after a great training session on the beach, they hit the waves. Thanks so much to Ilyena for the photos- there were loads more, but we just loved the happy faces in this collection!
On day 4, our Utah State University group studied the Irish writing revival of the 20th Century, and then off we went to visit the beautiful landscapes known as Yeats Country, including the Yeats Grave at Drumcliffe, Glencar Waterfall, the Constance Markievicz monument, and beautiful Sligo City. Lots of Yeats poetry read as we went along – a really beautiful day.
Discover Sligo Yeats Society Sligo, Ireland #aggiesinireland #GoAggies #wbyeats
Today, we travelled up into West Donegal and took the Ferry to Arranmore Island, a stunningly scenic and historic Irish-speaking island. This is one of our favourite field trips, and today was no exception, even though the weather was typically ‘Atlantic’ – soft rain, a brisk Westerly wind, – it did our hairstyles no favours, but other than that, what a day! Our first stop after the ferry was at the Beaver Island Memorial, which celebrates the connection between Beaver Island in Michigan, and Arranmore Island. It’s quite a surprise to see this beautiful sculpture in a lake in the middle of such a remote place, but it was very fitting for our group. Thousands of Irish families emigrated to escape starvation in Ireland in the 19C, and Beaver Island became a new home, particularly for Arranmore islanders. The island had previously been a home to a community of Mormons, who moved further west, and their abandoned homes provided a new start for the Irish emigrants.
We then hiked over to the lighthouse, and expertly supervised by John and Niamh, we went down the famous lighthouse steps to see the extraordinary cliffs and caves on this very remote island. Foam was swirling around like snowflakes, and it was just an incredible experience- Niamh had told us about island life, and the hardships and endurance of the islanders, but it’s such a deeply impressive place, and we were the only people there.
By the time we had explored the far side of the island, (and thanks to busdrivers Kevin and Sean) we stopped off at Early’s Bar for some delicious food- and an impromptu gig! Erik and Niamh treated us to a raucous performance of ‘Las Vegas, Hills of Donegal’ and then Jerry, the landlord sat down beside the turf fire, and treated us to an amazing performance, he told us the story of a rescue by the Arranmore Lifeboat in which locals saved 18 men – and then he sang a song he wrote about this event – it’s called ‘I’ll go’, https://open.spotify.com/track/1SEdMFvYhwv7DmgiVVJGPK…
Our thanks to everyone who made the day very special – the Arranmore Ferry, our Bus Drivers, and especially the staff at Early’s Bar, and Jerry Early, and Erik and Niamh for the craic, and John for chaperoning us up and down the steps. Awesome!
Earlys Bar Arranmore Island Arranmore Ferry Utah State University Údarás na Gaeltachta Arranmore Island #aggiesinireland #GoAggies
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