Belfast and Limerick

Hi everyone, I hope that you are all doing well. I'm having a good time in Ireland, but the time is flying by. Last weekend my study abroad program went on a two day trip to Belfast. We stayed in hostels in the city, which allowed us easy access to the pubs. The city itself is pretty dreary and grey, but it was still fun. It's a very industrial city, lots of brick and fences. Some of the Peace Walls that traditionally separated the Protestant sections from Catholic ones are still standing. We saw some of the murals as well, including some very militant ones (although most of the extremely violent ones have been painted over). We took a bus tour around the city, but it was pretty short. We mostly visited the murals and the Titanic Quarter, which is a new section of the city by the docks where they are going to build a museum and stuff about the Titanic because it was built there. we also got to watch the Ireland vs. England 6 Nations Rugby game on TV. They played at Croke Park, so it had huge historical significance for the Irish. The Irish played better and eventually won 14-13. It may be of interest that international rugby is the only "Ireland" team that incorporates both Northern Ireland and the Republic. So the locals in Belfast were mostly rooting for Ireland as well. Aside from the city we also got to see the Giant's Causeway. I didn't really know what to expect before we got there, but it was very impressive. The area around it is beautiful, and the Causeway itself is amazing. People are allowed to walk out on it, right out to the ocean and everything. I even got in the water barefoot, as you will be able to see in the pictures at the bottom. This weekend I went to Limerick to visit Pat Shaw, a distant relative of ours. He met me at the train station in Limrick and took me to his home just outside the city. He lives alone, but he has 3 sons (32, 36, and 40 approx.) who all live very close. I think he was 73 or so, but he is still pretty spry and talkative, though he smokes like a chimney. The house (also pictured below) was nice, but very cold. Fortunately, he already had an electric blanket set up for me. Friday night we went to Durty Nelly's, a famous pub at the foot of Bunratty Castle for a pint. It was pretty slow, though, since it isn't prime tourist season, so we headed home to watch some boxing (which he was pretty excited about). He was pretty interested in all of the family history stuff, and told me that my family and I should visit the tomb of Patrick Shaw (who is his great grandfather, and the brother of my great great great grandfather) in Carlow. Anyway, Saturday morning we visited his sons and went into the city to check out the market and some of the sights. I got to see the stadium where the Munster rugby team plays, St. John's Cathedral, and a few other churches. The day went by pretty quickly, and before i knew it I had to catch the train back to Cork. I thanked him for everything, and he saw me off at the train station. He was very nice, and I was glad that I met him and his sons. He did give me a couple of photographs of old Shaws that I will have my mom scan and send out once I get back to the states. Well, it's back to school tomorrow, and then St. Patrick's Day weekend is coming up. Ireland has a four day festival kind of thing from Sat-Tuesday, which should be a lot of fun. Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well. And Papa I hope that you feel better, and I want you to know that I'm thinking of you. Love, Jamie A couple of the Loyalist Protestant murals. Part of the Giant's Causeway. The Giant's Gate Me wading into the water near the Giant's Causeway. It was cold, but not as bad as I thought it would be. The Giant's Causeway from the cliffs above. Bunratty Castle and Durty Nelly's at night.Same picture pretty much but daytime. Pat Shaw in front of the pub. Pat Shaw's house outside of Limerick.