Over winter break, December 27, 2000 to January 12, 2001, I was overseas for the first time in my life, studying the history and culture of Ireland. Granted, I've been to Mexico before but I never needed a passport until the day that I decided to make my dream come true; I loved Ireland and miss it to this day.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

This two-week course will explore various aspects of Irish history and culture including archeology, art, architecture, literature and music.  The course will be based in Dublin and Galway, and will include numerous excursions, as described below.  

Classroom discussions and lectures will be augmented with site visits to museums, historic monuments, cathedrals, and walking tours.  Lectures and trips will be paired to provide knowledge, understanding, awareness, and an overall coherence to the course.  Every excursion will be fully guided with detailed resource and enrichment materials provided.  Students will be required to read preparatory materials.  

Course assessment methods will include participation, journals, short essays, and a final portfolio. Additional questions about the academic aspects of this program can be addressed to George Mason University's Faculty Director Kelly Dunne.

You will spend approximately nine days in Dublin, and five days in Galway.  You will explore these important cultural cities in depth, and also branch out for day-long excursions to locations such as:

• NEWGRANGE in County Meath: Ireland's best-known prehistoric monument and one of the archeological wonders of Western Europe.  This prehistoric passage tomb is the centerpiece of a dramatic megalith cemetery dating back more than 5,000 years -- long before England's Stonehenge or Egypt's Great Pyramids.
  

• GLENDALOUGH in County Wicklow: An important monastic settlement founded in the 6th century.  The remains include a nearly perfect round tower as well as hundreds of Celtic crosses.
  

• ARAN ISLANDS in County Galway: The islands are outposts of Gaelic culture, language and lifestyle, located off the Western coast of Ireland.  These islands have been inhabited for thousands of years, and the landscape is dotted with remnants of bronze age stone forts and monasteries.
  

• CONNEMARA in County Galway: Connemara is the picture-postcard image of Ireland: open and wild, rugged and natural.  At every turn there are bays and mountains, bog and heather, whitewashed stone cottages and stone fences. 

We attended 6 seminars, using a graduate level history book for our undergraduate level history class. During the two and a half weeks that were were in Ireland, we were able to visit many of the county's historical sites and take part in cultural events that made us feel Irish.

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CAST OF CHARACTERS

 

Kelly Dunne Sebastian Dunne Leah Almond Amy Boynton Kellie Charles Laurel Coffey Erin Dennington

Ryan Hardy Stacie Jacobs Cindy Cornwell Josh Lockridge Chris Oviatt Sharleen Thompson Nicole White

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ITINERARY

We left America on December 27 at 7:45 pm, flying out of BWI. The flight was alright; the Irish hospitality made itself evident in the fact that we were served food 4 times during the night. None of us got any sleep on the flight to the Emerald Isle (nicknamed Emerald Tiger because of its ever inceasing economic presence), but we tried to adjust to the 5 hour time difference as best as we could.

We first landed in Shannon Airport, where some people got off and we some embarked for Dublin after refueling. Upon landing at Shannon, the pilot said, "It looks like Moscow out there." One woman started complaining that this was known as the green country, not the white country. We tried to ignore her because by this time we were sick of being on the plane and just wanted to get off.

After we landed in Dublin, the airports were shut down due to the snow. Lucky us!!

We received 3 credits but the memories are more cherished (not that I am trying to sound cheesy or anything, lol).

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PHOTOJOURNAL

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