Archaeology Field Trip #4: Overnight to the Burren and Sites around Co. Clare, September 16-17, 2008

Well, the best was certainly saved for last. I remembered loving the Burren (a karst, barren, limestone landscape in Co. Clare) but I didn’t expect my return to be quite so…triumphant!

We started at Kilfenora, the only cathedral in the Burren (it still is recognized as a cathedral, too…it’s technically directly under the authority of the Pope since it doesn’t have a bishop). We went to go see it’s 12th century high crosses but it’s also known as the shooting location of an episode of one of the world’s best television shows: “Father Ted.” The high crosses were beautiful and it was nice to get out and wander around a bit after our several-hour-long bus trip.





Next, we went to Leamaneh Castle. Leamaneh was originally a tower house (like Ballinacarriga…see trip #1) but was added to to make a fortified house (like Coppinger’s Court, also trip #1). We couldn’t get terribly close since the property owner keeps the field locked up (in an attempt to get money from the government to make the site more protected as well as accessible).



From Leamaneh Castle we drove to Poulnabrone, a portal tomb (again, a form from around 4000-3000BC). Poulnabrone is interesting for a couple of reasons: First, its image is used in nearly every tourism scheme imaginable (see my picture? Seen it before? Yeah.). Secondly, it is in the part of the Burren designated as a national park. Because the barren limestone landscape is primarily a result of erosion from overfarming, the national park part of the Burren has already begun to revert back to a tree-covered grassy green area with significant soil build-up over the last twenty years or so. So, the part of the Burren designated by the government to be protected so as to preserve this “unique landscape” is becoming like the rest of Ireland whereas the unprotected bits are distinctly Burren-like.



From Poulnabrone, we made our way to Corcomroe Cistercian Abbey (loads of clambering all over rock walls and exploring! I felt like a little kid again!) and then Cahercommaun (a cashel, or stone ringfort). We ended our day at the Cliffs of Moher before heading to Ennistymon to check in for the night and head out to the pub.







Expecting a hostel, we were stunned when we arrived at the Fall’s Hotel, Ennistymon…it was a real hotel! There were only two people in each room and we had soft beds with pillow-top mattresses! Our dinner was three courses! I woke up the next morning and my back did not hurt!

After a wonderful hot breakfast, we left for Quin Franciscan Friary. In remarkably good condition, Quin features a gorgeously preserved cloister and, again, much clambering about made the day even better.







From Quin, we went to Moughaun Hillfort. The thing about Moughaun is that it’s important because it is gigantic (the central ring is 100m in diameter). But since it’s so big and since it’s a hillfort (an earthen construction) there really is nothing to see. Instead, we climbed/walked to the center of it, imagined being in the center of a huge construction, and moved on.

We finished the day by going to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. For those in the dark, Bunratty is a bit like the Colonial Williamsburg of Ireland. Or perhaps Disneyland. Every night they do “medieval banquets” for coach tours (we had to go to one during our orientation…oh god). The folk park is filled with reconstructed cottages, random farm animals, and re-enactors (re-enactors give me the heeby-jeebies. I hate it when people are “in character” at sites like this…that’s my main problem with Renn Fairs.) So lunch was great and instead of being creeped out by re-enactors or thinking about how strange and tourist trappy Bunratty is, I played on the playground and ran about looking at cute animals.

The trip to the Burren and County Clare was a great way to end our Early Start. The weather could not have been better and it was fun to be able to climb around and explore like a kid again.

Archaeology Field Trip #3: No. Cork, September 11, 2008

Unfortunately, the bad weather luck that we experienced in Dublin continued to haunt us on our third field trip to the Northern parts of County Cork and the Southern part of County Tipperary. While not as rainy as Dublin, our third trip was misty and plagued by a biting cold wind.

We began with Labbacallee Wedge Tomb, one of the biggest wedge tombs (a prehistoric type of tomb from c. 4000-3000 BC) in Ireland. “Labbacallee” is an Irish name that translates to “Bed of the Witch” and may reflect an oral tradition that survived from the prehistoric period (since the remains of an older woman were excavated from the tomb as well as the remains of two younger men). The largest capstone on this tomb is about 10 tons in size and the entire tomb is impressive for its size and complexity (a triple-walled tomb with three sloping capstones).

We moved from there to the Mitchelstown Caves. No archaeological significance here whatsoever. They’re just kinda cool.

We finished the day by visiting the Rock of Cashel, a complex of structures in Tipperary. While the Rock features a large Gothic cathedral and more recent buildings, the main reason for our visit was to see Cormac’s Chapel, the finest example of Romanesque architecture in Ireland. The chapel is impressive, even next to the larger and newer Gothic cathedral.

Despite the bad weather, the Mitchelstown Caves were a fun tourist-y break from our class routine and the Labbacallee tomb was impressive. Cashel was beautiful and fun to wander around. Unlike Dublin, we didn’t get drenched and we did not have to deal with surly national monument employees. 

Archaeology Field Trip #2: Overnight to Dublin, Meath, & Louth: September 4th and 5th

For our second archaeology field trip we left at 7am (meaning I had to leave my apartment at 6:30!) for an overnight trip to the Dublin area. While Ireland is a small country, it still takes about 4 hours to drive to Dublin so by the time we arrived, everyone was eager to leave the bus!

We started at the National Museum of Ireland, Archaeology (yay!) on Kildare Street. The Archaeology NMI has such an outstanding collection and it was fun to wander about a bit and see the pieces we’d been studying in person. Highlights here included: Viking artifacts from Woodquay (Viking version predecessor of Dublin), late Bronze Age gold artifacts (including lock rings, gorgets, and early Bronze Age lunulae), the Tara Brooch and Ardagh Chalice (and most everything else in the “treasury”) and, of course, the bog-mummies!

After a mildly disappointing lunch across the street (tea sandwiches and salty soup…we were hungry, darnit!) we trucked over to Christ Church Cathedral. Dublin’s a great city, but not much fun to walk through with a group of 30+. Also, I’d sort of forgotten how oddly kind everyone in Cork is. Dublin is a much…harder-skinned place.

Christ Church is a beautiful cathedral originally founded by a Viking king in 1030. The main part of the standing church, however, is from the late 12^th/early 13^th centuries. Down in the crypt you can see the mummified remains of a cat and mouse that got trapped in the organ pipes upstairs. The nave of the cathedral is mostly Gothic (with some Romanesque in the chancel). The floor tiles are colorful replicas of the original and feature the image that has become synonymous with Christ Church: the “foxy friars” (I am really not making this name up. It’s really what they call them. I swear.) The foxy friars are two abstract, fox-like figures in monastic garb and not only are they on the floor tiles, but they have also been carved into the chairs for the congregation.

After leaving Dublin city, we went to Monasterboice to see the famed high crosses. Once a key monastic center, Monasterboice features two of the finest early high crosses in all of Ireland and a wonderful example of a round tower (which is, as its name would indicate, a round free-standing tower that was originally and primarily a bell tower). Muiredach’s Cross is the finest carved in the area and the complex iconography on it is still widely studied. (Note: These pictures are from about five years ago...the weather was too bad to take any others this go around).

We spent the night in the village of Slane (a place known mostly for its castle, which has played host to some of the biggest rock acts seen in Ireland: U2, Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rolling Stones, etc.). We stayed in the Slane Farm Hostel (I was in a room with twelve beds! Yikes!) and that evening went back into the village center to the pub there (the first round being graciously purchased by our professor on the program’s tab).

The next morning broke cold, grey, and rainy. We bussed over to Newgrange, a famous Neolithic passage tomb. While Newgrange is fantastic, the rudeness of the heritage centre’s staff and the whipping wind and freezing rain certainly put a damper on our experience. Drenched and cold, we went to the village of Trim. (Note: Like Monasterboice, this picture of Newgrange is from about 5 years ago...the weather on this last trip would not allow me to take any pictures...really...it was that bad).

Trim Castle, from the 12^th century, is the best-preserved Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland (it was used during the filming of Braveheart). Again, an otherwise interesting site was hurried through by numbed and dripping students and professor.

Four hours later we arrived back in Cork city excited to get in our hot showers and crawl into bed. While Dublin’s a great place, I know that I made the right decision in studying in Cork. Cork is so much more navigable and the people are generous and kind. Nice to visit, Dublin made a fun day-trip (despite the wretched weather) but I was definitely glad to be back “home” on the River Lee.

BOTW #3: HobNob's

Again, sorry for the delay...I had this post all ready to go and post first thing this morning, but then I realized I somehow deleted all my pictures for this week's BOTW? Somehow? I really have no idea where they went. I normally write each of these posts about a week in advance, so the HobNobs are long gone right now so I'm just going to nick some pictures off the internet...Yeah, so...sorry 'bout that.

Name: HobNobs
Producer: McVitties

After my ridiculously transcendent experience with the now-oft-dreamt-about Club Milk last week, I decided to take it back to basics for this next post. I consider biscuits part of a dessert-like teatime routine so when I’m at SuperValu or Tesco’s I tend to pick up those biscuits of the chocolate-covered, cream-filled, and decadent variety. Tea biscuits before all these fancy modern toppings and fillings, however, used to be a much simpler affair. The McVitties HobNob is a perfect example of how even a plain biscuit can make for a great teatime snack.


HobNobs are simple, dry, crunchy, and slightly sweetened oat cookies. McVitties describes them as “Nobbly, oaty biscuits.” Now I don’t know about you, but I have no idea what they mean by “nobbly” and my spell-checker is getting very frustrated with that word. If I could hazard a guess, however, I would say “nobbly” has to do with the texture. And let’s face it, the texture is the most important and appealing part of the HobNob.

With “Oat & Wholemeal Goodness,” HobNobs feature large pieces of oats that give the biscuit a crumbly bite and keep it from being boring to chew. This crumbly texture combined with the oaty (Ok, McVitties. You win. I’ll use your silly made up word, too.) sweetness give HobNobs the overall impression of a really really really good graham cracker (really!). The texture holds up and the biscuit stays together enough to survive short dunkings into hot tea but it is also not too dry to enjoy without tea.

HobNobs are a classic digestive-type biscuit and are well-loved in Ireland as well as Great Britain. HobNobs also come in the chocolate-covered persuasion, for those interested. McVitties, the makers of HobNobs, are the king of the biscuit world (and they wield their crunchy, chocolatey, creamy scepter with wisdom and justice). They make many of the most popular biscuits in the market today, including Penguins (definitely to be profiled in the near future).

HobNobs are a perfectly simple biscuit great for dunking (and for detoxing from an overdose of Club Milk…). I’ll definitely grab a roll to toss in the cupboard whenever I’m feeling like I need “comfort biscuits” and I can easily justify eating (nay! demolishing!) that roll in fairly short order…HobNobs are, after all, a “good source of fibre.”

The end of the start...and the start of the...new...start?

Today I finished and turned in my final paper for my Early Start course ("The archaeology of Ireland from prehistory to the early modern period") and all that's left now is the final exam in the middle of October. It's nice to have the work done and turned in, but I'll miss the class. I learned a ton and through our four field trips I got to see a ton of great stuff.

Speaking of field trips, I've already written about our first one but I'll try and post something about the other three soon. I'm going to try and get them written up before regular classes start on Monday.

Also, today I bought a hat. A jaunty cap, if you will. I quite like it. It was only 3 euros...hoorah for Penney's! 

BOTW #2: Club Milk

(Sorry for the delay today in posting this, I had a longer-than-normal day at school and then got wrapped up in writing my final paper for archaeology that it sort of slipped my mind.)

Name: Club Milk
Producer: Jacob’s Biscuits, Jacob Fruitfield Foods Limited


I fear I may have peaked too soon…It is only week two of BOTW and I have eaten possibly the best biscuit in all of Ireland. It’s true. The Club Milk is heaven-sent. It combines a solid crunch with delicious creamy chocolate. It’s a good size for enjoying with a cup of tea and is filling without being overwhelming.

The festive yellow and wrapper describes the Club Milk, saying it “combines a crunchy biscuit sandwiched with a chocolate flavour cream filling smothered in Thick Milk Chocolate” (their capitalization, not mine).



Once you’ve opened the wrapper you are confronted with a hefty-looking chocolate covered bar embossed with Club Milk on the top. The bar is about the width of two Kit Kats but about half the length, the perfect snack size.


As you bite into the Club Milk you notice the formidable crunch of the two biscuit layers. Unlike last week’s biscuit, the Wagon Wheel, with its semi-stale soft biscuit, the Club Milk bar has so much texture that you’d think it was made just that morning. As the biscuit bites away, you are left munching happily through delicious cookie and can enjoy the chocolate.


Again, unlike the Wagon Wheel the Club Milk has a generous layer of milk chocolate (er…“Thick Milk Chocolate” I suppose) all around the outside, especially the side-walls (yum!!!). This thick layer of chocolate adds to the crunch and bite of the bar. The chocolate layer between the biscuits is equally chocolate-y and delicious!

After a bit of internet digging, it turns out that my (now)beloved Club Milk bar is actually an “Original Club Milk”…apparently in the UK Club Orange and Club Mint are both available. I haven’t yet seen them here in Ireland, but I’ll be sure to keep an eye open.

In the end, I’m afraid I’ve spoiled my BOTW appetite by picking the Club Milk so early in the game. While I love my Wagon Wheels and Jaffa Cakes (also made by Jacob’s, by the way!) and Penguins, the Club Milk is a rich, hearty, indulgent kind of biscuit that I’m sure I’ll pick up whenever I feel I deserve a special kind of treat with my “nice cuppa.”

Biscuit of the Week #1: Wagon Wheels

Name: Wagon Wheels

Producer: Burton's Foods

Slogan: "You've got to grin to get it in!"

This is the first in an ongoing series of reviews to be published weekly (or thereabouts) in which I will explore the biscuit I have bought to go with my tea for the preceding week.

The first biscuit in the Biscuit of the Week series, Burton’s “Wagon Wheels” are billed as “delicious mallow biscuit covered with a chocolate flavored coating.” While undoubtedly delicious, Wagon Wheels are an odd combination of lackluster ingredients coming together to make something interesting enough to be a more-than-enjoyable teatime accompaniment.

Burton’s Wagon Wheels have the distinct appeal that many basic digestive biscuits and tea cookies lack…a shockingly bright wrapper with pictures on! In this case, the wrapper is a bright tomato red with a cartoon of a cowboy driving his team of two horses pulling the stagecoach so fast through a desert landscape that motion lines streak from the wheels. Given the Wagon Wheel’s popularity and staying power (originally produced in the 1940s, relaunched in 2002), I would say the Wild West is the way to go!



The first ingredient you see when you confront the Wagon Wheel itself is the chocolate coating or, as Burton’s worryingly describes it, “chocolate flavored coating.” To be honest, I couldn’t really tell you if the coating is chocolate flavored or not. The layer is so thin as to be practically non-existent: a mere veil of chocolate to add nothing more than a strange ripply texture to the whole thing.



Next up, the biscuits. Again, I find it difficult to describe the undeniable appeal of a cookie that is made of such independently non-descript ingredients. In this case, the biscuit layers of the Wagon Wheel make an overall impression of…well…nothing. On their own, they are a bit bland and a bit stale and give only a very slight crunch to the assemblage.

The final component of the Wagon Wheel, the marshmallow center, is possibly the most enigmatic. Like the “chocolate flavored coating,” the mallow is in a very thin layer in the center. It fulfills the basic requirements of mallow in that it’s spongy and sticky, but it does not have a flavor that really stands out when given the entirety of the cookie. Instead it seems meant only to give a bit of cushion between the biscuit layers and a bit of bounce to your bite.



While the description of the individual components of this biscuit is surely an exercise in futility and ultimately paints an unappetizing image of the Wagon Wheel as a whole, to eat a Wagon Wheel is to understand. Something happens when those three bland ingredients come crashing together and an entirely new biscuit of deliciousness rises from the wreckage. The lurid red packaging of the biscuit proudly proclaims “You’ve got to grin to get it in” and the biscuit is indeed as large as the mouth of my favorite tea mug. But even if the Wagon Wheel were smaller (perhaps along the lines of a Wheelbarrow Wheel or something?), I’d still be grinning at how a biscuit that should by all rights be absolutely dreadful can taste so delicious.

(Below, a clip from a sketch by comediennes French and Saunders. In it, Jennifer is eating a Wagon Wheel. Now, my Wagon Wheels are most definitely not that large, but debate rages on among biscuit aficionados over how much smaller the cookies have become over the years.)

Archaeology Field Trip #1: West Cork - Friday, August 29, 2008

For those of you who don’t know or who aren’t sure how my academic situation in Ireland works, I’m enrolled in an Intro to Irish Archaeology course that is specifically for visiting students. It is an “Early Start” course, meaning this class runs the four weeks before the regular semester begins. As part of this course, I have four field trips. The first of these field trips was last week (Friday, August 29) and we visited several sites in the western part of County Cork. (Larger versions of all images can be seen by clicking on them).


View Larger Map

The first site we traveled to was the Garranes Ringfort. From the Early Medieval period, the “Ringfort” is currently only visible as a large round clearing surrounding by a series of three banks and ditches. Even though we only saw the archaeological footprint of Garranes, it was impressive (and helpful) to be able to visualize the size of the place and its relation to the surrounding landscape. Garranes was the ringfort of one of the kings of Ireland (nothing to write home about…in this period there are about 150 kings) and is rumored to be the birthplace of St. Finbarr, the patron saint of Cork city. Interestingly, very little evidence of domestic occupation or even military usage was found in the two excavations of the site. Instead, evidence of high-status craftwork (bronze, glass, pottery) was found in abundance leading some archaeologists to conclude that Garranes was used as a camp for craftsmen (but having the potential to shelter a community in times of need).

Here is a photo taken from the top of the innermost bank surrounding the site looking into the cleared center (the perimeter has become overgrown with trees and, unfortunately, nettles).

The second site we visited was the Ballinacarriga Tower house. This house, built sometime before 1585, is a classic example of a medieval fortified tower house. It has bartizans (overhanging mounted turrets), slit windows, the remains of a bawn wall (defensive wall), and is made of thick walls of stone. It also has a Sheela-na-gig, an exhibitionist figure, on the eastern wall. The house is also notable for the carvings in the converted chapel in the top of the structure. One such carving shows the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene lamenting at the crucifixion, but they are dressed in the traditional clothing of Gaelic women of the time (with ring pins). The Ballinacarriga house represents the late medieval renaissance of Gaelic traditions.

Here is an image of the main tower house:

And of the Sheela-na-gig:

And a dim image of the carving of the two Mary’s upstairs:

After lunching in Clonakilty (the hometown of Michael Collins), we continued on our trip down around Rosscarbery on the coast to Coppinger’s Court.

Coppinger’s Court is a semi-fortified house from the early modern period (c. 1616). It is completely in ruin and we could only safely go so far into the structure. It sits in a working cow pasture and part of the adventure of seeing the site was the process of jumping a stone fence, walking among two dozen head of open range cattle, clambering over an electric fence, and climbing one last stone wall (all with the permission of the farmer who we ran into as we approached the site). Unlike Ballinacarriga, Coppinger’s Court is much less focused on defense and more focused on appearance. The machicolations at Ballinacarriga (slits over the door for pouring hot water, etc. on the heads of attackers battering the front) can be seen at Coppinger’s but they are far too narrow for anyone to fit into and use, thus rendering them impractical and merely a decorative element.

The final site we visited was Drombeg with its standing stone circle, fulachta fiadh, and two conjoined circular huts from the bronze age (a rare find). The standing stone circle consists of 17 stones (stone circles always have an odd number of stones) aligned on the winter solstice sunset. In the center, the cremated remains of one individual were found buried although these remains are probably of a dedicatory nature (the stone circle is likely not a burial monument).

To the west, the footprint of two conjoined huts were found and one had evidence of a roasting oven. Finds of such permanent structures from this period in Ireland’s pre-history are exceedingly rare.

Here is an image of my professor standing in the center of the west-most hut with the stone circle just behind and to the right.

The other site making up the relatively small and unusual Drombeg complex is a fulachta fiadh. Fulachta fiadh are a common Bronze Age archaeological find in Ireland but there function is still enigmatic. Most would argue that they are temporary hunter’s kitchens (as described in many later Irish sources such as epic poetry cycles), but some also argue they could have served as saunas (unlikely) or early breweries (also unlikely). A fulachta fiadh consists of a horseshoe-shaped ring of burnt and cracked stones surrounding a water trough (normally lined with wood or stone) and a hearth area near that trough. Experimental archaeology leads to the conclusion that the user would heat stones in the hearth area and then dump the stones into the water trough, heating the water to boiling. Experiments have shown that a trough of water could be brought to boiling in 18 minutes after the stones were introduced to the water and kept hot for 3 hours, long enough to boil meat. The used stones would be discarded, thus forming the wall around the area.

This particular fulachta fiadh is odd for several reasons. First, it is not on the banks of a wetland area like nearly all others (the trough of water is naturally filled because the usual locations of fulachta fiadh have such high water tables). Also, the stones forming the surrounding wall did not show evidence of being heated and were too large to fit in the trough suggesting that this particular fulachta fiadh was built as a permanent structure. Finally, the proximity to the stone circle as well as the conjoined huts suggest that Drombeg was a complete ritual complex perhaps with a permanent guardian.

Here is an image of a fulachta fiadh:

A full day of archaeological sites in the west of the county finished, we drove the couple of hours back to Cork city for the night. A recap and images of the second field trip (an overnight to Dublin) should be posted soon.

Part 2: The Apartment

Here's a bit of a photo tour of my apartment. Some changes have been made since these pictures were taken (for example, I have added a large map of Ireland to one wall and my bedding is different) but they should give you a basic idea of where I am living this year.

Having lived in some pretty grim "student housing" situations in the past, I wasn't exactly holding my breath in eager anticipation when I first walked out of the elevator and down the (really really really long) hall to my fourth-floor apartment in Cork. I always figured that no matter how bad, I could always endure it for a year. I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the accommodations and I am glad that my year-long residence will be nicer than what I was prepared to deal with.

I live in an apartment that consists of four bedrooms along a hallway and a large combination sitting room/kitchen. We have a washer/dryer in unit (yes, it's the exact same machine for both functions), a television, and two surprisingly comfortable couches. There are only two of us living here for now, but our other two roommates should come soon (probably for the regular semester in late September).

Here's the view when you look down the hall to the right after entering our front door.

My room is around the corner to the left of the main hall and at the end of the apartment.

Here's the succession of views as if you were backing into my room...I have a bit of a corridor into the main space.

That door to the left is to my....VERY OWN BATHROOM! I definitely was NOT expecting to have my own bathroom, but I will gladly accept! I've never had my own bathroom before!

Of course, it has its own little Irish idiosyncrasies. For example, the mirror is not directly above the sink but to the side; the sink has the standard separate taps for hot and cold (so no lukewarm water for me!) but the hot tap is slightly out of place, so it's difficult to use it without sloshing water out of the sink into the trash can below; the shower is tiny...you can not get in unless you have both doors open since they each only open about 10 inches wide; no storage: we're talking no shelves, no cabinets, not even counterspace...my toothbrush, toothpaste, hand soap, and washcloth are all precariously balanced about the sink taps.

Continuing down the hall...

This is (obviously) my desk, under one of my THREE windows! Lovely lovely light!

And here's my bed under the largest of my three windows. As I said, my bedding's different now and I added a pillow, but I'm still using my Monsters, Inc. pillowcase!

And my "armoire" directly across from the bed.

And back out the hall and into the common area...
The "settees"...blue velvet-y!

The kitchen/dining room...the little white unit is the combo washer/dryer (seems like a good idea? It's not. But it'll do. Plus, it's not a laundrette so no dragging clothes across the city and no paying!)

Snarky comments aside, the apartment is fantastic. It's about five minutes walk from downtown Cork meaning I'm only five minutes from great live music most every night. It only takes about 20-25 minutes to campus and it's a nice walk up around Saint Finbarre's Cathedral.

I hope the pictures give you a sense of where I'm living for the next year...I'll try and post more pictures of the city and the UCC campus soon.

Anna in Ireland: Part 1!

This is a view of the Parnell Bridge spanning the River Lee. I cross this bridge every day to get to the center of the city and back again to my apartment.



It’s hard to believe that I’ve only been in Ireland for about two weeks and Cork city itself for just a week and a half. I’m trying to get my blog back up and running, so I’m going to give a fairly cursory description of the last couple of weeks, beginning with my program orientation in Limerick and moving to Cork…

My flights from the States were relatively uneventful (excepting, of course, the completely hammered New Jerseyans wedging me against the window on my trans-Atlantic journey) but long and sleepless. When I finally arrived in Shannon airport, I’d been awake for far too long and operating on far too little sleep. I’d met another year-long student from ASU at the airport in Newark and when we got through customs we had two other guys from the program waiting for us. The four of us rode in a cab/minivan into Limerick, chatting with the driver the whole way (if you ever find yourself in Shannon airport with lots of people and bags needing to find their way to Limerick, just ask for Tom Quinn from Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare. He’s fantastic.)

Having checked in at our orientation hotel (the Jury’s Inn, a UK-based chain a bit like Holiday Inn), the four of us decided to fight jet lag as best we could by exploring the city a bit. Our first stop was directly across from the hotel entrance: Spar. Spar is a small convenience store chain that has a deli/sandwich counter. Exhausted and hungry we approached the sandwich counter in our little herd and ordered some delicious-sounding lunch much to the bemusement of the staff. It wasn’t until we’d sat down outside and began eating our meals until we realized the cause of the strange looks the lot of us had been getting in the store…we were happily and obliviously eating our “lunch” at 8:45 in the morning.

One “Marco Pollo” chicken sandwich later, I was walking along the streets of Limerick with my fellow students. We followed the River Shannon for a while, heading towards the very visible King John’s Castle. After walking around the castle for a few minutes and then finding our way back to the hotel, we decided to take short naps until the first orientation meal that night at 6pm. Dinner was about what you’d expect from a budget hotel, but it was nice to meet the other 11 Early Start students going through IFSA-Butler and one of our coordinators (Fiona).

The next couple of days in Limerick were filled with basic orientation stuff. Luckily, our afternoons were free to recover from the information overload and I ended up visiting the City Gallery of Art (with a great video art installation from Glasgow) and the Hunt Museum (an eclectic collection of art and archaeological artifacts…if you ever find yourself at the Hunt Museum in need of a tour, ask for Arthur the docent. He’s fantastic, too.) On Monday and Tuesday night, we went to a pub called Dolan’s which is mostly known in town for having live music (mostly traditional sessions) every night. On Wednesday, our final night, we went to the glistening tourist-trap mecca of Bunratty Castle. While the castle is beautiful and significant, the “Medieval Banquet” complete with costumed wait-staff, “medieval” music, and a startling lack of utensils is most certainly not. That evening still exists in my memory like a vivid dream…Bunratty is a bit like Disneyland in that it’s hard to decide whether to cry or laugh at the utter absurdity of it all. Also, lots of bright colors. And crying old ladies from Jersey. Really, New Jersey is a small state so why are its inhabitants everywhere I go?

Thursday morning the twelve of us loaded onto a bus to head out to Cork. We arrived at our apartments around 10:30am and, after stopping only to drop our stuff off in our apartments, went out with a couple of the Butler coordinators in town for the day for a quick tour around our new homebase. We were shown the all-important “nearest grocery store” and headed across town up to the University College Cork campus. We ended our journey with lunch at a restaurant called Curran’s. Of all the free meals we had been fed up until this point, the Curran’s meal was possibly the best. I chose the “Supreme of Curran’s Chicken” (a chicken breast stuffed with a garlic cream cheese and wrapped in bacon with roasted potatoes and gravy) and, as my desert option, Banoffi pie (graham cracker-like crust, toffee sauce (sorta…it’s actually Eagle sweetened condensed milk that’s been heated slowly in its can so that it caramelizes a bit), bananas, and whipped cream all served with a scoop of the most amazing dark chocolate ice cream I’ve ever had). The restaurant itself is cozy and bustling. Much of the architecture and décor of the place is salvaged from other parts of Cork: the name of the restaurant and its sign come from a bakery that used to be in that same location, wrought-iron railings are from the original Cork General Post Office, there’s even a choir box serving as booth seats in the middle of the main dining room.

After lunch, our coordinators left to return home to Limerick and we were left to our own devices. That being said, the majority of us set out immediately to buy Ethernet cables so that we could connect to the internet back in our apartments. Other basic items, like towels, sheets, and shampoo were quickly purchased and most of us went back to the apartments planning to spend the afternoon and evening in, attempting to get settled.