We Sang Places!

So we just got done touring the Rock of Cashel which was the site of, first, the ruling clans of Munster (first the Mac Carthaigh's, then the O'Brian's), and then the Church. Again, this tour was an example of how far back the history of Irish integration and power struggle goes as the site was first inhabited in the 4th century and exchanged hands multiple times.

As I've mentioned, I'm with the MSSU Chamber Singers on a tour of Ireland. Well, we got to sing in spaces where choirs from the 12th century to c. 1750, when the Church left the site, have been singing. The first stop on our tour was in a building where the choir members, which were eight men from from the Church or the town, were housed and where they rehearsed.

We got to sing MLK there. Another transcendent experience like in Ailwee Cave earlier on the trip. Then we went to St. Patrick's Cathedral. Though it was in ruins, it was one of the most awe-inspiring spaces I have ever seen, and these pictures don't do it justice.

After this we went into Cormac's Chapel which is the only example of period Romanesque architecture in Ireland. This Chapel was constructed in celebration of the Mac Carthaigh clan regaining control of the Rock. The Chapel is actually covered in scaffolding in order to protect the sandstone roof which was allowing water damage on the inside of the Chapel. Despite the years of damage, there were still remnants of Roman frescoes where the altar stood. In this Chapel we got to sing one of my favorite pieces from our concert, Give Me Jesus. I could not help but smile the whole time we were singing. It might not have been a space designed with acoustics in mind, but it sounded beautiful. The space resonated like none other that I've been in, and it is something that I won't soon forget.

Well, now we're back on the bus en route to Dublin for the last stretch of our tour. I still can't believe how much has happened, how much joy we have brought, and how much I will miss it.

I Kissed the Blarney Stone! and Other Adventures

For starters. I have kissed the Blarney Stone. Let me set the scene. The wind was blowing quite profusely while the steady rain blew in from the open windows as I climbed the spiral staircase. Along the way, rooms belonging to the 15th century provided diversion from the real goal of this sojourn. At the top of the castle, the true force of the wind was no longer a memory as it pelted me with rain. Around the parapet I walked as the line to the stone shrank before me. The cold, wet, and perilous trek up the tight, winding, spiral staircase was met by this Spiderman-esque make-out with a rock. Totally worth it! The whole day was rainy, windy, and chilly, but I didn't let that stop me from exploring. I had no idea of the amount of grounds and gardens that Blarney Castle contained. There were literally acres upon acres of gardens and pathways that lead to more and more exciting things. One of my favorites was the Poison Garden.

It had all manner of plants that would kill you. Which is completely fascinating! But this was really only the beginning of the different areas on the grounds. Perhaps the other most thrilling portion of this hike was through the Rock Close. Here were the Wishing Steps where the Blarney Witch would grant a wish to anyone who walked down and up these steps with their eyes closed. I did have to make two tries of it, but in the end, I succeeded! As well as hitting my head on the opening. (Side note: I have banged my head on, now, six different occasions so far; 4 on the bus, 1 on the wishing steps, and 1 in the Badger's Cave under Blarney Castle. I also fell while taking a slippery path in the Gardens. All good though!) There were so many amazing things I got to see, and this is just a small sampling. When I get some more time, I'll flesh this out with some more pictures, but for now, I have more adventuring to do! 

International Man of Mystery

Ok. Do you know how excited I am right now? So excited! I got to go inside the Cork Opera House!

Let me start at the beginning of yesterday. We departed from Killarney, and arrived in Cork in the south portion of Ireland. A tour guide joined our bus, and she told all about the history of Cork and it's port, Cobh, while we drove and walked through it. We took time to visit the grounds of University College of Cork which was built during the Potato Famine at the request of Queen Victoria. Then we got back on the bus (for the 9000th time) and made our way to Cobh which was the last stop of the Titanic before its fateful voyage. There we got to explore the town briefly, and we found a Bagpipe Parade/Contest. That was pretty amazing. I didn't realize that bagpiping was popular in Ireland because I always associated it with Scotland, but the competition included many local groups from Cork County as well as many more. After this excursion, we returned to Cork and checked into the Imperial Hotel which our tour guide glibly slipped happened to be where Franz Liszt stayed and performed when he came to Cork. In the 19th century. Minor heart attack #1.

After I got settled, I went into the city with some friends to basically explore. Along with beautifully historic churches and clocktowers, we eventually made it around to the Cork Opera House. This is where the fun begins. While driving around the city a few hours before, I discovered that Cork had an opera. Never knew that before. So when we were walking, I begged my friends to come in with me which they politely acquiesced. Once we walked in, we promptly walked up the stairs and started the adventure. I wanted to see the inside of the theater, but there was a dance rehearsal for a local dance school. So I stuck my phone in and took some pictures of the first mezzanine. The space surprised me by how small it was. But this makes sense because if the space was too big, it would be difficult to hear everything. The smaller space contributes to a better experience for both the audience and the performers. This is where I got to feel like a spy because we spied on the rehearsal for a bit. Then I ran around the upper level taking pictures like a madman. Exhilarating!

 Our tour guide said something today on our way to the Blarney Castle that really spoke to me: "Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right." I see this in the attitude of most of the people that I have met here. They have this can-do spirit that makes them all positive people who I think have the ability to conquer whatever they put their minds to conquering which is very inspiring for me.

I can't believe that this whole experience is over on Thursday!

Concerts and Churches

It has been an exciting two days. On Friday, we had our first concert at St. Mary's Cathedral in Limerick which went amazing! The space was beautiful, and our audience was so appreciative of our performance.

Then we traveled to Killarney where we got explore the city. This weekend is the Bank Holiday Weekend in Ireland, so the town was decorated with flags on the streets; there were many people there. But this made exploring the town more exciting! 

Next came Saturday. We went on a tour of the Ring of Kerry which was a scenic drive through the County Kerry. The land is beautiful, and it was easy to see how Ireland's nickname is the "Emerald Isle." Over the course of the tour, we came across a hospital that was built by a wealthy Englishwoman who provided care to the predecessors of the IRA in the early 1900s. It also served as a community center for the townspeople as a means for trade. When she died, she left it in her will to the IRA under the condition that all of the counties in Ireland would be united as one country again. Since this didn't and hasn't happened, the buildings were left to ruin, and nobody definitively owns the property. This served as a visual cue to what division can do in a community. Though this is a singular example, it is a model for what division can do in any society.

After our tour, we had a rehearsal for our concert in St. Mary's Church of Ireland in Killarney. The beauty and the history of the places that we have performed so far have left me completely in awe. Not only that, the acoustic qualities of the church were, for lack of a better word, happy. I don't know how else to describe it. I've never been in another space like it where I could feel the sound take on such a joyful vibrancy. Later that night, we performed our concert which was a solid performance. Again, the audience was so appreciative of our concert! Seeing the joy that people feel when we perform will keep me singing for a long time. On a side note, a large portion of our audience was from the U.S. There were people from Ireland as well, but while greeting people, I had a number of people from the U.S. talk to me. Killarney is a tourist city, so that explains that discrepancy. Overall, an amazing experience.

Caves, Cliffs, and Chips Oh My!

Today was exhilarating despite its rocky start. Which means I overslept. I woke up at 6:00 am because of an unfortunately overlooked alarm, and then I proceeded to fall back asleep, by-passing my intended wake-up alarm of 8:00, missing breakfast, and being awoken by my fellow choir mates knocking. But, regardless of this unfortunate start, amazing events followed.

Our first stop was at the Poulnabrone portal tomb which was constructed nearly 5000 years ago. Over 30 human remains have been found at this site which is located in the Burren; the Burren is a national park with a karst landscape. The ground was composed of mostly rock with some soil situated in deep cracks. Though this might make it seem barren, it was beautiful. But then our coach driver said something that stuck out: at one time, people being punished were sent to live in this part Ireland which made it difficult to live because crop farming is not an option and livestock would find difficulty grazing. It made me think about how much history is everywhere we seem to go. That landscape was used as a punishment by someone nearly 400 years ago, and I get to see where it happened. This also makes it clearer to me to understand just how many hands have a say in making Ireland what it is today. Those who were sending people to starve their sheep in the karst landscape were not the first to be in charge. For that reason, the traditional culture here is a mixture of influences which is eerily similar to the story of the United States though Ireland's process has been on-going since the 12th century.

Among the many exciting things that happened today, I got to see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. And I got to play in it! Just running around in my bare feet, but it was enough. Before that was hike on the cliffs of Moher which are these gigantic cliffs on the west coast of Ireland. GIGANTIC! Doesn't do them justice, so you'll have to wait until I post pictures.

We also went to the Aillwee Cave. Being from the Cave State prepared me for the awesome cave experience, but what surprised me was at the very end of the tour when our cave tour guide asked us to sing a song in the cave. We looked at each other, and our director informed us that we were going to sing our closer MLK which is by the Irish rock group U2 (I don't really know if they are Irish, but our director says so in order to make ok to use that piece in our set over here). Our tour guide was genuinely impressed and astounded once finished a snippet of it and completely sweet. It was rewarding to have someone genuinely feel happy because of what we do, and it made me realize today, again, that people are people no matter what country.

That's all for tonight. I cannot even try describe everything that has happened so far because I wouldn't be able to do it justice. Pictures will come soon to this page, but I'm going to sleep now. Tomorrow is our first official concert of the tour!

Departure and the First Day

These two things go together because they were actually the same day. But, before I start on this conundrum, I have a few thoughts on my preparation process. In essence, my expectations as to packing specifications and regulations were not realized; I was expecting a nightmare of grueling security checks and customs exchanges, but I was instead met with a fairly relaxed process. I spent at least 3 hours checking to make sure that my checked bag, carry-on, and personal item would be accepted by the travel gods. When I went through security, I was not forced to prove that my bag met the qualifications nor was I prodded to insist that I was not harboring narcotics in my quart-sized bag of under 3.5 oz liquids. All of the nightmares regarding the security and specifications process went by without appearance.

To be honest, I said a quick prayer before the first flight started its take-off process, but, as soon as we were in the air, I had the biggest grin that I could not wipe off my face. I LOVE flying! I never knew it! My favorite parts about both flights were the take-offs and the landings. Seeing the ground rush past at a ridiculous amount of speed or come closer with the promise of another adventure was thrilling beyond belief. Even the flight to Dublin had its perks with the infamous addition of airplane food which was sufficient though lacking in imagination.

The worst part about traveling for such a long period of time was the amount of sitting that had to be done. Leaving Neosho at 6:30 am and arriving in Ennistimon at 3:30 pm the next day took its toll on my body. In essence, my ankles are like puffy marshmallows. Another thing that I would try to avoid or do differently is take the time to better research how basic things like travel through airports or customs worked.

Well, eventually we arrived at 6:00 am in Dublin. The first thing that I noticed was the multiple languages on all of the signs. The first language was Irish, and the second was English. In Ireland, the recognized national language is Irish though schooling is conducted in English. Students are required to learn Irish, but there are few villages that proclaim Irish as the primary language. The second thing that I noticed was that Irish drivers drive on the Left side of the road; in my research, this fact escaped me. The third thing that I noticed was how quickly the development of the city gave way to more of the rural parts of the country.

Our first stop was at the Barack Obama Plaza. This gas station, rest-stop, landmark was surprising to me because I had no idea that President Obama had Irish heritage. He does, and when he came to discover more about this in 2011, the Barack Obama Plaza was formed. Here, I got my first taste of both Irish cuisine and the Irish people. The food was  not necessarily authentic despite my "Mini-Irish Breakfast" order, but the beans, tea, eggs, sausage, and bread literally were my first taste of Ireland. Also, I figured out that people are people no matter which country you happen to be in. The people there were so helpful and kind! With this meal and lesson under my belt, we headed to Limerick.

In Limerick, we were given the chance to explore the city built on the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, or England. After walking around the city, my group decided to tour King John's Castle which began its construction in the 12th century or so. The history here gave me a real-life glimpse into Ireland's turbulent evolution of takeovers from the Vikings, the Normans, and the English. I also got to touch a castle that was in existence before the Americas were discovered by Columbus.

On a side note, it was raining. My cheap umbrella decided to break. Life lesson: Don't buy cheap umbrellas.

After our Limerick excursions, we boarded our coach and made it to Ennistimon (or Ennistymon; I've seen both on signs on the way in to town and on businesses in the town). After a dinner at the hotel, some of us decided to experience some of the local life by going to pub. Completely unexpected, the owners found out that we were a singing group and invited us to sing in the pub. So aside from multiple first hand experiences of how normal, kind, and down to earth the Irish are, I can also say that I have sang in an Irish pub.

There have been so many wonderful and exciting things that have happened today, but I cannot fit them all into one post. I feel like this experience has not been real which is because of the 48 hours I've gone without more than 2hours' sleep, so I'm going to bed. I will post pictures of this adventure soon!

Tomorrow is the day! Also packing. And packing. And packing.

Tomorrow is the day that I get to start this incredible journey. It's a little surreal, but I guess I'm delaying the inevitable by making every single project take as long as possible. My packing process has been going on for three days now. Every time I've sat down to do it, I immediately think of something else that I should be doing. For example, I had to make my bed before I could start packing. I never make my bed. I'm not dragging my feet, but the whole build-up into this trip is making me hyper aware of every single thing. I cleaned out my car that we are driving to Kansas City which was a necessity. I even stopped while typing this post to clean my water bottle. I think I'm just excited, and I don't want to forget anything. While this has caused the last three days to drag on longer than any three days have ever dragged before, I leave tomorrow. Am I ready? Not quite; I need to finish packing!