We were given a late start today, as our first lecture was at 10. There, Lisa taught us about the tropes behind The Quiet Man and several of the themes behind the movie. It was interesting how Lady Gregory, who grew up in a unionist family that was loyal to Britain, wrote several nationalist poems. It really showed me the division and turbulent times that marked 19th century and early 20th century Ireland.
After lunch, we departed for the famine walk with Mick Gibbons. It was very windy and several people had wipeouts while we walked over bogs, but the view and places we saw were amazing. We saw a Protestant house that served starving people, but only if they converted from Catholicism, and we observed several abandoned potato fields and houses.
After the hike, we saw a sheepdog in action and the group got to shear sheep and feed lambs. Then, we got a chance to shovel bog mud to supply fuel for Ireland. With our work for the day done, we were given a nice dinner and the night off for free time. Overall, it was an incredible day with several great views, a great deal of information about Irish history and its landscape, and sheep.
(Thanks to Meg Bennington and Spencer Lee for their contributions!)
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