Final Day on the Island-- Friday June 21st

I was awoken from my short one hour nap at around four in the morning. I woke up to the sweet cows I had befriended waiting outside my window, as if they knew that we were going to be leaving.

      Two of my housemates, my roommate Rya, and Brendan, were actually staying longer and would continue to travel around Ireland and Europe.  Brendan was still sleeping, so I couldn't say goodbye to him, but my "so long" with Rya was a tough one! When the cab arrived at four-thirty, we loaded up our belongings and I took one last photo of the place we had called home for two weeks.

     Upon arriving at the airport after a two-hour ride into Dublin, we had to say our farewells to Caroline and Ryan, who would both be getting direct flights to their home in Toronto (lucky!).  Kelli Jo, Matt, and I sullenly continued on.  First, we would all travel to London Heathrow (Kelli Jo and I on one flight and Matt on a later one).  We had to say goodbye to Matt after buying a few final gifts (Including, of course, Tayto Crisps). Our first flight was only around two hours long and both Kelli Jo and I got a wee bit of shuteye. Upon our arrival into London, we figured that we had enough time to relax and get some coffee and tea. We found a cafe and began to unwind, only to realize that the gate would close fifty minutes before takeoff (instead of what we're used to in America... maybe fifteen minutes at the most early!)  We then tore our way through the airport and arrived to the plane barely on time. 

     Once on the plane, and sadly separated, we began our longest flight (around nine hours or so).  I had the pleasure to sit next to a very nice young man named Stephen who I'm sure I bugged to no end. I alternated between talking, sleeping, and reading throughout the flight.  As we flew over Ireland for the last time, I definitely shed a few wee tears. 

     Upon arriving in Chicago, we had to lumber through customs.  Afterwards, I knew that I had to say goodbye to Kelli Jo. It was another hard goodbye and we promised to stay in touch and keep each other updated with our lives. We, along with Caroline, Brendan, and Rya, will hopefully be meeting at Irish Fest again this year in Milwaukee, WI in August. I had thought that London was a tricky airport to get through but Chicago left me lost and completely confused! Between confusing my flight between United and American, losing (and thankfully recovering!) my liquids bag, having to change terminals multiple times, and checking back through security, I found myself at my gate roughly on time. However, due to storms earlier in the day, our gate was moved three times and delayed from 7:30 to after 10:30. When we finally boarded our American Airlines plane, the captain announced that the First Officer was not legal to oversee the flight and we would have to wait until they could find another. 

     After a tiring flight, I finally arrived home in Phoenix, Arizona at around midnight or so. My wonderful parents and friend Kyle were there to welcome me home! Although I was heartbroken to leave the beautiful island of Ireland, I was happy to be home after over 27 straight hours of traveling.  Unfortunately, on my arrival home, I found myself sick with a stomach flu and completely worn out. However, I am recovering and will be doing a presentation on my amazing trip on Monday the 24th at the Phoenix Irish Cultural Centre at 7:00 pm. I hope to see everyone there!

Much love and thanks for all of the well-wishes and prayers for me during my travels!

Kelsey Kelleher

Thursday June 20th

Today was my only really unplanned day of the trip. While some of the other Young Ambassadors had assignments to go to, Caroline, Matt, Kelli Jo, and I were free to do as we pleased. Dr. Tim was kind enough to give us a lift to the beach.

On our way, we stopped at Dundrum Castle and visited Brendan on his archaeological dig. The castle was absolutely beautiful and, as always, Kelli Jo and I stopped for some photos.

We continued on our way to a coastal town. We grabbed a bite to eat and drink at a nearby pub and then headed down to the rocky beach.  Because it was such a lovely day, we were actually able to walk down the coast and touch the water.  I picked up a couple of really beautiful stones along the way for dear family and friends back home. We spread out our coats on the sand and sat on the beach talking for a couple of hours and relaxed in the sun.

     Some time later, we decided to walk through town and shop a bit. The town was beautiful and slow-paced, and the stores were so cute! After a bit of shopping, we caught a double-decker bus (just in time!) and headed back to Downpatrick.  I tried to stay awake on the bus ride, unlike Caroline and Matt!

     Dr. Tim met us at around 8:30 to talk to us about our experiences, what we had enjoyed, and what surprised us.  I could barely believe that our time was almost over! I was really surprised at how quickly I fell in love with Ulster. It's not a question of "if" but "when" I am going back!  I really enjoyed meeting the group as well as locals and seeing all of the beautiful scenery.  There is so much to do in Northern Ireland! We were going non-stop to the point where we were getting only a few hours of sleep before heading out again.  For this reason, I was not able to keep up my blog the way I had hoped and am just now working on reviewing the first week or so. I again apologize for the delay and I promise to get it up shortly!

Our last full day in Ulster ended with packing and spending time with local friends we had made. As our Taxi would be picking Ryan, Kelli Jo, Matt, Caroline, and I up at 4:30, some just stayed up all night. I was happy, though, to get an hour of shut-eye.

Much love,
Kelsey

Wednesday June 19

     Today, Maynard took Caroline and I first to meet with David Scott, Comminity and Educational Outreach Officer of the Grand Orange Lodge at Schomberg House. The Orange Order is a Protestant Unionist brotherhood that celebrate the victory of William at the Battle of the Boyne and are based here in Ulster. We were able to ask him about his job and everything he does. He gave us a short history of the lodge and explained what they do. He emphasized that they promote charity and outreach programs in the community. We also had the pleasure to meet Grand Orange Lodge Secretary Drew Nelson, Deputy Grand Master Reverend McAlister and Grand Master Harry Stevenson. Everyone we met was quite nice and they generously gave us a whole packet of information and goodies.

     Afterwards, Maynard was kind enough to take us to pick up batteries and send out our postcards and also bought us ice cream! He then took us through Newcastle and stopped for a picture and a bite to eat at The Gallery Cafe in Annalong on the way to visit where Maynard lives.

     We drove around Kilkeel, the Mourne town he lives in, and drove to Hanna Close, which are holiday cottages once opened by the Hannas (Maynard's family). We walked around a bit and got some lovely photos.

     Then, Caroline and I were fortunate enough to meet Maynard's lovely mother, May. She was so sweet and her house was absolutely lovely. Maynard then drove us back to our cottage where we refreshed ourselves and then went to the St. Patrick's Centre for a concert from a visiting choir from Chicago. After a quick clean up and more present shopping, we came home.

     The sky was absolutely gorgeous as the sun was setting, so I went out for a lovely walk. I found a public trail, ventured down to the lakeside, and found some of the ducks I had previously made friends with. After returning home I wound down for the night due to a headache.

I really don't want to go home.

      Much love, Kelsey

Tuesday June 18

    Maynard came to pick Kelli Jo and I up around nine O'Clock to go to Ballymoney and was kind enough to go out of his way and take Rya (who had just barely missed her bus) into Belfast. After a long drive into Ballymoney, we stopped at a memorial celebrating the life of RobertJoey and Dunlop, two brothers and some of the best Ulster Scot motorbike racers who had ever lived.

      We headed over to 106.2 Fuse FM, a radio station run by the Ulster Scots and Kelli Jo and I were even interviewed on the radio! Of course, we picked up more Ulster-Scots goodies and books while we were there.

     We took a quick lunch at Mrs. Mo's Good Home Cooking and I had a lovely pancake and sasuage plate with hot chocolate. Maynard then brought us to The Old Bushmills Distillery and Kelli Jo and I were able to take a great tour. Just the strong smell alone made us feel tipsy while walking around! The whole place was amazing. We saw the whole brewing and packaging process and even got dome delicious free samples at the end (although neither of us are really Whiskey drinkers). I got the Irish honey Whiskey and Kelli Jo got the 12 year single malt brew.  We bought some souvineers and then continued on our way.

      We stopped at Ballintoy and continued on our way back to Belfast. The view there is beautiful beyond my wildest dreams. Both Kelly Jo and I nodded off on the long car ride to Belfast.

     I managed to find time in order to see "Weddings, Weans, and Wakes" at the Lyric Theatre (which I had the pleasure to tour last week thanks to the assistance of Philip Crawford) so Maynard dropped me off. The show was wonderful and upbeat, the script written by a local lady. I could definitely see myself working with this lovely group of people someday in this gorgeous venue. The staff at the Theatre are very pleasant and very helpful, even allowing me to use their Wi-fi.

     Afterwards, Tim picked me up outside and I took the bus followed by a cab back home. It's been a long day and I'm very happy to be able to get to bed!
Bye for now!

Kelsey

Sunday June 16th

     This morning (Sunday the 16th), Tim and his lovely wife picked us up for a long ride in Dublin. We stopped at a Tesco convenience store to pick up some snacks before we hit the border so we could use our pounds sterling before having to switch to euros. As always, "Tayto" chips, sweeties, and fizzy drinks were on the menu.

     We began the day with a tour of Dublin. It was about a three hour ride down into the Republic of Ireland through more beautiful fields and mountains. Luckily, this time, I had my travel sickness medication on hand! Dublin is a beautiful and lively city, full of life and excitement. The group was decked out in our Friends of St. Patrick polos and looked quite dapper. The weather was a bit sunnier than it has been over the first few days. We passed through a town called Kilcoo, which means "church of sorrows" and was said to have been a stopping place on St. Patrick's funeral procession. President Barack Obama and other world leaders are actually in Northern Ireland and tomorrow will be in the Waterfront Concert Hall in Belfast. So, as you can imagine, thee are more police forces on patrol and travel is a bit restricted. We toured streets of Georgian houses, saw the Garden of Remembrance where the Queen set a wreath to commemorate brave soldiers. We found ourselves lost down some mainly pedestrian back streets before hitting O'Connell, past the GPO Grand Post Office, the scene of the 1916 rising, its pillars still marked by bulletholes. According to Mrs. Campbell, the O'Connell bridge is one of the few bridges in the world which is wider than it is long. Dublin means "The Black Pool". We passed by Temple Bar, a area with a lot of pubs and clubs and nightlife. There is a munucipal office built atop Wood Quay, a place found to be an original Viking settlement.

Today was actually Blooms day, so there were a lot of people out and about in costume.

     We also passed the Olympia Theatre, an original live Theatre and crossed the Halfpenny Bridge, home to the "Love Locks"

 We stopped for a bite to eat at Temple Bar for lunch and then went to Trinity College. At Trinity College, we were able to see the book of Kells exhibit as well as the gorgeous library (The Long Room).

 There were displays of the writing, art, and binding processes as well as those unnamed scribes that worked on them. The book of Kells was amazing to see in person! Sadly, you cannot take photos in the exhibit.

     We have a beautiful copy on display at the McClelland Irish Library at the Phoenix Irish Cultural Center. We then explored some of the grounds and gardens around Dublin Castle. Rya and I were frustratingly refused entrance to an evening service at Saint Patrick's Cathedral and had to pay to enter afterwards. This really disappointed me; I had really wanted to hear the choir sing, and the organ play as well as the service.

Rya and I then took a beautiful walk in St. Stephen's Park. We found a sweet family of swans, with a mum, dad, and eight little grey babies. We took far too many photos there and then walked about town.

     I made friends with a pretty carriage horse and had a "brilliant" hot chocolate at the coffee shop Insomnia.

      We took a stroll around a nearby mall, of course perusing the gift stores for family and friend presents. The biggest highlight of the day, though, was our evening at Carloline's Aunt Yvonne's home. We met our gracious hostess Yvonne, her son Owen, and his lovely girlfriend at their gorgeous home in a historical quarter of Dublin. She set out a mouth-watering spread of delicious homemade foods. I was able to meet their family friend Ethan McSweeny, who works in Theatre in Ireland and America. We then journeyed the long drive home, exhausted from such a fantastic day.

     I have been trying to catch up with my blog as best I can and will continue to do so. My apologies that the posts are not quite in order! I will have to figure out how to edit them and put them in their place! I'd also like to take this time to wish my dad, Arthur Kelleher, a happy Father's Day! I miss you and I can't wait to celebrate a late Father's Day with you! I also got you some fun gifts! :)

I hope everyone's day goes remarkably well! Bye for now!
Much love,
Your frozen Arizonan, Kelsey

monday the 17th

     Today Maynard picked Kelli Jo and me up and dropped us off with Michelle Johnson for the day. Michelle is the dance teacher we had seen on Friday. Michelle took us to watch and help out in two primary schools. We first went to Brownlee school. The first Scottish dancing class of the day was a very young class. Michelle is great with kids snd is very engaging. She would begin each lesson with a bit of a warmup and then would go onto a Nationalist Sailor's hornpipe dance. She stressed the importance of storytelling through this dance and the importance of acting; each part was illustrated as having been symbolic of what the sailors looked like or did.

     The first part was tapping their toes and rocking the top half of their bodies as if on a boat, then the rocking gets faster, the sailors pull ropes from above their head and then from in front of them. It was, as Michelle said, "Easy Peazy!" She explained "oily hand position" as in trying to keep their palms off their uniforms but still placing their hand on their waists while doing high cuts, tapping their feet on the back of the other calf while jumping and pointing their knees out. The final part of the dance was explained as sailing away and waving goodbye with a hanky and wiping a tear as they sail away. They then "pulled up their trousers" with their oily hands and then acted as if they were looking out from the ship's crow's nest. They finished with a sailor salute. It was so fun to watch the darling students learn the dance and doing their best to impress the American visitors.

     Being the costume designer I am, i was fascinated with the school uniforms, which were different from the exact plaid skirts and polos I had to wear in private school. All schools here wear uniforms. They each wore uniforms that were the same green fabric but in all different dress styles, as if home made or various grey uniform skirts and white polos. The boys wore black pants and white polos. If they were cold, they wore green sweaters or sweatshirts. They looked so sweet in their high white socks and Mary Jane shoes. The older girls can also wear blouses, ties, and trousers. With each lesson, Michelle taught a bit differently and adapted to the age of the students and the overall atmosphere of the class. She kept the students engaged and excited through the entire lesson and they all had loads of fun. She answered their questions. Scottish people used their hands and arms to speak and tell stories, which eventually turned into a dance. She also brought the sailor costume that dancers would perform or compete in, blue sailor suits with black ribbon at the neck to commemorate those who died. Kelli Jo was able to meet with the principal and talk about education and the curriculum.

     There were some really great educational tools around and a great healthy-food policy. We took a quick lunch after five classes in the morning. We went into the town, which is a maze of one-way streets, saw the mall, and ate at a noodle shop at Bow Mall, which was celebrating their 20th anniversary. Afterwards, we went to a different school.in the same city of Lisburn called Killowen Primary School. As this was the last class of the year, she had planned a game day. Michelle began the class with a game on feet and arm positions with the girls vs. the boys. They also competed at their animal positions, jumping the swords, and properly placing the swords. The boys won in both classes! 14-12 and 11-9.

     I had a lovely chat with their teacher, Mr. Mulligan, about the school system and the great extracurricular programs they've developed. Michelle dropped us back with Maynard in the afternoon and he got us home by around 4:30. Kelli Jo and I had gotten Maynard a card for Father's Day and presented him with it when he dropped us off. After being briefly locked outside, we managed to get in and take a precious nap.

We had been invited to a reception at the museum for their Polish jewelry and artifact special exhibit. It was a wonderful evening. Afterwards, we came home. I went out for a walk in the backyard and s group of cows gathered around me. We had some good conversations and one even licked me. I spent the evening skyping with family and friends, doing laundry, and getting more caught up on my blog. I hope everyone has a lovely evening.

Bye for now
Kelsey

Hi there!

I am incredibly behind on my posts but I might as well post what I have finished.

   Today (Friday 14th), we were able to sleep in a bit. Maynard picked Kelly Jo, Caroline, Matt, and I up at our cottage around eleven and drove us into Belfast. We had originally planned on attending the Titanic Memorial museum, but Dr. Tim had informed us this morning that he has planned to take the entire group tomorrow. Instead, we spent the day touring around Belfast, learning more about its historic past, rich traditions, and charming pubs, such as Ally Cat's, Voodoo, and Kelly's.

    We were also able to squeeze a bit of shopping in and even finally located a tourist shop where we were able to shop for gifts for our family and friends. Afterwards, we met back up at the Crown Pub and headed to the Moneyrea Community Centre for the "Moneyrea 783 Social Committee An Ulster Scots Evening" to watch Maynard speak. When I had asked him what he was speaking about on the way over, he told us that he was going to speak about choices made one hundred years ago and how the choices of 1913 affect 2013.
    
     Over the past few days, I have learned what an amazing orator Maynard is; he can come up with speeches off the top of his head and always has a multitude of stories in his back pocket to pull out at the drop of a hat. Because of this, I have learned the importance of storytelling to the Ulster culture. My background of Theatre always has emphasized the importance of storytelling and I feel that my time here with Maynard has further strengthened my belief in the importance of storytelling. The cultural evening was absolutely lovely.

     There was a performance on Lambeg Drums, ornately and symbolically painted drums beat by two long sticks that are Dutch in origin but had come to Northern Ireland around the 1690s, were enlarged and produced in Lambeg, and now seen as a Ulster Scots instrument of pride. The performance also included a traditional fife. The music was loud and exciting and left my ears ringing and my heart beating fast! Their technique was precise, exact, and riveting without any sort of (what the lovely Mary Moriarty would call) "fluff". I pity the backache those drummers must get, though! The enormous drums are held against the performer's front with a simple neck strap, no padding or belts. They also played other instruments, including the accordion, the tin whistle, and other traditional drums.

     There were also Scottish highland dancers, led by Michelle Johnson, a young lady employed by the Ulster Scots who Kelli Jo and I will be shadowing as she teaches her classes on Monday. The Michelle Johnson School of Highland Dance performed various National dances, a pre-battle sword dance, and celebratory dances. The children dancing were wonderful and they looked so lovely in their various plaids.

       Maynard then began his speech, using a line from a letter written by a previous ambassador from Arizona. Although my own viewpoints do differ from this point of view, it is inspiring to see someone who fiercely believes in and loves his country and what it stands for.  He spoke of many valiant Scotsmen who helped to settle Ulster and have been part of their rich history. He read "The Raiders" By Robert Burns and he also quoted Reverend WF Marshall's "Hi Uncle Sam" which was written to present to American soldiers arriving in World War II to show what those from Ulster have done.

     I had a lovely chat afterwards with some very nice people as we ate some refreshments and had some tea. I spoke to David, one of the drum players, who told me about the drum sticks, which were made of bent cane. I also briefly met Nelson McCausland, DUP minister of the Department of Social Development, Jimmy Spratt MLA for Castlereigh, Mike Nesbit, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, his wife Linda Bryans, a news journalist, Jim Allister, leader of TUV, Traditional Unionist Voice, and the mayor of Castlereagh, Alderman Michael Henderson.

    The overall evening was lovely and We all had a wonderful time learning more about the culture of the Scots in Ulster. I know we have even more exciting things planned for us so I'll sign off for now!
Much love,
Kelsey