Saturday, the 25th of November 2006
Dear diary,
Today I went to the Dingle peninsula with the photo society. I joined this society with many others in September when the society’s day took place. Every society had its own stand in the main lecture hall of the student centre where we could ask questions and sign up for the selected societies. Each Wednesday at 6 o’clock, the photo society holds meetings in the Geography building about a particular kind of photo (nocturne, landscape, animal and so on) and receives special guests, mainly professional photographers. Usually, each society organises trips in Ireland to visit new places and to make friends in the group. This time the leader Duncan decided to go to the Dingle peninsula, one of the most beautiful in Ireland according to the Guides Voir: Irlande (2005: 150-151). We left at 9 a.m. sharp from the Western Star which is a student pub near the university that you could compare to the beloved Petit Bitu in Namur. Around 11.30, we arrived at Dingle (An Daingean) to visit the city centre and the harbour known for its several trawlers and its peculiar occupier, the dolphin Fungie. This dolphin has its own statue in the harbour on which tourists, as we were, like to sit on to take photos. After this short visit, we went in the direction of Ventry (Ceann Trà). The coach rode along the coast on narrow and winding roads to reach a dreamlike beach bathed by bright sun. Everybody was ready with his camera to take wonderful photos because the reflection of the sun on the sea was amazing. I was wondering if I was not dreaming of a Caribbean beach with palm trees and warm water but, as soon as I had put my naked feet in the sea, I realised that I was back in the windy and cold Ireland that I knew. Then, the next stop was at Dunmore Head (Ceann an Dùin Mboir), which is the extremity of the peninsula and from which you have a beautiful view of the Blasket Islands. Even though these islands are very isolated, some crazy Irish – as I used to call them – are living there. Some miles further and in a dreadful wind, we waited for at least 30 minutes for the sun to set. My patience was rewarded because I took some incredible sunset photos with a colourful sky. Because of the wind and the long coach travel, we arrived at the hostel exhausted and were looking forward to having a good and warm supper. Unfortunately, the heating was temporarily out of order and we had to eat in a freezing dining room but this couldn’t stop us from making new acquaintances. After a short while, the atmosphere became warmer and everybody was talking about his or her own Irish experience and the new expressions we had learned. For example, I spoke about the typical Cork word “langer” (phonetically written) that means totally shattered and/or drunk. Another very important expression is the national “slàinte” that everybody says before drinking a glass of beer, usually a Guinness. The last activity of this busy day was a concert of typical Irish music. The two musicians were playing the accordion, banjo and singing old ballads. We enjoyed a pint of beer and the music until midnight and then went back to the hostel for a good night of sleep dreaming about what we would see the next day.
P.S: The italics words in brackets are the translation into Irish.
Dear diary,
Today I went to the Dingle peninsula with the photo society. I joined this society with many others in September when the society’s day took place. Every society had its own stand in the main lecture hall of the student centre where we could ask questions and sign up for the selected societies. Each Wednesday at 6 o’clock, the photo society holds meetings in the Geography building about a particular kind of photo (nocturne, landscape, animal and so on) and receives special guests, mainly professional photographers. Usually, each society organises trips in Ireland to visit new places and to make friends in the group. This time the leader Duncan decided to go to the Dingle peninsula, one of the most beautiful in Ireland according to the Guides Voir: Irlande (2005: 150-151). We left at 9 a.m. sharp from the Western Star which is a student pub near the university that you could compare to the beloved Petit Bitu in Namur. Around 11.30, we arrived at Dingle (An Daingean) to visit the city centre and the harbour known for its several trawlers and its peculiar occupier, the dolphin Fungie. This dolphin has its own statue in the harbour on which tourists, as we were, like to sit on to take photos. After this short visit, we went in the direction of Ventry (Ceann Trà). The coach rode along the coast on narrow and winding roads to reach a dreamlike beach bathed by bright sun. Everybody was ready with his camera to take wonderful photos because the reflection of the sun on the sea was amazing. I was wondering if I was not dreaming of a Caribbean beach with palm trees and warm water but, as soon as I had put my naked feet in the sea, I realised that I was back in the windy and cold Ireland that I knew. Then, the next stop was at Dunmore Head (Ceann an Dùin Mboir), which is the extremity of the peninsula and from which you have a beautiful view of the Blasket Islands. Even though these islands are very isolated, some crazy Irish – as I used to call them – are living there. Some miles further and in a dreadful wind, we waited for at least 30 minutes for the sun to set. My patience was rewarded because I took some incredible sunset photos with a colourful sky. Because of the wind and the long coach travel, we arrived at the hostel exhausted and were looking forward to having a good and warm supper. Unfortunately, the heating was temporarily out of order and we had to eat in a freezing dining room but this couldn’t stop us from making new acquaintances. After a short while, the atmosphere became warmer and everybody was talking about his or her own Irish experience and the new expressions we had learned. For example, I spoke about the typical Cork word “langer” (phonetically written) that means totally shattered and/or drunk. Another very important expression is the national “slàinte” that everybody says before drinking a glass of beer, usually a Guinness. The last activity of this busy day was a concert of typical Irish music. The two musicians were playing the accordion, banjo and singing old ballads. We enjoyed a pint of beer and the music until midnight and then went back to the hostel for a good night of sleep dreaming about what we would see the next day.
P.S: The italics words in brackets are the translation into Irish.
Work Cited:
Perry, T. & L. Gerard-Sharp, (2005). Guides Voir: Irlande. Paris: Hachette Tourisme.
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