Embedded Files
Hello and Welcome to our Blog. We are Giuseppa, Antonella, Daniela and Alessandra from Italy. We are in Ireland on a 1-week Erasmus + educational trip and in this blog we record our adventures, experiences, things we learn about Ireland every day in class and in the streets, pubs, museums and shops. You might be wondering Why Troublemakers??? Well ... we managed to set a hotel room on fire, Giuseppa walked into a lamp post, Alessandra lost the key to her luggage and we had to break the lock - and all this happened in just 3 days. We are wondering what other kind of trouble we are going to get into. Don't worry, you will read about it here :)
Troublemakers in Ireland
Troublemakers in Ireland
We arrived in Cork on the 26th November from Bergamo airport at 10 pm. It was windy and it was pouring too. We took a taxi and we reached the Rochestown Park Hotel . The Hotel's staff was really friendly.
On the 27th, in the morning, we had a typical irish breakfast . From the hotel on foot we got to the city center . Cork appared us as an old and typical Irish city with a magical Irish atmosphere and in Cork the time seems it has stopped. In the evening we got to Dublin by bus. Comparing Cork to Dublin we must say that Dublin is really an European City .
Cork City from above
Cork City from above
Beautiful day in Cork
Beautiful day in Cork
Our group
Our group
Our hotel in Cork.
Our hotel in Cork.
Our local guide, by chance, Sara.
Our local guide, by chance, Sara.
We met her in Cork. She was very nice, she showed us around. She was our accidental guide :)
So what did we think about Cork???
Giuseppa: " Cork is a typical Irish city with magic atmosphere and it seems as though time flows differently in this city.
Alessandra: "Cork is an amazing city! Walking along the streets I noticed that people are really outgoing and eager to help a tourist in their city."
Antonella: "The people are friendly and the city is very muti-ethnical, we met people from all over the world. We even met a local Italian - Sara, who offered to be our guide for the day.
Daniela: "When I arrived in Cork I felt like I was in a Rosamund Pilcher novel, and as it happens in the novels I hope there will be a happy ending for our trip."
The first day of our Erasmus course in Dublin in Future Learning
The first day of our Erasmus course in Dublin in Future Learning
The first day of our Erasmus course in Dublin was a very important day, meeting our English teacher Mrs. Lucia Borosova. She is really gorgeous, excellent and outgoing.
The first day of our Erasmus course in Dublin was a very important day, meeting our English teacher Mrs. Lucia Borosova. She is really gorgeous, excellent and outgoing.
Ireland has 2 official languages - English and Irish (Gaelic). Irish is only spoken in a couple of areas, mainly on the west coast of Ireland. These places are called an ghaeltacht. However everywhere you go in Ireland, you will find 2 languages - in train stations, bus stations, streets, shops, signs, announcements etc.
Yu Ming Is Ainm Dom - it't a short movie about a young Chinese man who decides to move to Ireland. He spends 6 months learning the language, however when he arrives in Dublin, nobody can understand him.
Foil Arms and Hog are an Irish comedy trio - this is a short sketch about how Irish people can't speak Irish.
We learned some Irish slang... Everything is GRAND!
We learned some Irish slang... Everything is GRAND!
It all depends on your tone of voice and facial expression.
Christmas lights in Dublin
Christmas lights in Dublin
With Diego from Future Learning.
With Diego from Future Learning.
On the bank of river Liffey - the Famine sculpture.
On the bank of river Liffey - the Famine sculpture.
2nd day in Dublin - EPIC MUSEUM
2nd day in Dublin - EPIC MUSEUM
EPIC is the Irish museum of Immigration.
How would you describe your experience ?
" It's a testimonial of the past. The Irish are Proud and strong nation, many had to leave their country in the past for various reasons. It's a similar story of the 2 countries - Ireland and Italy. Many Italians had to leave their homeland after the conflicts in Europe, they spread all over the world."
EPIC - St. Patrick's Day
EPIC - St. Patrick's Day
Tunnel inside EPIC
Tunnel inside EPIC
Demonstration for Women's rights
Demonstration for Women's rights
In class we learned about very important Irish sports - Gaelic Football and Hurling. Looking at the videos, showing us the gaelic football match, it seems that it has some elements taken from other sports such as: basket ball, rugby and hurling. Gaelic football is played by common people withouth being paid by sports societies.
Rugby is another important sport in Ireland, this video is from a match between Ireland and New Zealand. The All Blacks ( NZ team) always perform a HAKA, a traditional Maori war dance.
It looks pretty scary and intimidating.
The Irish team stand bravely facing their oponents, while the Fields of Athenry is being sung by the fans in the background.
We also learned about some very unusual looking and sounding Irish names. How they're spelled and how they're prononunced - are 2 very different things!!! Confusing to say the least :)
100 Irish First names, meaning and pronunciation https ://www.irishcentral.com/roots/100-irish-language-first-names-meanings
Day 3
Day 3
Dublin Castle, Trinity College , The Church cafe bar . Dublin Castell is amazing to visit because it has many important history sites to admire , they bring us back to the 18th century with some important pictures of English Kings and mostly of the picture of Queen Victoria where she used to spend some days in Ireland together with her court. We also visited the castel's garden.
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
St.Patrick's cathedral
St.Patrick's cathedral
Dublin castle
Dublin castle
This is Molly Malone, a famous Dublin landmark.
The Dubliners - a very famous Irish folk band - sing a song about her.
Day 4
Day 4
Dublinia and St. Patrick's cathedral . On the 1st December we visited Dublinia museum. It is a very fascinating and interesting historical site. It is a musem showing us the Viking invasion in Ireland and the way they used to live . In the museum there are some figures wearing their traditional costumes . There are some areas describing us where they used to live . Living on farming and hunting . After the viking invasion there was the norman one and the Irish were submitted to them . After visiting Dublinia we went to visit St. Patrick 's Cathedral . The buidings dates from 1220. Today the cathedral continues to welcome new generation . The knights of Saint Patrick were a chivalric order founded by King George III in 1783. Jonathan Swift is duried under the Cathedral floor.
Dublinia
Dublinia
Dublin street signs
Dublin street signs
Medieval street in Dublinia
Medieval street in Dublinia
Today in class we discussed what it means to be Italian and how it's different from the Irish identity. There are similarities of course, Irish people are very friendly, open, welcoming , but for example when it comes to food, Italy has so much more to offer. We have fresh, local ingredients, we produce so much in Italy - like gorgeous fruits and vegetables. We eat dinner around 9pm, while Irish people have dinner around 6... that's crazy to us because if we had dinner at 6, we would be hungry again by 9!!!!
What does it mean to be Italian?
What does it mean to be Italian?
What is the Italian identity?
Working very hard on our blog.
Working very hard on our blog.
We took some photos in the school and had fun with the lovely Christmas decorations :) ( Diego must be a Christmas elf! :)
Day 5
Day 5
On the 2nd December we decided to sightseeing Dublin by tour bus. We took the bus and we enjoyed listening to the guide operator telling us about the most important historical and modern sites. It was gorgeous and fascinating when we went trough the Phoenix Park . It is a fantastic and massive park where everybody can do sports, relax, readings, walking, running and listening to music. In the end of this morning tour we felt melancholy because tomorrow morning we are living to Italy. We will miss the fantastic Dublin's atmosphere : "a magical and calm one".
Lucia made us draw portraits of each other :) This is the result! We are amazing artists! :)
Lucia made us draw portraits of each other :) This is the result! We are amazing artists! :)
Today we started the class with some ice-breaker games.
Today we started the class with some ice-breaker games.
They were very funny and we realised that we are all pretty good actors :)
We read a short story about how the Giant's Causeway was created.
We read a short story about how the Giant's Causeway was created.
Proud with our certificates
Proud with our certificates
So, our week in Dublin has come to an end. We had a wonderful and tiring time in this city. What do we think about Dublin and Ireland?
Antonella: "People in Ireland are very friendly and it seems that Dubin is a fast-growing financial centre. I would have loved to experience the Irish countryside, the green grass and places outside the city."
Daniela: "It's been a great experience, one week is not enough time to discover everything I wanted to see. It has been lovely walking around, breathing in the atmosphere of the past and looking at the modern and old fashioned stores ( like for example The Old Sweet Shop in Temple Bar."
Alessandra: " Dublin is fascinating and mysterious, divided in two by the river Liffey. 2 very different realities, but they complement each other and will forever remain in my memories."
Giuseppa: " This is my 1st time in Dublin. I am really delighted leaving this experience. Attending a course in the afternoon it has been really interesting because I could improve my English following an amazing English teacher. Even if Dublin is not really similar to London, I think that every tourist must visit Ireland and its capital city because when you go back to your country, you will always remember the feelings and experiences Dublin gives to you. Looking at James Joyce statue in Dublin's city centre it has been as though James Joyce is still living here."
Page updated
Report abuse