Let's see where I last left off....
A few weeks ago I went to visit Kilmainham Jail in Dublin which was very awesome.
No longer used as a prison, it was once used for public hangings and held prisoners of all ages from children to elderly.
The prison itself was incredible. Directly about the main entrance on the main street the two posts where hangings once took place can still be seen.
After passing through the huge gated entrance was a museum with facts, stories, artifacts, and history of the museum itself. The prison was unique because several important figures in Irish history had been held or even hanged there.
The overall feel and vibe of the jail was heavy. The stone corridors were cold, dark, and gloomy and were once flooded with disease due to overcrowding. During the Potato Famine and other times of hardship in Ireland people would commit small crimes just to be thrown into the jail where it was the law that food must be provided to the prisoners. However, once the government caught onto this the rations were cut greatly and the quality of the food was very poor. A newer portion of the jail built in Victorian style looked more modern and resembled the prisons like the one in The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption. The rounded, open, multi-level architecture was used so it took only a few guards to be able to keep an eye on all of the prisoners. One 360 degree rotation enabled the guards to view every single cell, and the peep holes into each cell were in the shape of an eye so even when the prisoners were not being watched it gave the feel that they were, causing a sense of constant paranoia.
The courtyard of the prison was perhaps the eeriest part of all. On either end of the yard concealed by tall stone walls and black gates were two erected crosses. Both crosses marked the exact spots where two influential Irish leaders were executed, as well as several others, by a gun firing squad.
As I looked back on the dark walls of the prison when the tour had finished I knew for certain it would never ever be a place I'd want to spend any time in. The feeling both inside and outside the jail was sad and heavy...and I SWEAR I saw a ghost ;)
After taking the tour of the jail my next stop was Dublin Castle, situated right in the heart of Dublin. There isn't too much to say about Dublin castle, you really just have to experience it in person. The tour basically consisted of a walk-through throughout the castle which ended with a viewing of throne. The rooms were decorated beautifully and the king's bed was said to have been big enough to fit nine people. The most interesting room in the castle was a long room with high, painted ceilings that is still used when a new president is sworn into office.
A few weeks after classes had started we learned that we would be going to a Gaelic Football match in Croke Park, the main stadium in Dublin and Ireland.
Here's a link to a video that shows some gaelic football being played.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIlsRsMMJUc
Initially no one had any idea what team we should be cheering for but we quickly realized from the massive crowd that the blue team was Dublin and the red was the opposing team from a northern county called Tyrone.
Obviously it was necessary to have a few Guinness before the match!
I also purchased a blue Dublin scarf from a street vendor; though it was over priced and didn't smell too good, I didn't care!
The match began and the crowd went crazy, each person cheering on their county.
Over 79,000 people were at the match and not a single player was being payed to play. Each player was playing for the pride of their county, unlike our athletes who have half the talent of these players and are payed millions to catch a ball.
Though it's neither of the four, gaelic football is a fast-paced game involving skills required to play basketball, football, soccer, and rugby. At either end of the field are two soccer goals with a pole attached to the top of each side of the goal, creating what looks like a cross between a soccer goal and field goal post.
At first the match and rules were hard to follow but before I knew it I was screaming at the Dublin players at the top of my lungs to kick Tyrone's bloody arses.
The match was more fun than I'd imagined. I had more fun at the gaelic football match than I'd ever had in Fenway, even though that's almost a sin to say!
At halftime singer/songwriters Mundy and Sharon Shannon played their hit "Galway Girl", an upbeat Irish song that everyone knows and sings in the pubs all the time.
The match went into overtime but unfortunately Dublin lost to Tyrone. Because it was the 125th anniversary of Gaelic Athletic Association the match was followed by a light and fireworks show. Highlights of past games were shown on several big screens around the stadium followed by music and the light display.
After about fifteen minutes the show came to an end with the entire stadium lit in orange, white, and green lighting for the Irish flag.
It was by far the most fun I'd had and have had since I've been here.
Below are a few pictures of the jail, the outside of the castle, and the match.
I promise this time I will not wait so long before I post a new blog!
My next entry will be about my weekend to Northern Ireland :)
Slainte,
Sam <3
