Rachel, Kristen, Miller and Sara
Our final day on the Island of Inis Oirr was marked by many wonderful experiences. The pilgrims from Charlotte swam in the Atlantic Ocean, watched a hurling match, attended an Irish school dance, and visited the 10th Century church of Saint Kevin. The day began with a visit to the remarkable Church founded by the patron saint of the Island C. The church has a beautiful story as it is buried every year by the blowing sand from the beach. On June 13th every year the Islanders gather to dig out the church and restore it so that pilgrims from around the world can see this remarkable place of worship. The group from Christ Episcopal were invited to reflect over their lives and find what had become buried and needed to be uncovered in their lives. They where encouraged to dig deep and meet God there beneath the surface of their lives. Below you will find a few stories about the day told by the pilgrims themselves.
Our night began when we were invited to go dance at the local school. We soon arrived to the building and were swarmed by 140 Irish students that seemed as if they had never seen Americans before. Suddenly, the traditional Irish tunes started to play. We did not know what we were getting ourselves into; therefore we decided to sit in the back of the room. It was the guys turn to ask the girls if they would dance with them, and so out of the blue guys surrounded us in their early teens. At first I was frightful of trying these new styles of dance out because I, like many others, did not want to make a fool of myself. We got out on the dance floor and before everyone knew it, we were dancing as if it was bookwork. I was amazed at all of the student’s ability to pay attention and not be distracted by our presence. The music would always get faster and the dances would become harder and more intricate each go-round. Every couple of dances the students would take a break and sing a traditional Irish song. The dances were like a comparison of promenade and cotillion in America. It was by far the best night on the trip! We got to know the students and also were able to pick up a couple of new dances to bring home and share with our family and friends. Having the opportunity to experience a new culture and associate ourselves with students like us was an adventure in itself. -Rachel R and Kristen T
The national sport for Ireland is hurling and it has been present throughout our trip. Basically, it is played like lacrosse but with no pads and a sort of enlarged field with an odd shaped hockey stick. It is safe to say that it is one of the gnarliest sports. On Thursday the group went to go watch Galway practice for their championship game against Kilkenny. Even though the weather was not what we may have liked, it was exciting to watch. Attending a Galway practice is a pretty big deal because people are usually not allowed to disturb the team while they are practicing. At the end of the practice they gave us a hurler stick and ball, which the entire team signed, and a Galway flag. On Saturday afternoon, a group of friends and I spent the late afternoon at the pub on the Aran Island watching the game. We were enthralled with the atmosphere of the locals cheering on their favorite team and sipping on their favorite brews. It was an amazing sight and you can easily begin to appreciate the physically demanding sport. It was a very close game, but in the end the reigning champions, Kilkenny, came out with the victory. Hurling is a sport of skill, endurance and toughness. It is a violent and exhilarating sport that the group has enjoyed throughout the trip. -Miller
Last night was a very special one. Lauren told us to dress warmly and to bring a sleeping bag and the rock from earlier that day that represented our burdens. Without any knowledge of where we were going or what we were doing (as usual) we set out together at about ten o’clock at night. As the sky began to darken, we reached the Church of St. Kevin, which we had visited earlier that day. However, it had been transformed since then. Colored candles flickered in all of the nooks and crannies of the stones and in the evening light the whole place seemed to glow. It was very apparent that God’s presence was all around us. We sat down, snuggled into our sleeping bags, and began to sing our praise songs from memory. Then, we proceeded to go around and discuss the burdens in our lives (which were represented by the rocks). We also talked about what we would like to leave behind in Ireland and how we want to be different when we return to Charlotte. But the most beautiful part of this was that we also comforted each other and praised each other’s strengths. We also took communion at the altar of this ancient church. Next, Lauren led us out of the church on a silent walk in complete darkness to the pier. Here, we stood in a circle and sang the Irish Blessing. After reading a Bible verse about burdens, Lauren instructed us to reach into her bag and grab a rock, regardless of whom it belonged to, and throw it into the sea. By doing this we were metaphorically leaving our burdens in Ireland. This marked the end of the evening and we returned to the hostel for one last night’s sleep in the Aran Islands. –Sara S
Tomorrow we return to Galway for our final day before flying home. Once in Galway we will spend some time on the beach with a wonderful story teller sharing folk tales with the pilgrims from Christ Episcopal.