Hello!
The past few weeks have been crazy. The biggest difference between Rollins and Maynooth is the course load. All of my class grades are based on my final exam or final essay, so I have only had to worry about readings for class so far. The past week however, has been a completely different story. While December 19th (the due date for all of my final exams and final essays) has seemed so far away since August, it has been quickly creeping up on me and giving me panic dreams about handing in assignments on time. My girlfriend is currently spending the week with me in Ireland and I feel awful that I’ve been ignoring her to work on my final assignments!
Despite this we have been able to travel, we took a weekend trip to Cabra Castle in Kingsbury last week and it was so amazing! (and not only because they had dogs roaming the grounds!) The castle was beautiful, even more so than normal because it was decorated for Christmas! After a tumultuous trip getting there (I have not been able to figure out Ireland’s public transport since my last post, in fact I’ve arguably gotten worse at it) we were able to settle in to our breathtaking castle room where we were going to stay the night! After dinner, a quick drink, and a good nights sleep, we dedicated the next day to exploring the castle grounds and learning about its history. The main point of history we learned was how haunted it was- like most old buildings in Ireland- and even experienced more than a few paranormal instances ourselves. Along with learning the origins of the beautiful castle we were able to explore the extensive grounds and take in everything rural Ireland has to offer. This was much needed for me in particular, being in a city has made me forget that Ireland is renowned for its beautiful farms and countrysides. Overall, getting to explore and stay the night in a haunted castle was such a unique, breathtaking experience that I would have spend any amount of money on. Hopefully we will travel back to Galway this weekend!