At the start of the day, my class had a guided tour of historic Dublin, lead by the on-location leader of the Global Experiences Dublin program, Peter. I had the unique opportunity to see a different, more historical side of Dublin. Peter told us an enormous amount of detail about all of the history of Dublin. While most of the facts were general historical facts, actually hearing about them in the location was an amazing experience.
Throughout the entire tour, we probably walked around three miles, and I took dozens of pictures. Below you can see various photos, with general descriptions!
We started out tour in Trinity College, the oldest college of Dublin, Ireland.
From there, we walked around Dublin, looking at the beautiful and intricate city. We also visited the river walk.
Finally, after a long walk, we ended up at the Dublin Castle. While it may not look like a typical castle, the Dublin Castle was at the heart of what is called the “Old City.”
The Museum of Archeology
After we finished up on our Dublin tour, my group headed to the National Museum of Archeology. This museum housed everything from Ancient Egyptian relics to various pre-historic weapons. And while archeology is generally not my favorite area, I really enjoyed the Ireland specific sections of the museum.
As a part of the course-work, we were asked to identify an interesting aspect of the museum. Obviously there is additional class work, but part of the assignment is to discuss the importance of what we highlighted. For my assignment, I went throughout the museum, cataloging the various weapons that they had on display. It is fascinating to see how weaponry has developed over the centuries. Originally, spears and arrows were not used as forms of aggression; however, in more modern terms, these objects have negative, war-like connotations.
If you really think about it, the progression and development of weaponry over time has moved from an idea of survival to one of war. As seen in the photos below, the original, more simple weapons (from the pre-historic era) were used as a source of survival. While this can sometimes be identified as protecting territory, these weapons were never used to actively conquer and kill others. More often than not, weapons were used for hunting and for defense.
At some point in history, the use of weapons moved from survival to aggression. As seen in the Medieval Ireland weaponry, uses of swords and bows and arrows moved into being identified as war-weapons. Furthermore, the development of the cannon and guns furthered this idea of un-needed aggression. While the use might have originally been aligned with defense and survival, as time progressed, people began to identify weaponry as a means to power and war.
Most people see the photos above and recognize the Viking influence. It’s true, the Vikings were a huge part of the history of Ireland. This may also allude to the aggression that is identified with the weapons. Typically, the Vikings are identified as a more savage group, dedicated to violence.
The Temple Bar District and Irish Music
After an interesting visit to the National Museum of Archeology, our class went to the Temple Bar District of Dublin to listen to live Irish music. I really enjoyed this evening, because I got to sit back, drink with my friends, and simply listening to the amazing musical offerings of Dublin. We started our evening in The Temple Bar, where a wonderful musician sang covers of Irish, Canadian, and American songs. Not only was the atmosphere amazing, the music was also great.
One of the most amazing things about being in the Temple Bar District was the fact that you did not need to be in a bar to experience Irish music. We passed by various establishments, and music was flooding out of the doors. I heard everything from (what I assume was) traditional Irish folk music to bands jamming out.
After wandering around for a little bit, we settled into another bar to listen to a more traditional sounding group. The first group up consisted of a man singing and playing the guitar with another man simply playing various woodwind instruments. It was definitely one of the most unique groups I have ever heard. After they exited the stage, two men performed, with one man playing guitar and the other a fiddle. It got better when two ladies joined them to preform “traditional Irish dances.” I had a blast listening to the mixture of modern and classical Irish songs.
Tomorrow we head out on our overnight trip. Day one will consist of trips to Dungaire Castle, the Cliffs of Moher, and the city of Galway. We also get to attend a medieval banquet!! After spending the night in Galway, we will head to Burren, then back to Dublin. I am sure that I will have tons to share with you when we get back to Dublin, until then… Cheers!
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Read along with Shannon at https://shannonsdublintrip.wordpress.com/
Learn more about the U of A Faculty-Led: Education Abroad: Ireland at https://studyabroad.uark.edu/eduireland
