Retreat in Glendalough

On tuesday we went to Glendalough for a retreat. It was just Amina and a few people from Emnet who couldnt make it today. We got the bus down, and it was roasting because there were no windows! Thankfully we discovered an opening in the roof that we wedged open with bottles for some air! When we arrived we saw loads of other groups of people and buses. We met our tour guide who broiught us over onto the grass away from the other people. We had to do this dance type thing where we put our hands on the ground and felt the earth. Then we did a reflective walk around a big symbol which was marked out as a labyrinth on the grass. We saw St. Kevin's Well and then we went into the centre. In the centre we watched a film about the foundations of the monastry in Glendalough and the life of St. Kevin. After that we went outside again and went on a big walk up a hill. We saw this gorgeous waterfall which ran along the hill for ages. It was a tough climb, but thankfully we got to sit down for a rest at the top. We then walked down the hill and ate lunch on picnic benches. It was surrounded by trees and the mountains and the lake made it very picturesque. After lunch, we went on a walk up by the lake and saw St. Kevin's bed, a tiny 2mx1m cave in the hillside. We also saw remains of an early monastic settlement church. We then went to the graveyard, where we saw graves both ancient and recent, and many high crosses. The main feature was the round tower, which the guide said was like a metaphor for our lives, because it has seven windows for every 10 years of the average person's life.

Overall it was a good day, it was nice to get out in the fresh air rather than being stuck inside all day :)

Hotel Rwanda

In the last few Religion classes, we have been watching Hotel Rwanda, another film about the Rwandan Genocide. We finished it today. I really enjoyed watching it, and I think it is a brilliant film, even though the subject on which it is based - The Rwandan Genocide - is horrific. After watching Sometimes in April, I think we had a really good understanding of the tribes, the Hutus and the Tutsis, so Hotel Rwanda was easy to follow. I preferred Hotel Rwanda because it is more of a personal story, and although it ends with the awful figures of how many poor people were murdered, the story ends happily for the main character, which is hopeful. I have really enjoyed watching both films. I knew nothing about the Rwandan Genocide this year, which I know realise is a disgrace. It was during my lifetime, and yet I had never heard of it. I think these films really highlight the silent suffering of the Rwandan people in a world where the west were, and still are, ignorant of the extent of their suffering. "They will look at it and say That's awful, then continue on eating their dinners" - this is a quote from the film which I remember. It really struck me because it is so true. It has really made me think about what is going on in the world today in Africa, and around the world. Our class is hoping to have a talk with Amnesty International, and try to organise some kind of action, as what is going on in countires such as Libya today is really worrying, especially after seeing what has happened before when Europe didn't step in. There has to be some way we a class of TY students like us can help?

Place 1 Geog Project - Inis Mór

I am doing my project on one of my favourite things to do.. sun bathing! There's nothing better than lying out on a beach or freshly cut grass on a summers day, sun on my back & sea air tossing my hair = smile on my face! I went to the gaeltacht on Inis Mór two years ago. This is where you get off the ferry from Galway, and it is the only town on the island. It contains the only shop which is a Spar, a few cute pubs such as Joe Watty's and a few little restaurants. It is also home to the Aran Sweater Shop which attracts many tourists. The 3 weeks I was there was the sunniest Irish weather I have ever seen. I got a better tan there than I ever have abroad! Combining that with the absolutely STUNNING sunsets, Cill Mhurbigh beach, clear blue water and the unique rocky landscape and unusual formations, I have never been anywhere more naturally beautiful. The cracked surface of the landscape marks out much of the land in a grid pattern kwon formally as glints and grykes. The clints are the flat blocks of limestone can cover the land while grykes are the deep straight fissures which cut through the clint blocks. The karst limestone landscape of the Aran Islands and The Burren was formed by a Glacier during the Ice-Age which cleared the land of any plant and soil material leaving the bare rock exposed. The grykes between the clints were formed by water cutting through the softer parts of the rock.

Never Let Me Go

In English we have been given our list of novels for next year. We have to pick one and read it before Easter. I picked "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro. I am only on page 30 at the moment. I picked it because my friend recommended it and I have heard the film is good. I hope the little snippets I have heard from people talking about the movie don't ruin it for me! So far it it isn't really clear what's going on, but I think I'll stick with it because it's good according to my friend and it has won loads of awards. So far it has been told by a girl called Kath who is looking back on her school days. She works as a "carer" but its not really clear what happens to the people she cares for. I have heard the students of her school are clones who are raised for organ donation? I don't know if this is true, I guess I will just have to read on and find out!

Work Experience

Last week I did work experience in St. James' Hospital. I was working with the Cardiology Department. I saw observed clinics and one day I visited A&E where I saw people from all walks of life who were very sick. It was really interesting, and I think I learned a lot from my time there. I think it was a really good opportunity for me, because I got to talk to so many doctors and people who have come through medical school. I got so much advice and it made me realise how much I would enjoy the job, but also how much hard work it would be and how much of my life it would consume. I really enjoyed it, and I think if I decide to do all the hard work it would need, I would really enjoy it as a job.

English Trip

Jack Butler Yeats

We headed off to the William Butler Yeats exhibition first. We were greeted by a tour guide who brought us through the colourful displays and cases which make up the exhibition. Everything was colourful and designed beautifully, from the stands themselves to the contents of the cases, so things were catching my eye every way I turned. We got an insight into Yeats' life, as we sat in reconstructions of his home and places he visited often, such as the Abbey Theatre. I learned that the "Butler" part of his name is actually not from either of his parents, but a distant wealthy relative after whom Yeats and his siblings were all named, with the hope that some day he would give them the financial support their parents could not offer them if they needed it.Next, we went to see the bog bodies! Once again we were greeted by a tour guide, who brought us through most of the ground floor of the museum. We saw beautiful jewellery from ancient Ireland, that I recognised from my junior cert history book, but they were so much more intricate to see up close. We also saw a massive boat (everything had been found in various Irish bogs) which was made of an oak tree! I would like to see how they rowed in those! Finally, we went into the room where the actual bodies were. I was excited to see them, as we had heard so much about them! The first one was not exactly as I had expected, it's skin was so worn it could have been part of a leather hand bag! And strangely, it's hair was almost perfect, all of it still on his head. It was the weirdest thing. They were so well preserved that they didn't seem like thousands of years old! Another one had been decapitated, but he had these huge perfect hands. They even looked soft to touch! The guide said they believed he was a king, as although he was in his twenties or thirties when he was killed, he had never done a days work!After an interesting morning, we headed out into the sunshine in search of some lunch. We decided on a picnic in Stephen's Green. It was such a beautiful day, I think it was safe to say it was the first day of summer - it was the first day I fully lay back on the grass this year :) In the afternoon, we went to the Jack Butler Yeats exhibition in the art gallery. I had never even heard of him before the tour, but he is actually a really famous artist! He was a very versatile artist, with a range of styles incorporated into his vast collection of paintings. At first I preferred his realistic paintings, but in hindsight I think that was because they were very lifelike and easy to interpret. However after we saw his more emotional paintings which appeared initially to be a blur of paint and I realised they were so much more than that, I decided I actually prefer those because I could look at them all day! Overall we had a really interesting day and the sun just made it even better :)

Drama Final

The drama final is in Cork on Saturday. The girls have been working hard all week on it, and I really hope it goes well. I'm really disappointed that I can't go, but I had already said I would row in a race tomorrow, so I can't let the crew down. I think Noughts & Crosses will do really well, because the script is really good and their acting is amazing. Best of luck everyone :)