Cork-Kilkenny

A lot has happened since the Model EU simulation closing ceremony. Sunday we drove to Cork in a snow storm that we have repeatedly heard Ireland hasn’t seen since WWII. We were supposed to go to Blarney Castle, but the conditions around the castle were too dangerous to walk around in (as we found out the next day climbing the stairs to the top!). We stopped at the mall near Blarney castle to shop, and we all put a significant dent in our spending money. The area was known for its wool making. That night due to the horrible weather, we were free. Most of us watched the American football playoff games in the hotel pub. After a long and stressful Packer loss, we called it a night.

Monday, the weather was much improved so we got to go back to Blarney castle. Winding staircases, breathtaking views made for spectacular photographs. The adrenaline from the height and slippery, slimy stone staircases made the experience all the more memorable (especially for those of us afraid of heights or who were claustrophobic). To kiss the stone at the tip-top of the old castle, we had to lay down over a hole and bend down backwards to kiss the stone behind us. Almost everyone had the courage to leave their mark on the stone, although we did hear that the locals like to relieve themselves on the stone knowing the tourists would kiss it anyways. Oh well. We were glad to find that they had a bottle of disinfectant at the top even though we didn’t see it being used…
After surviving Blarney castle, most of us scoured the city, taking scenic photographs and searching for a charming pub to have dinner in. Success was found, and we ate in an enchanting local restaurant and pub in the heart of the city. The best part of the meal was to find that the pub housed a portrait that, every so often, would move and look at us (Hogwarts style) and we spent a good 30 minutes staring at it, waiting for it to move again. Our patience was rewarded a while later, when the portrait whipped out his iPod and jammed out for a while. 
After that, we went back to the hotel to meet up with the rest of the group, and we all went to the strip of popular clothing and retail stores. To our dismay, however, the shops in Ireland close at 6 or 7pm so we definitely had to do some power shopping.
Tuesday, we got to sleep in a little, for which most of us were extremely grateful. We drove to Cove, which is a sea side city, and the second largest natural harbor in the world. It was exceptionally stormy, and the waves in the harbor were huge. Although this storm was a rainstorm and no longer snow so the bus driver could manage driving much better. We took refuge in an extremely chilly building, where we got to walk through an exhibit of the history of the harbor and some of the ships that were there once, including the Titanic and the Lucitania.

After a couple hours in Cove, we loaded back onto the bus, and drove to the city of Kilkenny. We visited the castle in Kilkenny for a few hours, which was very beautiful despite the rain storm. We had a delicious dinner with some of Professor Dowley’s relatives who live in the city. After dinner, her relatives led us on a short excursion to their favorite local pub. To our excitement we became the audience to a well-known small-town Irish band, The Kilkennys. We all danced the night away, doing Irish gigs and making friends with the local folk. The band was amazing and even played some Backstreet Boys for the Americans and of course some Johnny Cash as well. However, most of the songs they played were traditional Irish songs and we definitely felt like we were in Ireland. After purchasing their CD we called it a night because, for the first time, we had to wake up not on ‘Irish time’ which is usually after 9am.
Currently, we are en route to Dublin where we’ll be for the next couple days. Most of us are taking advantage of the 2 hour ride to catch up on some sleep. Waking up at 7am is harsh.