Assessing the Damage

We've reached the halfway point in the program, and assessments and paper topics loom large in the future. But the independent exploration continues.

I wanted to share some of these photos; over the weekend, Brittany and I took a day trip out to see the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. In the house of our Burren guide (his grandmother's, formerly) we found the hallway to the WC. I recall one student in our Folk Art class doing her paper on a signature wall in her friend's home. Finding another example on the other side of the world seemed like a good time to draw some connections. The walls are covered in messages from visitors worldwide, including some rather interesting illustrations.









In the case of our tour guide, John is a farmer, whose family has owned and worked the land for over 200 years. With his degree in Irish culture and archeology, he runs tours of his family's land, and at the end invited everyone in to Granny's cottage to enjoy some of Mum's apple pie. Now, who could say "no" to such a delight?

 

It appears that John's guests have taken to leaving their appreciation for his efforts. I didn't get a chance to ask about the hall, as we were being rushed back to the bus for more excellent commentary, and a few more sites before the Cliffs of Moher.

An Update on Our Status

We are all alive and well. We are all, however, exhausted after a busy week of classes, dancing, lectures, and exploring.

This weekend we will be spending our Sunday in the Aran islands, and Saturday will have some adventure, and tomorrow we propose to rent bikes and take ourselves over to Claddagh to view the region that named the ring design. We've already been to the Claddagh ring museum, helpfully located in the back room of a shop, so we can only hope that the fields that make up Claddagh are just as impressive. And then the purchasing of rings to mark the occasion. The authenticity of the moment is overwhelming; or that's the five miles of walking every day (conservative guess).