April 9th

Luke Sideropoulos and Paul Tegan

After a long and tiring flight, we arrived at the Dublin airport, 4/9, a little after 8:00 am.

As we walked through customs, we anxiously waited to see our host brothers. Once we passed

through our final checks, we were greeted by our host brothers and families. We were all very

excited to be reunited with our brothers. After quite some time of welcoming, we departed with

our host families for the weekend. The weekend brought different adventures for different

people. For example, Jake Freedmen went horseback riding, while Paul Tegan learned about

Ireland's two most prominent and traditional sports, Gaelic Football and Hurling. "Learning the

sports and then playing was a time I will never forget," he remarks. Paul also shares an

experience where he tries a spice bag, an Irish dish that is essentially a bag full of chicken and

chips that is doused in spices and curry, something he says was "quite nutritious to the taste

buds." On Sunday, all of the students and their host brothers met to watch the Gaelic Games.

The stadium is huge and was packed with thousands of fans. It was a very important match

between Ath Cliath, Dublin, and Dun na Ngall. We all watched attentively at this unique Irish

sport. The weather was very cold and windy, but that did not stop the loud chanting. During half

time, we all rushed to buy hot chocolates and tea to warm ourselves up. Fortunately, it was a win

for Dublin, who will now be advancing to the quarter finals.

Thursday, April 21st

Today was sadly our last day. Yet, we do not grieve due to all of the wonderful experiences in which our BCH 'family' has immersed ourselves in. I say family because we care, we love, and we pursue the highest of expectations together. To start off the day, the students and the caring faculty joined together in the "Canteen." Our farewell breakfast was a time of reminiscing and expression of gratitude towards the cooperative students and faculty. After, we played basketball versus the Belvedere boys, and we won! This group of BCH boys has ended the losing streak, so it is up to you all next year to continue the legacy. Next, we participated in a dance class, in which we learned how to "hoe down" by immersing ourselves in Celtic dance. We all had a grand time with the fast-paced music and dance. Our last tour of the trip was at the GPO. We learned about the uprising of 1916 and the various rebellious efforts of the citizens. The museum contained artifacts and described the different roles that Irish citizens took part in (such as Republicans, Suffragettes, etc.). Overall, this trip was a blast, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to travel abroad through Boston College High School. Thank you. 

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 Shots.  No, not whiskey...wheat grass from the roof top garden!

 First BCHigh victory over Belvo in history!

 Irish Dancing

That dancing is exhausting!

Wednesday, April 20th

Today, Wednesday the 20th, we all joined up in the canteen and we were ready to depart the day

for Wicklow. Despite the detrimental blow of no wifi on the bus, we were all having a good time

just singing songs and playing games with each other. We stopped at the statue of Patrick

Kavanagh where we learned about his rural upbringing and farming background. We then read

some of his sonnets and discussed the statue. Then we were off to the mountains. After a quick

stop for food, we arrived and were taken aback by the beauty of the mountain landscape and

rivers that run through it. We even got to walk around the river and jump across using the rocks.

Unfortunately, Troy got a little wet but nothing terrible. Then, we drove to the Guinness Lake

where we took some beautiful pictures all while being a little scared of the steep edge. Next, we

drove to Glendalough. We were given a nice tour of the monastic area and the ruins that were

remaining. After that, we took a nice group walk to the lake. We spent some time skipping rocks,

hopping around the waterfall, or just relaxing in the field. We then walked back up where we all

enjoyed some delicious lunches and ice cream. Finally, we drove back to Dublin, and we were

able to see beautiful campus of University College of Dublin. We're on to our last full day in

Dublin tomorrow, and I think I speak for everybody when I say this trip has gone too quickly.

Tuesday, April 19th

 

On Tuesday, we went directly to a home economics class and were instructed on how to make two traditional Irish foods: Irish Soda bread and scones. Then the teachers/chefs split us into groups of two and we each made scones, which turned out to be similar to flaky biscuits, only better. We then went on to the Hugh Lane Gallery.  The museum was interesting, as they were displaying a reconstructed workshop of famous painter Francis Bacon. Using archaeologists, they excavated his apartment and reconstructed it at the museum. They also had a piece by Robert Ballagh that we had learned about previously in Spanish class. The writers museum featured many hosts of various writers, and its interactive speaker system was perfect for conveying the history and significance of each exhibit.

 

 

 

Friday, April 15th

 

Today was a really busy day with a ton of walking. First, we set out to go see the James Joyce museum. He was a Belvedere alum so it was interesting learning about how his time at Belvedere influenced his life and his writing as well as learning about the other aspects of his life and work. Then we went to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells, a translation of the Gospels dating back over 1,500 years. It was cool to see a piece of unique Irish history that has been preserved so long. W then headed over to the Temple Bar area for lunch at the Boxty House.  We got a cooking demonstration on how to make traditional Irish Boxty, a delicious pancake dish.  The boxty was a big hit! To end the school day we went to the Jeanie Johnston famine ship. In a perhaps overly long tour we learned about the conditions of people emigrating from Ireland during the Great Famine. After school a lot of the BC High went to the Macklemore concert. Even though most of us didn't know any of his songs besides the few that dominated the radio, we all had a ton of fun. 

Weekend April 16th and 17th

 On Friday, my host and I took the train to the other side of Dublin to hang out

with Paul and his host. After taking a bus from the train to get to their neighborhood,

we realized we had no clue how to get to his house. After walking about a mile down

the street, which my host regarded as the second longest tree-lined street in Dublin, we

realized we had gone too far. We then walked back almost all the way to the bus stop.

After all of this, we had to turn around again and walk a few hundred yards towards

the way we had just came from. Finally, we met up with Paul and his exchange, and

spent the night listening to music and talking amongst Peter, Paul's host, and his group

of friends on the corner of a street near his house. Saturday, I woke up late and went

almost immediately to the play, The Plough in Our Stars, along with everyone else. The play was at the famous Abbey Theater. It

was funny and interesting, which I did not expect. After finding my way home alone

on the bus, Luke and I, my host, drove to the opposite side of Dublin to secure tickets

to Macklemore's Saturday night show. We got floor tickets, and after taking the Louis

train into the 3 Arena, we spent the night listening to some quality music. Though we

didn't do anything on Sunday, the weekend had already proved itself to be entertaining

and worth-while.
Chris Colbert
 

Monday, April 18th

Braeden Mahoney & Sean King

 Events in this article may be enhanced for dramatic effect. 

            Monday. Day ten. My mind is ravaged by the absence of my fellow countrymen, replaced instead by a rare zombified breed who see the practice of craic as an activity worthy of recreation. We arose in the morning's wee hours to depart from the alien stronghold and get a head start on the long road ahead of us. While conditions remain bleak, my companions and I retain our resilience even in the face of imminent and sure destruction. After many hours of travel in our secure land vessel, we finally arrived at the rendezvous point where our rescue team has agreed to airlift us out of this disease ridden land, known locally as "The Cliffs of Moher." While staring into the face of death and disease, the cliffs provide us with a glimpse of beauty that is rare to find in this lonely land of darkness. We remain patient for hours until accepting the undeniable truth: our team has not survived the land's torments and has surely died at sea. We must find other means of escape.

            After a disappointing attempt at liberation, we return to the vessel and continue on our path while we still possess the light of day. We take a short break at the Burren whose unique landscape provides an opportunity to gauge the land and sea to spot potential rescuers, but unfortunately, our efforts come to no avail. We press forward and eventually come to a land unfamiliar to our party, the land of Galway which may be the key to our freedom. We split up into separate and elite search parties and scour the lands for assistance, until accepting defeat and moving on down the road. But what luck! While traveling the unknown lands of Galway we have found a rebel saloon, "The Galway Plate," where we are able to fortify ourselves and replenish our nutrients after a long day of striving for hope. Bellies full and minds redetermined, we accept that safety shall not find us today, and we crawl our way back into the belly of the beast.

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday, April 14th

Today we went to Glasnevin, a cemetery housing over 1.5 million people. There are more

people in the cemetery than people living in Dublin. Before we went to Glasnevin, we had three lessons. The first lesson focused on science and was presented by Mr. Carey. The second lesson was on the topography of Ireland and was presented by Mr. O'Shea. The third and final lesson we had was an overview of the 1916 uprising and was presented by Mr. Doyle. During the science lesson we learned that the color of fire can change depending on what chemical is sprayed into the flame. During the Irish topography lesson we learned that Ireland has such a diverse landscape for a small island. The most beautiful landscapes in Ireland are found by the coast. The Wicklow mountains, which are just south of the city were formed by the tectonic plates colliding and pushing upwards. Millions of years ago the Wicklow Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains were the same mountain range, but as the plates moved away from each other so did the land. 400 million years ago the Wicklow mountains were taller than the Andes, but as time went on they eroded away. The final lesson of the morning was on the 1916 Uprising. The previous blogs have done a great job explaining the events that occurred during the 1916 Uprising, so I won't go into detail about that. After the lectures, the group hopped on a bus at the school and headed to Glasnevin. When we arrived at Glasnevin, we had some time to walk around the museum and learn a little bit about the history of Glasnevin before we experienced it ourselves. The first tomb we visited in the cemetery was that of Daniel O'Connell. Daniel O'Connell, often referred to as the liberator or the emancipator, was an Irish political leader in the early to mid 19th century. He campaigned for Catholic emancipation. His tomb was very grand. It was marked by a round tower, which looked over the whole cemetery. The inside of the
tomb was very beautiful. The designs on the wall were very detailed and intricate. After
O'Connell's tomb, we traveled to the burial site of Charles Stewart Parnell. Parnell wished to be buried among the common people. He also wished his burial site not be marked by a headstone, but eventually his burial site was marked with a giant boulder. After the tour, the group headed in for lunch at the tower cafe.

April 13, 2016

Today we went to Newgrange, a Neolithic tomb older than the pyramids. Before we went, we learned a bit about the significance of the tomb. Mr. McGonagle showed us some literature concerning Newgrange, and a teacher from Belvedere, Ms. Redmond, taught us about the layout of the tomb, who built it, and when. Then, we got on a tour bus to Newgrange. We stopped at several places along the way. The first stop was the Hill of Tara, which held some ruins, but most were covered by the countryside. It was nowhere near as intriguing as Newgrange, and the tour guide felt the same way. We got back on and stopped at a farm near Newgrange. We had lunch, and then went off to see the farm. There were all kinds of animals: sheep, cows, chickens, and ducks. There was one very annoyed sheep that was literally screaming at us, and some ducks started attacking each other. We also found some pedal carts and got some sick drifts on them. We then got back on the bus and went to Newgrange.

We then made our way over to Newgrange which looked magnificent in the sun. We climbed up a pathway,

and we could see the beautiful quartz that lined the outside. Our tour guide brought us to the entrance and told us about the history of the ancient tomb. Right in front of the entrance, there was an entry stone which had many designs that were chiseled into the stone. There are many theories about what the designs mean but no one is for certain. She told us how it was constructed about 3,200 years before the birth of Christ. She began to describe the methods that were used in order to place the heavy stones together. The Neolithic people would carve out the stones and bring them 80 kilometers to the site. The tomb was definitely constructed for someone important in their community as the tribe took years to assemble the structure. As years passed, the tomb was eventually abandoned and was left to the elements. The site was rediscovered but was not excavated until Professor O'Kelly began his work. O'Kelly took massive measures in order to restore the tomb as it was thousands of years ago. Next, we made our way into the tomb. We all made sure to duck our heads especially Troy because the ceiling was so low. The path into the tomb stretched 19 meters and was extremely narrow and crooked. We made it into the chamber which was interesting as the ceiling was designed in a unique way in order to keep off the rain. Our tour guide then demonstrated how the light would come through the roof-box during the winter solstice. A streak of light came into the room which was spectacular. The use of the sun definitely exhibits how the tribe must worship and respect the sun. We then exited the tomb and had some free time around Newgrange. Later, we all piled into the bus and made a quick stop to eat and grab something from the gift shop. We finally made our way back to Belvedere and split up and meet with our host brothers. We truly had a fantastic day as we experienced a tomb older than the pyramids in Egypt.