Inis Mor

Off the coast of Galway, there are three islands called the Aran Islands. I visited the largest, Inis Mor ("big island), about 9 miles long and 3 miles in length, with a population of 800. The main language spoken on the island is Irish.

Wait, what? Irish? Like, English, but with an Irish accent and Irish slang, right?

No. English has only been spoken widely in Ireland for a few hundred years. Ireland has two official languages -- Irish and English. More on this later.

The main industries -- and probably the only significant ones -- on the island are fishing and tourism. In the height of the tourist season, the summer, about 1500 tourists visit the island every day. That's almost double the population.

If I get rich, I'm building a summer home on Inis Mor, but I wouldn't want to live there. It's more small town than any town you've ever been to -- about 1 hour away from the mainland, one bank that is open one day each week. I was shocked when I found an ATM.

Dun Aonghasa is a fort that was built in about 500 B.C. We think it was used for defense and for ritual purposes but not much is known about who built it or why. It's high up on a cliff, but well worth the hike.

Me with my fellow UAlbany Great Dane, Connor.

These are from "The Seven Churches" which are actually just two churches, and were at one point used as a school. Now it's a resting place, with graves hundreds of years old as well as recent ones.

No trip to Ireland is complete without a sweater. 

Aran sweaters are the real deal -- the traditional wool knit Irish sweaters.

These weren't made on the Aran Islands -- most were from Kerry or Kildare --

but we bought them there, so it still counts. This is my friend Ali trying one on, I ended up getting this same one.

Kilmanham Gaol

Our group took a visit to Kilmanham Gaol (jail) located right in Dublin. It no longer houses prisoners, but from the late 18th century, up to the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921), almost every significant Irish nationalist leader had a stay there.

During the Irish Civil War, republican leaders, including James Connolly, were executed at Kilmanham.

The cross is where James Connolly was executed.

Joseph Plunkett's wife was imprisoned in Kilmanham, and drew this mural of the Virgin Mary on the wall of her cell. She later became a political cartoonist.

Look familiar? These movies were all filmed at Kilmanham: The Quare Fellow, The Face of Fu Manchu, The Italian Job, The Mackintosh Man, The Last Remake of Beau Geste, The Whistle Blower, In the Name of the Father, Michael Collins, The Escapist, and The Adventures of the Young Indiana Jones.

U2 fans might recognize it from their music video filmed there:

St. Stephen's Green

Walked through St. Stephen's Green today, the second largest park in Dublin city, about two minutes away from my school.

Volunteering - because everyone should know how to Skype

Our study abroad group was visited last week by a woman from Volunteer Dublin City North.

I'm not usually a big volunteer at home. Between work, school, newspaper, and other things I rarely find time to fit it in.

Here, I have a lot more free time. But the biggest thing that makes me want to volunteer is the opportunity to meet people outside my age group. I'd hate to leave Ireland only having met students and a few professors.

For this reason, I was especially interested in working with the elderly. They know more about Dublin than anyone else here, have more stories to tell, and more years of experience to draw from. They can also be an age group with huge social disadvantages -- for one, lack of technological skills.

I found the perfect volunteer opportunity for me -- it's the Getting Started Program by a group called Age Engage, partnered with Google. I'd be teaching people over the age of 55 basic computer skills -- from e-mailing to using word processors to Skyping with their family. Being abroad, I, along with my parents, have learned the value of Skype.

I'm psyched. It wouldn't be too big of a time commitment and I think it will be well worth it! It also won't hurt my resume.

Howth

Upon my arrival in Dublin, I was surprised by how urban it was. Everyone's always told me it's a small city, and maybe so in area, but to me it seems huge -- about 10 times bigger than my college city, Albany. As a country girl I wondered if I would be okay living in a place like this for four months.

Then our group went to Howth for a day. We got on a train at Connolly Station just down the street. Thirty minutes and less than 5 Euro later, we were in a small, quaint fishing village. Right on the water, Howth has beautiful hills and cliffs, serene and peaceful, yet is buzzing with energy down in the streets.

It was great to know that if Dublin life does get to me, I'll always have somewhere like this to go to take a deep breath of salty sea air.

Hello from Dublin!

Like many Irish-Americans, I grew up with a European island I had never been to very close to my heart.

I’ve always been a big fan of Celtic music — everything from the Dubliners to the Dropkick Murphys. I’m a history buff in general, and I’ve always been particularly obsessed with Irish history, especially the past century.

As Americans, our national history and ethnicity is short, and I think most of us need a little longer and deeper roots to feel like we know where we come from.

So when I went to college and thought about studying abroad, it was a no-brainer. I couldn’t not go to Ireland.

Now I’m a junior at UAlbany in New York’s Capital, studying Journalism, Documentary Studies and Political Science. Having lived in a Capital city and having an interest in politics, I felt Dublin was the obvious choice for me.

So here are my photos, videos, and observations. This won’t be a diary! I promise.