2024 Dublin Spring Seminar

Today we attended a mass early in the morning which was really cool. Next, we learned some phrases in the Irish language. After that, we played a great basketball game and we came out with a solid win. Once we departed from the school, we took some time shopping on Grafton street to get some clothes and spice bags . This day was a great send off and I’ll sure miss Ireland. 

On Thursday we had our long awaited debate against the Irish our team took a pro conscription stance unfortunately we weren’t able to win under the judges opinion but we did win the popular vote. We also went to the James Joyce museum which was originally a Georgian mansion with beautiful architecture. Along with artistic works based on his books.

Today’s adventures first took us to Butlers Chocolate Factory. Where we got to go on a tour of how the chocolate is made and packaged. Then we got a tasting of some of the chocolate as we saw a short film on how Butlers was founded. Finally we got to decorate our own chocolate elephants before leaving. After that we had lunch and went to the James Joyce center to see how he lived and look at some of the things he did in his lifetime. After that some kids went to do final debate prep and some practiced for the basketball game tomorrow. Once that was finished we went back to the lecture theater for the debate. There were great points from either side but in the end Belvedere won. Though we lost it was still a fun and intense time.

Today was a great and adventurous day for the crew. First we set off to go look at Tara and New grange as they were two very interesting places to visit. We learned about the bridge that you cross over the boyne river because it was very important to Ireland as it represented the battle of the boyne. The trip has been great so far as we have a little time left here in Ireland. 

Today I took the train in to school like most other days. After arriving at school we went straight to a history class with Mr Altman who was full of energy. He talked to us    about the main characteristics of Ireland and some historical events that made it what it is today. Then we hopped straight on     bus and headed north. Our first stop was the hill of Tara which was an ancient inauguration site for ancient kings of Ireland. Then we drove over to where newgrange is but the bus first took us to knowth which I think is one of the coolest places we’ve been to. It is similar to newgrange, which was where we went to next, as it is an ancient burial site used for megalithic passage. There was over 200 people found at knowth and around 6 people found at newgrange because of its open door since its discovery the 1600s. The difference between the two other than the 18 smaller satellite mounds at knowth and the overall design of them is one thing. At newgrange during the morning of the win

Our day today was very educational and fun, with a few quick lessons in the morning followed by an immediate trip to the Glasnevin Cemetery area. We were taught about the topography of Ireland and Irish literature through 2 very enjoyable mini-lessons which were directed by Belvedere staff. We then went to the Glasnevin cemetery, where we learned a lot about the politics surrounding the 1916 rising and the people who were involved in it. We had a quick lunch break at the lovely cafe, and then made our way to the Botanic Gardens right next door! There, we were allowed to wander, taking in the beautiful fauna and wildlife living in that area. 

Today’s adventures were full of reflection and remembrance, as we visited the Glasnevin cemetery, as well as the neighboring botanical garden! We visited the graves of many famous key Irish fighters in the 1916 uprising, as well as other figures important to the culture as a whole. The botanical garden was an added and unexpected bonus to the day, with a wide array of plant species arranged throughout the space, and a variety of wild animals sprawling across the grounds!

On Monday me and my friends traveled to Belfast and Northern Ireland for a long day trip. After a bus ride up to Belfast, we visited some of the murals that were painted on city walls, which depicted current events and political leaders such as Nelson Mandela. After that, we visited the Peace Wall where we signed our names and took some nice pictures. We then went further into the city towards the city center, where we stopped to look around some shops and take photos. Then we visited the docks where the Titanic was built, and took a quick look inside the gift shop. We then departed Belfast for the Rope bridge further North, however it was closed due to the windy weather we had that day. We were still able to take in some impressive views from the cliffs near the ocean, and got a quick snack at a local cafe. After that, we traveled to Giants Causeway, where we took a hike to see some of the rock formations. After our hike, we stopped at the hotel nearby for some dinner. It was a very

Today was a great day we departed the sunny streets of Dublin for a rainy and windy Northern Ireland. Todays theme was Tragedy and we talked of many tragic stories. One of them being the titanic, the titanic was built in Belfast and they have a great museum to commemorate those who helped build it. Today marks the 112th anniversary of when the titanic sank taking thousands of lives with it. One of the other major things we talked about was the separation of Catholics and protestants and how it causes the separation of the north and the Republic of Ireland. Some think that Ireland should be united as one hole and you will hear the saying 26+6=1 this stands for the 26 county’s of the republic and the 6 county’s in the north being united together to form one nation. After crossing the border one of the biggest differences is the change from kilometers to miles. It made me feel like I was back on the roads in the US but we were still on the wrong side of the road. While in the north we vis

This weekend we all had time with our host brothers. Some of us including myself switched host brothers for the second half of the exchange.  Saturday I got to meet my new host family and spent the day resting after a long week. On Sunday me and my host brother went in to Dublin and met some of his friends. After we went down to Croke park and watched the Leinster Gaelic football quarter finals. Dublin played and beat Mead, getting into the semifinals. The weekend was good and relaxing, and I was able to get much needed rest.

Friday was by far the most enjoyable day of the trip. To start off the day we met with an Olympic athlete that told us his stories about competing, and going to college in Boston. And then afterward we made our journey to Croke Park stopping along the way for pizza. Once we arrived at Croke Park we were greeted by our tour guide, Connor, who showed us around Croke Park. In the tour we got to see the locker rooms, the function room and finally got to go on the roof which was the coolest part. On the roof we got to walk around and at the end we went on a part of the path the was hanging over the field. All around Friday was my favorite day so far on the trip. 

  his weekend was very fun, it was full of activities and also time to sleep in and rest. Saturday we started out the day by getting the train to Dublin in the early afternoon. We ate at a restarting called Nando’s for lunch with some of the other boys on the trip(it was great). This was before we got back on the train and headed over to the Aviva stadium for the Leinster rugby match. We had a great time and Leinster got a big win. On the long trip back to Tullyallen we got spice boxes for the train. Next, on Sunday I slept in and then went with my host family to the nearby trim castle. We walked around and then got a tour of the inside. The castle is from the year 1172. After the tour we hung out and watched the Dublin vs. Meath Gaelic football game being played at croke park on tv. That was until I went out to dinner in Skerries at a great restaurant and now am back home recharging for the week.

On Friday we were taught about the modern political system of Ireland along with their sports. We were taught the jobs of the Irish president and the major political parties such as Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and the green party., After the political lesson we learned about Ireland’s sports. We learned about rugby, hurling and Gaelic football. We were then taught by Phil Conway, one of Ireland’s 1972 olympians, about his experience in Munich., Later that day we were given a tour of Croke Park, Dublin's biggest sports arena. In Croke Park they play hurling and Gaelic football. We were shown the team lounge, one of the locker rooms and taken on top of the stadium along with being taught the history of the stadium.

Today we started the day off immediately on foot to the famine sculptures which displayed exactly what it sounds like, people    who were hungry because of the famine. Now at this point we didn’t know much about these things but we did learn more throughout the day. Nearby was the EPIC Museum where we learned about Irish immigration and then the Jeanie Johnston ship where not one passenger ever died on its trips to America. After some quick shopping on grafton street we ate lunch at the Boxty house and thanks to Mr. Brooks and Mr. McAllister for buying us sodas. The food was great and then we went to my favorite exhibit so far, the book of Kells . I did sneak a picture of it although the man who walked in was not happy. But a summary of it is that it’s the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John written in Latin. It included many markings in a Celtic font being written by Celtic monks in the medieval ages. Now we lastly ate dinner and headed off to a play starting at 7:30. The play wa

Today was a very busy day, and we did a bunch of fun stuff. We started off the day by visiting the James Joyce statue, who is a very famous writer and an alumni of Belvedere College. Next we made our way to the Famine Sculptures, and started to learn more about the struggles of the famine. Up the street from there was the EPIC Museum, where me and my peers learned about immigrant experiences, ranging from triumphs to hardships. We also visited the Jeanie Johnson ship, where we saw an amazing replica of the passenger ship that brought many immigrants to the Americas. The ship had an amazing story to tell, boasting a perfect 0 deaths aboard when traveling. We then had lunch at the Boxty House, where we enjoyed some of the best cheesecake I’ve ever had. Then we traveled to Trinity College where we saw the Book of Kells and learned about the history of the book, as well as the restoration of the Old Library! After some more shopping around the city, we enjoyed another great dinner at the T

Wednesday Blog   Today was my favorite day so far. We traveled with the French exchange students, who also have an exchange program with our school. We started our day off in Dublin and then headed over to a town called Bray. The views were incredible and so were the people there. After walking around for a bit, we worked our way through the Wicklow mountains, Glencree, and Glendalough. There’s nothing like what you see while traveling through that area anywhere else. We finished our day up in the Glendalough monastic city.

Today we got out of Dublin and explored county Wicklow. We were joined by the French exchange also visiting Belvedere, the same school BC High exchanges with, Saint-Marc in Lyon. To start our day we visited a statue of Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh and heard some of his poetry. From there we headed to the seaside town of Bray. Bray is special to me because it is where my father and many of my relatives are from. In Bray we explored the beach and were able to shop. From Bray we left for Glendalough and went over the Sally gap and got to see stunning views of mountains, lakes, and bogs. We had a slight delay but arrived at Glendalough. There we had a nice walk and got to explore the cemetery. In the center is an ancient monastery once used by monks. It was a long day of driving but the stunning destinations made up for it.