Caiti Monaco- Ireland

Hello, Goodbye Limerick... Home Tomorrow!

2010-05-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

The last day in Ireland was so perfect. We left the lovely Killarney to go to Limerick, and of course sight see along the way.

The first stop we made was in Adere. I wasn't feeling well so I decided to sleep on the bus for a little while longer. I woke up to the sounds of Tyg locking the door. When I opened my eyes, I saw him walking away from the bus. It was too late for me to knock on the window so I kinda just sat there... alone... locked in the tour bus. Finally, Kristina and Jeremy came back to the bus, but there was nothing they could do to help except put there hands on the window and laughed while I clawed at it. Another bus driver happened to walk by and open the emergency exit. He is officially my favorite person in Ireland.

Everyone made it back on the bus, and we made our way to the Cliffs of Moher. Kristina, Jeremy and I walked around and took photos. The photos won't be able to do it justice. There aren't even words to describe the Cliffs of Moher. We walked around... even passing the do not trespass sign to see even more breathtaking views of the cliffs. It really was a once in a lifetime experience.

When we made it back to Limerick, we checked in to our hotel rooms, and then it was off to Bunratty Castle for our Medieval Banquet. It was a blast. There were four delicious courses: soup, spare ribs, chicken and veggies, and desert. We weren't allowed to use spoons for our soup, so we had to either drink it from the bowl or to sop it up with bread. The spare ribs and the chicken were excellent... and of course the desert was amazing, too. There was live entertainment too, all of the waiters and waitresses sang... and there were harp and violin players too.

The ride home was fun as well. Joe sang a whole bunch of Irish songs that we all joined in on singing. It was a lot of fun and I really think it was a great close to the whole trip.

This whole experience has been amazing, but I'm not going to lie, I'm ready to go home. I'm beyond ready to see my family and friends... and of course my two favorites Andrew and Oscar.

I hope my blog had entertained and maybe informed the 4 of you reading (Mom, Heath, Michael and Michelle)! See you all soon! Cheers!

Free Day in Killarney

2010-05-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

I woke up today with a cold. Fantastic.

Today was a free day. Micky, Jeremy, Kristina and I went back to Danny Mann's to get some footage and pictures for our web projects. It worked out really well... minus the fact that no one wanted to be interviewed. I guess we'll be able to find someone eventually.

After that, Kristina, Jeremy and I went to get all of our religious items blessed by a priest. We've been having a hard time finding someone, partly because we've been going to Protestant churches thinking that they were Catholic. We couldn't find anyone we went shopping. I couldn't by anything, but window shopping is always fun. Besides, it was a beautiful day today.

We all met up in the snooker room of the International Killarney Hotel to have a lecture by the editor of Kerryman newspaper. One of the things that stuck out most to me was that he said that the Guarda (Irish police) don't really give the newspapers information on crimes. I thought that was interesting because in my newswriting class we had an entire section dedicated to learning how to read police reports.

Today was very relaxing. Now I have to strategically pack my suitcase so that everything fits, and that the things that I need for tomorrow and the flight home are on top. Tomorrow we are going to see the Cliffs of Moher. I bet there will be some great pictures from that.

Killarney and Ring of Kerry

2010-05-19T11:51:00.001-07:00

We left the fabulous Bellavista hotel to go to Killarney. It was an extremely gloomy and rainy day so of course I decided to straighten my hair... That worked out really well.

One of the first stops we made was in the town to visit a statue of Charlie Chaplain and toast a Guinness to him. It was a lot of fun, but so cold and rainy. There are pictures of it. I'm pretty sure our driver, Joe, and Jan took one each.

After we left there, we went to the Kerry Bog Museum. It was pretty cool to see all of the buildings and whatnot, but the best part was the ponies. Apparently, the bog pony is on the endangered species list. Joe, our tour guide, told me that fun fact. After looking through the museum, we went in to Red Fox to have an Irish Coffee. I do believe that was the best Irish coffee that I've ever had (minus my dad's of course).

We went around the Ring of Kerry and stopped along the way to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. It was so amazing... but once again, cold and rainy! Not to mention we were on the bus for about 10 hours. By the time we got back, I just wanted to pass out.

We then went to the world famous Danny Mann restaurant for dinner and drinks. The food and the atmosphere were really nice, and the best part was that there was a band. They sang a lot of Irish songs that, to be perfectly honest, I don't know the names of... but I do know the lyrics. The best song was definitely "My Heart Will Go On" that was played on the tin flute, and of course was sung by most of the girls in the Point Park group. Loved it! A few tourists came up to us and said that they will never think of that song the same way again... I hope that was a good thing. All in all, the night ended on a good note.

Tomorrow is our free day in Killarney. So excited to work on my project some more.

Sealed with a Kiss

2010-05-17T13:34:00.001-07:00

Today was really eventful. It started off with a genuine Irish breakfast at the Bellavista. Then, we hopped on a the bus... with Tig... to Cork. First we went to one of the top radio stations in Ireland, Red FM. It was really cool because we had a chance to talk to several people about their jobs and about radio in Ireland. Elish is one of the radio talent for Red FM. She speaks fluent Gaelic, which believe it or not is a dying language. She also teaches Gaelic to children on top of doing the work at the radio station.

Next we went to Blarney. There was so much to do that we all split up for a few hours. Jeremy, Kristina and I went shopping first. There are several stores in the area with Irish crafts and whatnot. Of course I purchase a few things. Jeremy got me a harp necklace that I am in love with (almost as much as I love him). We then met up with Nicole and Micky and ventured to the castle. The first thing we did was go beneath the castle in to the dungeon. The ceilings were unnecessarily low to the point where we all hit our heads a few times. It was really cool to see that but its kind of sad to think that people actually had to stay in there after committing a crime. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment.

We walked through the castle to see some of the rooms then walked up the tiniest spiral staircase you could possibly imagine (of course stopping to take pictures every two seconds). It was hard not to be in awe of the beautiful scenery at the top. We had to wait in line to kiss the Blarney stone. I'm not going to lie.. I really thought that the Blarney stone was a random stone in the middle of a field that people would just kiss for good luck. Turns out I was wrong. At least I wasn't the only person who thought that. We had to lay down on the ground and hold on to two bars while a big, buff man scooted us towards the bottom of the wall. When you're upside down you can see the ground. Scary stuff. Don't worry... Micky got all of the action on her flip cam.

I wasn't going to kiss the Blarney stone because I heard some unflattering stories about it. I'm really glad I did it though. I mean how many times does one get to hang upside down from a castle?

When we got back, everyone started packing up and of course blogging. When that was all finished, a few of us went out to dinner, drinks... and of course a photo shoot. I don't know what I am going to do without our photo shoots.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. We're leaving beautiful Cobh to go to Killarney... of course to stop for pictures on the way. I believe there will be a sheepdog show sometime tomorrow. Those of you who know me know that I am amazing at judging dog shows... so this is right up my alley.

Hello Cobh

2010-05-16T13:36:00.001-07:00

We left Dublin today and ventured to Cobh. On our way there we stopped at Wicklow Mountain National Park where we had a chance to look at the ruins of St. Kevin's Monastery and visit the Glendalough Visitor's Center. There were several grave stones and remains of several buildings. After our new tour guide, Joe, gave us a tour of the area we were allowed to explore the area ourselves. I took several really nice pictures that I am excited to share with everyone.

Next, we were on the bus for another 3 hours to Cobh. I slept the entire way so it seemed like 5 minutes for me. When we got here we checked in to our lovely, large rooms. There are six of us in our one apartment: Micky, Kristina, Ryan, Maegan, Maggie and me. There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms and of course a crib. Fun side note about the Bellavista... It used to be a place where young women would be trained to be nuns.

Then we went on a walking tour of Cobh guided by author Michael Martin. We went on a loop all around Cobh and learned so much about the rich history of this city. Titanic shipped from Cobh and there are several memorials to commemorate the tragic loss. Also, the Lusitania sank not far from where we are staying and there is a beautiful memorial in the middle of the city to commemorate that loss as well.

When we came back, we all got settled in to our rooms and went off to dinner in the lobby of the Bellavista. We had Asian food... which was delicious. I got spare ribs and Singapore chicken chow mein. Loved it.

Tomorrow is going to be a lot of fun. We're going to visit a radio station in Cork and we're also going to Blarney to kiss the Blarney stone. I'm probably not going to kiss it. I'm no fun... I know.

Goodbye Dublin =(

2010-05-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

Today is our last day in Dublin (sad face). It was a free day for us so we had a chance to work on our web projects and to walk around the city on our own.

Micky and I started the day by working on our web projects. Both of our topics have to do with bars and drinking so we went together to pubs in the area to get some footage. While Micky was getting some b-roll, an Irish gentleman (I use the term gentleman loosely) decided to give a strip tease to the camera. He unbuckled his belt and took his shirt off and throw it on the camera. Obviously Micky and I were not amused. After he collected himself and left, Micky and I went back to O'Shea's to get some footage of the atmosphere of the pub. We then found a gentleman to interview that had plenty to say about both of our topics.

Next, Jeremy, Kristina and I went to Grafton Street to go shopping and eat. The sidewalks were so crowded and it was hard to walk. We found a woman on the street who sells jewelry that she makes by hand. All of her pieces were beautiful and for a decent prices. She gave me a discount, too. I'd go over what I bought but I know that the people that I'm purchasing this stuff for are reading this.

We then found a tapas restaurant and decided to go there for dinner. Apparently, this place has been visited by several celebrities... Bono included. The food was excellent. I got fresh seafood that was chilled and topped with olive oil and vinegar. Delicious!

Tonight, we're all going to pack our belongings to get ready to move on to Cobh. Then I think we're all going to go out and have a few drinks to say Goodbye to Dublin.

I just want to say a special thanks to Rachel who was our tour guide for the first week. We're all going to miss you!!!!

Visit to the UK

2010-05-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

We left for Belfast today... at 6:30 am! We took a train from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom. We went directly from the train on a tour through the city given by a local man who was born and raised in Belfast. I knew that there would be several differences between the two countries, but I wouldn't have guessed it would have been so extreme.

Belfast isn't as developed as Dublin partially because of the fact that there has been a civil war between the Catholics and the Protestants for several years. The war has died down a lot since the 90's, but it seems as though the country is just recovering. One of the main things that we all noticed is that there are murals commemorating the bloodshed that took place. One mural that particularly stood out out would be a militant man dressed in all black holding a machine gun. In the background there was a quote saying "Prepared for Peace. Ready for War." Everyone seemed to have a reaction to that one in particular.

We had a chance to see the parliament building. A fun fact about this building is that it used to be white until the locals covered it with poop to camouflage it during WWII. I mean... not something I would personally want to do, but obviously it worked. We stopped for lunch at the place where the Titanic was built. We saw the place where the workers would build. If I'm not mistaken, we should be going on a tour of where the Titanic left for the maiden voyage later next week.

Director of Digital Development of the Irish Independent Gerry Patterson gave our first lecture on print journalism. He told us what his job entails and showed us several examples of the Irish Independent. He also explained the problems between the Protestants and the Catholics to us and was nice enough to answer all of our questions.

We then went to dinner at the Morning Start where I had fish and chips... and I tasted liver pate for the first time. I'm not gonna lie... I'm not a fan of liver. Dinner was excellent though and the Morning Star has a great atmosphere.

We took the train back and made it home around 10:45 pm. All in all it was a very long but eventful day.

Tomorrow is a free day for all of us to work on our individual web projects. I'm going to try to get some footage of O'Shea's pub and some more footage of the Brazen Head Pub. I'm also planning on going shopping to get some treats for my family and friends back at home. We're going to have to pack up all of our stuff because we are unfortunately leaving Dublin to go on our next adventure. I heard that there is not any broadband interent in the country so my blogs will probably not be as long as they have been.

2010-05-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

Before we went out last night, Nicole called a bar named Buskers and convinced them to play the Penguins game. We really didn’t know where it was so we attempted to do a bar crawl… but we were very unsuccessful. We started out at O’Shea’s for dinner and a few drinks. We ended up staying a lot longer because a very large group of people taking a course in the English language walked in to the bar while we were there. There was also Irish Dancing lessons again… this time by professionals. By the time we actually left, we had about an hour to find Buskers, and we really didn’t know where it was. We walked a good while stopping for directions every so often… then we found it.

It seems like a really class place. When we walked in there was a live band. If I remember correctly, the singer was dressed like Mick Jagger…. I may be wrong about that though. We had a few drinks and danced before the game started and we also found a bunch of Montreal fans at the same bar. We all sat in the VIP room and watched the game. I was with everyone until I heard the glorious tunes of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston… and of course the fabulous Madonna. So I danced the night away with a few of the other people that we were with. The bar stayed opened then they normally would because the game was on until about 2:15 am. We were there until the very end and we were all disappointed to see that the Pens would not be going to the Stanley Cup Finals this year.

Today was a very relaxed day. The group didn’t have to meet up until about 1:15 and we all went to DCU again to have another lecture with Dr. Flynn. He took some time before he went in to today’s topic to answer questions that he couldn’t answer previously. He basically told us the same things that Dr. Sheehan told us yesterday about television. He also mentioned a few Irish movies that we may want to rent and watch when we get home. Today’s lecture was about digital media in the Irish culture. Dr. Flynn said mainly anything that you would be able to buy in print will just be a digitized version on the internet. He believes that the younger generations are more in to social networking, which goes back to what Gerry Davis was saying when we talked to him on Tuesday.

Next, we went to visit Photocall, a photography place in Dublin. The owner and two of the men that work for him talked to us about the photography industry. They also showed us several slide shows of their work. After that was over, some of the photography students went to dinner with a photographer Paul Kelly while the rest of us got time off.

After we were done with lecture, a few friends and I decided to order pizza and watch Flight of the Phoenix. Then I just crashed. I am beyond exhausted after last night.

Tomorrow we are technically going to a different country. We will be going to Belfast in Northern Ireland which is still part of the United Kingdom. I'm really excited to see the cultural differences. Tomorrow is definitely going to be a busy day!

2010-05-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

Last night was awesome. We went to an Italian resturant for dinner which was actually really good. We then went back to O'Shea's to have a couple of drinks. We all had a chance to talk and dance to live Irish music. LOVED IT! I left a little bit early because I was tired (go figure), and right afterwards, several of the locals taught the rest of the group how to Irish dance. I'm so sad I missed it, but Micky captured it with her flipcam.

Today actually started off well. No mishaps... for once. Hopefully, the rest of the week will be ok (knock on wood).

This morning started off with a light breakfast at a cafe that is up the street from the apartment building. We had a chance to speak to Rosita Boland, a feature writer for the Irish Times, who we had tried contacting during the semester via satellite phone. Rosita took this time to answer some of the questions that she was unable to answer when we had originally spoken. A few things that I found interesting would be that she does not have a background in journalism. She began as an actress, but ended up being a feature writer and an author of travel books. Also, she told us that the best quality that a journalist can have is curiosity.

Next, we went to the American Embassy. There are no words to describe how excited I was about meeting Ambassador Rooney. When we first walked in we had to have our passports checked and walk through a metal detector. We were then greeted by several people who worked for the Embassy such as Margo (who's last name escapes me), Karen Mullen, and John Murphy. Karen and John had a chance to talk to us about what their jobs entail. Karen is the director of public affairs, and she deals with cultural exchange issues. She then explained to us that Ambassador Rooney was just in Belfast (we will be visiting Belfast on Friday) for an environmental conference to bring Americans and Irish together to help with the economy crisis. She actually gave us a few copies of the article that discussed Ambassador Rooney's appearance at the conference. John Murphy, the 23-year-old press officer, discussed his job. He told us that he not only deals with the press but he is also technically the official photographer.

While John and Karen were speaking to us, Ambassador Rooney surprised us and came to the area where we were all sitting. He only stayed with us for a few minutes, but we all had a chance to see what a sweet and caring man he is. He thanked us all for visiting and also told us that our presence made him feel like he was back in Pittsburgh. After he talked for a few minutes, Ambassador Rooney was gracious enough to take a group photo with us. It was at that moment that he told me that I am lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed that. He then asked me where I am from, and when I told him New Kensington, he knew immediately. He said that New Kensington is a nice area, which was so sweet of him.

After the Ambassador left, we had another opportunity to talk to John Murphy and learn just a little bit more about Ambassador Rooney. One thing that I found particularly interesting was that when reporters call from the States, they only want to ask Ambassador Rooney about sports related topics. When reporters call from Ireland, they want to know when President Obama will be visiting. John also gave us a little bit of insight into how he got his job at the Embassy. He graduated from Dublin City University and worked for the Embassy for a while right out of college. From there, he worked at a radio station, which you could tell is passion. After that he went back to the Embassy. He then gave us a chance to ask him questions about several different topics. Nothing will be able to top this experience. I mean... who else can say that they have been to the American Embassy in Ireland?

We then went to Dublin City University (DCU) for our next lecture, but we had plenty of time to explore the campus. The group I was with walked around looking for DCU t-shirts to purchase to no avail. We eventually just ended up hanging out at a place called nuBAR on campus, where we decided for some reason to take modeling pictures. We each took one and then the girls took several together. We look like a girl band!!

Finally, we met up with everyone else to listen to a lecture from Helena Sheehan. Helena is an expert on Irish TV drama and an author of books on the subject. We covered several topics such as the beginnings of Irish TV drama and controversy surrounding the drama serials. Helena talked about several popular shows such as Fair City, Tolka Row, Fr. Ted, and Prosperity. She really took the time to go through her Power Point presentation and answer any of the questions we had in depth. I really enjoyed this lecture and I learned a lot about the subject.

Tonight is going to be interesting. We are going to try to find a bar that is playing the Penguins game and also for some place to eat. We don't have to be up early so we will probably be staying out pretty late and enjoying hanging out with locals.

Tomorrow is going to be a pretty relaxed day, and I'm really excited about it.

2010-05-11T05:36:00.000-07:00

Today also started out wonderfully. All four of us slept through our alarms and woke up 15 minutes before we were supposed to meet everyone for our lecture. Right as we were all rushing around to get ready, my nose started gushing blood. Just fabulous.

Today has been really relaxed which was definitely needed. We had lecture really early in the morning and walked through Dublin to Buswells Hotel. Chief Executive of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII) Gerry Davis spoke to us about Public Relations in Ireland (obviously). Some of the points that he made were really interesting such as the fact that he is not from a public relations background and that most of the PRII is composed of journalists that have switched professions. He also said that there were only a few hundred members of the PRII as compared to its American cousin Public Relations of America (PRSA) that definitely has more.

Next, we had a chance to visit a ad/pr firm in Dublin called Ogilvy and Mather. Jo Wood and her co-worker, Claire, walked us through how they got in to public relations as well as what their job entails. We had a chance to see a montage of some of the commercials and the advertisements that the firm has worked on over the past year. Jo has worked on the Heinz commercials for Ireland, which I found particularly interesting. Claire works with the web development. It was really interesting to hear what they had to say.

After that, the day's planned events were over. We have the rest of the day off to sight see, eat and hopefully shop! I'll try not to overspend, but I'm sure that really isn't going to work too well!

Tomorrow is the big day! We get to go to the American Embassy to meet Ambassador Rooney! I'm beyond excited!

Dublin Day 2

2010-05-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

Fun fact of the day… My straightener short circuited while I was straightening my hair. Unfortunately, I will be forced to have my hair curly for the rest of the trip. Good times.

Today was also the first day of lecture. We went to Dublin City University and had a chance to listen to Dr. Flynn who is a professor of communications at the University. He gave us a brief overview of Irish print journalism and broadcasting. There were a few things that I found particularly interesting such as a fact that online news is not as big in Ireland as it is in America. Also, I thought it was interesting that if someone living in Ireland wants to own a television, they have to purchase a license to own that television. A license has to be paid every year and home that has multiple TV sets has to pay for every one separately.

Once we were finished with the lecture, we all came back to our apartments to change and take a group picture, which I believe will be on the Point Park website at some point. Then we left from our apartments to go on a hop-on-hop-off bus tour around Dublin. We learned a lot of really cool things about the area. A few fun facts that stuck out to me were the fact that the MGM lion was born in the Dublin Zoo, and that the word “kill” in Gaelic means church.

A bunch of us got off the tour at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. It is an absolutely beautiful building. The Cathedral was originally built as a Roman Catholic Church but during the Protestant Reformation was turned into a Protestant Cathedral. This was my favorite part of the day.

We hopped back on to the tour bus and finished going around Dublin, driving past the Guinness Factory, The American Embassy (which we will be visiting on Wednesday), Irish Museum of Modern Art as well as many other fun landmarks. After we finished the tour, we had dinner at a lovely pub called O’Shea’s.

Tonight we had a chance to sit in the studio audience of a very popular political show called "The Frontline". Before we went in to the show, Micky, Jeremy and I interviewed a few of the other audience members and got some b-roll for a package that will be posted on the web at some point. It was really interesting because the topic of the show was the failing economy in Ireland, and a lot of the problems that were discussed are similar to the ones that we face in the States. I really enjoyed the guys that were sitting next to me because they were kind enough to update me on what was happening... I was obviously confused the entire time. If it wasn't for them I'd have been scratching my head the entire time. It was also very interesting to see how a studio is run in Ireland and comparing it to what I have learned so far at Point Park. The cameras are very similar to what we use in the U-View station which I found surprising.

Tomorrow is going to be very relaxing... we have a free night! I may have to get another Guinness!!

1st Day in Dublin

2010-05-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

We landed today in Dublin at about 9:30. It was a long flight and we were all exhausted, but there was a lot of fun things planned for today.

After we left the airport, we had a chance to explore what the city has to offer. Dublin is a really clean and quite city. I was definitely one of the loudest people in the city. What a surprise! There are so many street performers from the musicians playing acoustic guitar to a man dressed as a giant baby handing out candy.

Kristina, Jeremy, Micky, Nicole and I went to a pub called Duggan's to have our first drink in Ireland. I've decided that I absolutely LOVE Guinness. It tastes like chocolate! We had a chance to talk to the bartender about the beer, and he suggested that we should go to the Guinness factory. Hopefully, we will be able to do that before we leave Dublin.

Next, we went to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is a pictorial version of the gospel. Along with learning about how the book was made, we had a chance to see the book. The drawings are so beautiful. The last part of the exhibit called the long room was a giant library of hand written books. Not only was it beautiful, it smelled AMAZING!

Then we had a chance to go to Dublin Castle which is now a government issued building. The original medieval burned down, but there are some remains below the remade castle. We had a chance to go underground to see the remains.

After we left the castle, we checked in to our apartments... or at least most of us did. My roommates (Kristina, Micky and Ryan) and I had to wait because of a mix up at the front desk. We were told that our room was clean, but the maid actually just began cleaning when we walked in the room. This was the only downside to the day. We waited on our balcony while our room was being cleaned for between an hour and a hour and a half. the rooms are really nice though. We have a kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom.

We went to the Brazen Head Pub for dinner. The Brazen Head Pub is the oldest pub in Ireland and was established in 1198. The atmosphere is very fun. We walked in and heard several locals singing Irish drinking songs. This was also my first night to film our activities, and I had a private performance from the gentlemen who were singing the drinking songs.

All in all, today was a lot of fun. I really don't know any of the other days could top this one, but I guess we'll wait and see.

Oh... and by the way...
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOM!!!!!!

On Our Way

2010-05-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

Well... we're sitting in the Pittsburgh airport waiting for our flight to Philadelphia. This is going to be a very long and tiring day. We have a 4 hour layover in Philly before we depart to Dublin... followed by a 6 hour flight. Don't worry... I will be sleeping the entire flight.