In the months, I’ve been studying abroad, I’ve had the opportunity to explore Dublin and several areas outside the city. Within city centre, one of my favorite places is St. Stephen’s Green, a beautiful park located right next to some of Dublin’s busiest shopping streets. St. Stephen’s is a great place to escape the surrounding hustle and bustle and read a good book. It’s also only a five-minute walk from Hodges Figgis, a massive bookstore.
UCD arranges several free trips for international students. These include day trips to Glendalough, a beautiful valley and monastic site about a 90-minute bus ride from campus and Belfast in Northern Ireland. In fact, next week I’m going on a trip to Cliffs of Moher, one of Irelands most famous locations known for its beautiful coast side views.
Additionally, I am also taking a field trip class that takes students to several medieval sites. These are not typical tourist spot but they do have historical significance. This include Kells, a monastic site in county Meath that was once the where the famous Book of Kells was kept. This site originated about a 1000 years ago and continues to have occupancy today. However, Ireland is also home to a handful of much older archeological sites. We visited the Loughcrew passage tomb, an ancient burial located at the highest point in country Meath. While the passage tomb is in ruins, it provides insight into how people lived thousands of years ago, the tombs estimated to have been built in 3500 bc. The height also provides a great view of the surrounding towns. We even visited Brownes Hill, an almost Stonehedge-like structure estimated to be almost 6,000 years old. The purpose of the site is unknown but it’s fun to create your own theories. Maybe aliens built it?
