I arrived at Dublin airport and my awesome host, Ger (short for Gerard), helped me get on the right bus to Creeslough, Letterkenny (tip of northwest Ireland) - it was about a 3.5hr bus ride.
Just gonna cut to the chase about Ireland...to sum it up if I ever choose a second home it will be in Ireland!
I can't start this update without singing high praises to my Couchsurfing host extraordinaire Ger. He opened his home and made me feel like part of the family. It takes a special person to open their home to a complete stranger, all for the experience of sharing cultures. Ger is a wealth of Irish knowledge and is the kind of host I want to experience in every country I visit.
Of all the cultures I've learned about, I had no idea Irish history is the most similar to my own Black history. They were treated like second-class citizens, less than animals, strangers in their own country, & imprisoned for no reason by the British for hundreds of years. I knew a little about the IRA because their civil war (Catholic v. Protestant) happened ing my lifetime during the 80s/90s, but I had no idea that the IRA was birthed out of need to protect their own (similar to the Black Panthers). They were not a group of extreme militants terrorizing people, but regular citizens fed up with how the British were treating them. Also, the Black Civil Rights Movement inspired the Irish movement - they used it as inspiration for their freedom.
The civil war is over but there is still tension. Like most people, I've never understood why there's so much hate in the world, so I asked Ger "What exactly is a Protestant and why did the Catholics here hate them so much?” He said that if you're not Catholic you’re Protestant, and as early at the 11th century Protestants were seen as 'evil'. The Republic of Ireland is historically a Catholic country and a large majority of the Irish are Catholics. However, the majority of the Northern Irish have forefathers who emigrated from England and Scotland have been Protestant for almost 500 years. So like most reasons for hate, Catholic v. Protestant doesn't make sense to me either. Just more ignorace of someone thinking they're better than somene else - rooted in ego and pride.
Belfast endured 40 years of virtual war, known as The Troubles. The IRA and other Catholic paramilitary groups wanted to end British rule of Northern Ireland and join the Republic of Ireland to the south. There eventually was a peace treaty so Britain still occupies Belfast which is why they use the British Pound, while the rest of Ireland uses the Euro.
On the surface Ger and I would seemingly have nothing in common but during my stay I learned we had almost everything in common. That's why I'm so against stereotypes - you simply can't put labels on people - we are all amalgams of history, culture, and upbringing. You're missing out if you think you know someone just by looking at them.
I learned so much about Ireland I didn't even know where to start with this update. Here are some of the highlights I experienced in Creeslough, Letterkenny...
1. My first castle - Doe Castle, or Caisleán na dTuath, was historically a stronghold of Clan Suibhne. It's a 16th century castle that still stands (Ger used to play there with his siblings as a kid)
2. Random sheep in the road is a daily regular part of life here - Creeslough is a small town with a lot of sheep farmers
3. Perfecting how to make woodburning fires (it was about 12C/54F my entire stay) and Ger had an awesome woodburning stove in the living room.
4. Seemingly nonstop rain (I think I saw the sun for a total of 10 minutes my entire stay), but it was relaxing and peaceful
5. My first pub - those that know me know I don't drink because I think all alcohol tastes like moldy feet lol :) I don't think it's possible to visit Ireland and not have a pint so after a walk by the beach, I visited a pub with Ger, his sister, and her companion and they bought me a pint of Guinness. For those that don't know the pub in Ireland is called the '3rd space'. If you're not at your house or work you're at the pub.
6. My second day I asked Ger about the Northern Lights and if they are ever seen here, and he said 'F*ck yeah let's go' - Ger is so awesome! It was at a point only about 10 minutes away from his house. We looked for about an hour (we also tried again my last night) but it was cloudy so we didn't see them - but still exciting to chase the fleeting Northern Lights. So I'll defintely be heading to northern Lapland, Finland instead of Helsinki to see them.
7. No houses #s or zip/postal codes in Creeslough. The local postman knows where everyone lives
8. Patty is a man's name short for Patrick. I was a little confused at first when I heard men referred to as Patty because we usually refer to Patrick as Pat in the states, and Patty is generally a female name. But it makes sense because they usually refer to St. Patrick's Day as St. Patty's Day.
9. A real-life, modern day King. There's a small island, Tory Island (population 144), or simply Tory, that is an island 14.5 kilometres off the north-west coast of County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland, and is the most remote inhabited island of Ireland. It's visible from Creeslough and kept its ancestral roots so while reflecting a long-standing tradition, a "king" is chosen by consensus of the islanders. The current Rí Thoraí (Irish for "King of Tory") is painter Patsy Dan Rodgers (Patsaí Dan Mac Ruaidhrí), and of course Ger knows him personally. The king has no formal powers, but is a spokesperson for the island community and welcoming people to the island. He's an everyday person and you wouldn't know he's a king if you passed him on the street. I'm not easily impressed but that was a 'wow' moment for me :)
10. My first lighthouse - Fanad Lighthouse. They're obsolete but beautiful to look at along the seashore. This one was converted inside and open to the public to stay at. If I lived in Ireland I'd probably stay there every weekend.
11. My first warship - Ger is an avid fisher and knows all of the local waters. During one of our drives he noticed a huge ship in the distance. So he pulled over, took out his binoculars and saw that it was a warship, more than likely a Destroyer or Frigate. He pulled up the tracking and noticed the vessel wasn't showing up, nor did it have a flag. So it was a mysterious sighting to say the least.
12. A hurricane - my first weekend in Ireland had its first hurricane in 50+ years. It hit Dublin but turned before it got to Creeslough.
13. Bingo! - yes for some weird reason I've secretly longed to play Bingo most of my adult life and finally got the chance. Well it was Sunday night and the weekly Bingo game in Creeslough was on and poppin' LOL! :) Ger nor I won anything but it was so much fun I kept my card for my travel collage I'm going to make, when I return to the states, to chronicle the events of this 'World Tour'
14. Game of Thrones - for those that don't know most of it is filmed in Ireland. I never got into it when it first came out and tried to start watching it last year but couldn't keep up with all of the characters. Well Ger had the box set of seasons 1-6 and I watched all seasons in a week - I'm now officially hooked on it.
15. Gaelic language - I'd never heard it before and hearing Ger's family speak it was definitly a highlight
Even though I'm over buses, the bus experience in Ireland was pleasant. The bus stop is in front of Ger's house so I caught the 2hr bus to Belfast Airport to leave for my next country.
Also, all of my supplies came and I'm now fully restocked with a new backpack, hair care, etc. buuuuut I completely forgot about the liquids rule for my flight and I didn't want my expensive haircare products (a 300 & 450ml bottles) to go to waste so I filled up as many 100ml bottles as I could fit in my 1qt bag - I even 'snuck' in (2) 150ml bottles. I took a chance and put the little that was left in the large bottles in my carryon backpack (in opaque bags, under shoes) but it didn't work- yes I had a temporary lapse in judgment thinking I could 'hide' something from an xray machine - lol :) So I had the pleasure of having my entire 70L backpack searched and had to repack everything (they even tested the bag of backing soda I use to brush my teeth). The TSA agents were nice and I got a chuckle having to explain what my haircare products were - they'd never seen them and spent several minutes trying to figure out if they were liquid or gel. In the end my (2) 150ml bottles weren't detected/scrutinized, but they threw away the little left in large bottles because they couldn't figure them out (ironic since I'd put the exact same products in the smaller 100/150ml bottles). I appreciate airport security since the shoe bomber years ago, but it's a real pain going through TSA because of it. Good thing I always arrive at the airport 2-3 hours early or I probably would've missed my flight.
I was originally supposed to stay a few days but Ger let me stay until my Amazon order arrived. I ordered while in Ecuador 2 weeks prior and it took an additional week after I arrived. So I was in Ireland for 2 weeks, and Ger made me feel welcome each day :)
Those that know me know that I've always kept my circle small and I don't use the word 'friend' lightly. I can honestly say I've made a new friend in Ireland. Thanks Ger! If you're ever in Los Angeles I'll be more than willing to host you as well my friend :)
I also just realized that I left the states over 2 months ago, but it only feels like yesterday. I've never been gone this long and still glad I didn't let fear stop me :)
Well that's it for Ireland. Thanks for being part of this journey Ger and Ireland - you didn't disappoint!
Next stop Amsterdam, Netherlands. There aren't any Wonders of the World there but I'm too close not to stop and experience it - I'll definitley visit the canals, Anne Frank House, Van Gogh & Rembrandt museums, any other free stuff I can find, & of course ride a bike a much as possible. I'm also going to do my first Workaway volunteer project (3-4wks) - helping a Dutch family that works with refugees and self-sustaining permaculture.
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