The Bog

I really need to work on this updating thing. I'm always behind! Even though I hardly have any homework and I don't really have an excuse as to why I'm so busy, I still manage to find something to do. Despite being an incredibly small town, Maynooth has a lot of distractions.

Anyway, two weekends ago the Saint Mary’s crew headed out to the Bog of Allen. Bogs, for a long time, covered an extensive part of Ireland and made it really hard to travel across country. And even though they made life difficult for the Irish they also helped them out a lot too. The bogs supplied most Irish families with peat to burn in their fireplaces up until the 1950s or so. The Bog of Allen is mostly a conservation site now (because now Ireland is trying to save the bogland they have left) and so we talked a lot about flora and fauna and whatnot. I’m sorry to say that I wasn’t that interested—nor did I pretend to be. We went on a tour that lasted a good hour than it should have and when we finally got out of the freezer that they called a museum (aka the old barn outside some guy’s home) and onto the bogs I was bored stiff. I’ll be honest and say that the only real memorable thing about the trip is when the guide made us jump up and down on the bog. It felt like a waterbed; you could actually see the ground move up and down. The guide also taught us to make Saint Bridget crosses which are really popular in Ireland. Even though mine looks as though someone sat on it, I was still happy I got to make one.


This was me looking like I was trying to enjoy myself. I was standing in cold, wet, mud. I think I succeeded.
Afterward we all got onto the bus, cold and wet from the bog, to head off the Donadea which is a national park in County Kildare and what used to be the residence of the Aylmer family. The park itself is gorgeous, with tons of wooden walkways and large meadows and the ruins of the castle and towers creates a really strange presence. I suppose what I mean is when you’re walking down a gravel path and you turn a corner and all the sudden you’re standing in front of a giant ruin, it has an odd effect on you. I enjoyed it over all, though the whole day was definitely a lot tiring than the other trips and by the end of it all I wanted to do was take a long hot shower.

For the first time in weeks I’ve got work to do and quite honestly it’s freaking me out a little. I’ve got an essay due and an exam coming up and I’m a little worried that I’ve forgotten how to write essays and take exams. The lackadaisical work ethic of Ireland actually makes me miss the hardcore study habits of Saint Mary’s. I miss fully understanding what I was learning about. I know it sounds weird but I felt a lot more confident about my work back in America. This is probably because the professor graded things little by little and I always had time to regain my footing, but now, I’m stuck with writing one essay and hopefully getting an A. It’s tough. Basically what I’m trying to say is that even though I’m going to get this blog up to date, I’m going to have to do it little by little. I hope you’ll all understand. I’m going to try and update my blog about my trips over Spring break tonight or tomorrow, but they’ll probably be done in shorter updates.