On Thursday the 28th of April, the TYs set off from school westward bound with an extensive journey ahead of us. We stopped in Tralee for a spot of lunch and then set off once more again, destination: Dingle. When we arrived in the picturesque town of Dingle, we first walked to the Díseart. We visited the Nano Nagle room to learn about the founder of our school. There, we also saw the incredible Harry Clarke stained glass windows depicting the various biblical scenes and learned about the history of the windows.
Shortly after, we all headed back to the bus and went our separate ways towards Ballyferriter and Ventry. The girls got split into our houses and we were dropped off to meet our Bean an Tí’s. The Bean an Tí’s were so kind and welcoming to all of the girls as we settled down for a delicious dinner. That evening, we had a talk from local women who gave us a fascinating insight into the life of people in the Gaeltacht. This was followed by an exciting and energetic céilí that everyone thoroughly enjoyed.
Céilí i gCeann Trá
We all returned to our houses and fell fast asleep, looking forward to the next day's activities. Friday brought another gorgeous day of sunshine starting off with a tour of the Slea Head drive. Our tour guides gave us a detailed and enjoyable tour of the picture perfect scenery that is Corca Dhuibhne. We stopped at Coomeenoule Beach where films such as Star Wars and Ryan’s Daughter were filmed. We also stopped at the infamous Peig Sayers' grave and the Blasket Islands Viewing Point at the Ionad in Dún Chaoin, where we got an unbelievable view of the magnificent Blaskets. Following this we returned to Dingle, where we visited the aquarium (Mara Beo). We saw a whole range of sea creatures from penguins and sharks to otters and jellyfish, we marvelled in awe at the amazing creatures.
With the sun shining down on us, we then took a trip to Ventry beach where we swam, played sports and relaxed. That evening, we all learned a few sean nós songs and this was followed by sean nós dancing, which all the girls loved to do.
Sean nós singing i mBaile an Fhirtéaraigh
Sean nós dancing i mBaile an Fhirtéaraigh
On our last day in the Gaeltacht, Saturday, we packed our bags, said our goodbyes to the Bean an Tí's and set off one last time to Dingle. Here, we kayaked around the stunning Dingle Bay and took in the gorgeous scenery. After this we all piled back onto our buses and reluctantly returned home. Our trip was an incredible weekend that we will all remember for many years to come and we all hope to return soon.
Kayaking i mBá an Daingin