On Friday, I caught a 9am train to cloughjordan. I was concerned that I would miss the train and wasn’t quite sure on navigating myself there, so I left campus around 7.45 just to be sure. I made it to heuston in plenty of time, of course. I took an hour’s journey to ballybrophy on a full train destined for cork, and then another hour to cloguhjordan on a relatively empty train destined for nowhere, Ireland. We pulled in to cloughjordan at 11 and I was the only one to get off the train. Promising? Not particularly. I walked the two kilometers into town with a stray in tow who hung out with me for the rest of the day. It was nice to have a bit of company, but I was really happy to have a day without a huge group of fellow Americans along for the ride. It was nice to be at my own beck and call.
When I arrived in town, I couldn’t really tell. There were two shops to speak of but, otherwise, there was nothing to see or do. Yikes. I walked up and down the main street, taking a couple of the side streets as well to see if I was missing anything. But, really, there was nothing to this tiny irish town. It was sad, really, to see the closed down pubs and other victims of the recession. It was raining for most of the day, as well, and I hadn’t prepared well, so my feet were soaked immediately and remained that way.
I began to search for a restaurant of some kind, but had no luck. I checked out the two shops—a fair trade shop and a book/coffee shop. They were both quaint and interesting, but nothing held my interest for long. I also found the site for the up-and-coming ecovillage in town, which is the first in Ireland and one of the first in Europe. These three things made my day. Being stared at by the few locals out and about, however, was more than a little disheartening, especially because most of the irish people I’ve met here have been so friendly and approachable. In cloughjordan, they were quite standoffish and seemingly depressed. All in all, it was a strange day. I’m glad I went, mostly because now I can say I’ve been, but it’s not really someplace I’d like to go again. Not, of course, without some sort of company or a plan of any kind.
I got home around 10 after two late trains and a scramble to find the tram at the train station. All in all, I explored three types of public transport that day, all successfully. I gave myself a pat on the back for that one. After a hot shower, I was incredibly happy to jump into bed for a good night’s sleep.
Yesterday was oxegen and, man, what a day. The girls I went with, alex (one of my clusermates), ali, and kenzie, are all from Madison and have been pretty cliquey since day one. They generally spend all of their time together, so it was a bit awkward to butt in on their inside jokes and stuff. They also decided to get wasted before going into the festival and to continue drinking throughout. I, on the other hand, wanted to remember the concerts and not get disoriented throughout the day, so I abstained and became mom for the day. Interesting dynamic to say the least.
It was amazing, however. Absolutely downright amazing. It had started raining before we left the city by bus, but the one thing we knew to expect was mud, so we had our wellies and rain jackets on. We got to the festival grounds around 3 and tried to navigate the site but to no avail. It was a bit complicated, so we decided to meander instead, stumbling upon stage after stage and tons of booths selling food. I can’t even describe this place’s size. Four main stages, one dance tent, and booths lining the entire perimeter. Plus, a campsite we never saw. It was bigger than bliss, bigger than wheatland…and the people! So many drunken people tromping through the mud in their wellies. Everyone had rainboots on, and it was a good thing, because it barely stopped downpouring throughout the day. The weather was typically irish, wet and cold, but it was well worth it.
Rise against played at 5, and we caught a bit of their set before moving on. I dropped the girls off at the green tent so that they could get a good spot for la roux, and then I went to the main stage for Florence + the machine. She is amazing! Such a stage presence. She commanded the attention of an audience of hundreds and barely lifted a finger doing so. Her flowing red hair and flowing blue dress did well to keep the mood light and airy. And her songs are so upbeat without being poppy and ridiculous. She’s one of my new favorites and has been for quite a while.
After Florence, I met the girls at la roux, where they had gotten to the front row. Once again, amazing. They had the beats bumping and the frontwoman was so energetic and happy to be performing. They played their big hit “bulletproof” last, and the crowd went wild. Such an incredible, high energy show.
After that, I lost the girls, but stayed in the same tent to see gossip. I LOVE beth ditto. She’s literally a beach ball with legs, bopping around the stage in her way. But she’s so spunky and intense! She has no qualms. She was drinking and smoking on stage but catching her high d’s with no effort. She’s an incredible performer, and I loved every bit of their show. They played their hit song “heavy cross” last as well. This is literally one of my favorite songs of all time and one I’ve been listening to a lot lately, so I let loose a lot at that point. It was so great to hear that song live, as it’s just as good if not better.
I caught up with the girls again after that, and they decided they wanted to go wait for good places for black eyed peas rather than going to kasabian with me. No matter. I actually enjoyed being alone, listening to great music and bopping around by myself. Kasabian played “fire” near the end of their set. They’re a band that has been big for quite awhile in the uk and is one that emerald introduced me to a million years ago. However, hearing them play was truly a treat.
Then, the piece d’resistence. Muse. I literally have few, if any, words to describe this set. Everything, from the lights to their outfits to the crowd to the MUSIC, was downright perfection. I felt every beat, even from halfway out to the road (the crowd was insanely large). I’m actually honored to have been able to see them live. I…really…I have no words. They were absolutely amazing. Lived up to all the hype, and blew any expectation I had out of the water. I am so happy I got to see them, honestly.
Muse finished up a few minutes early, so I made it over to the other stage to see black eyed peas play “I gotta feeling,” which was the perfect way to end the night. Contrary to popular belief, they can rock a live crowd. I had convinced myself that they sucked live, but they definitely made it happen last night. Fergie was glitz and glam in this ridiculous metal tutu, but she made it work. Will.i.am was his jolly legit self. All in all, it was fantastic.
We got back to the buses relatively quickly and surveyed the damage. The four of us were literally drenched both in mud and rain, but we couldn’t have been happier. After a twenty minute walk from the bus to goldsmith, I got into the shower with my entire outfit on (including wellies) in order to rinse off a bit. My leggings might be done for good, but I’m hoping the mud will wash from the tank top I wore. My trusty north face rain jacket was completely clean when I stepped from the shower, so that was exciting. All in all, it was an absolutely incredible day and one of the highlight of the trip thus far.
This morning was a rough one, as I didn’t get in until 3 from oxegen. Luckily, I packed yesterday, so that wasn’t of concern. My body aches, however, from a weekend spent in the rain. We had a couple hours on the coach before our first destination, so I was able to get a nap in. I was also happy to be reunited with my group of friends, most of whom went to galway for the weekend. we stopped at castle ward in county down on our way to Belfast. This house, and the family ward that goes along with it, is hilarious. The décor is absolutely ridiculous, as the lord and lady of the house couldn’t come to an agreement and, as such, decided to do the front half in classic palladian and the back half in gothic. So funny. We toured the estate with a sassy older tour guide who told us lots of stories and kept our attention. While I used to think tours like this were a bit boring, I’ve realized how much effort the tour guides go to to keep things interesting and relevant, so I am appreciating them a lot more.
I am settled in my bed in Belfast, after having watched the world cup finals in a random pub on a random street in this city. This leg of the trip seems unorganized to say the least. Dr. peter Collins, the academic director at queen’s uni Belfast, tried to introduce us to the city from the comfort of a lounge on campus. Rather than taking us out and about, he pointed things out on a map. But, we made it to a pub that served food and watched spain beat the Netherlands. Thank goodness.
This week is bound to be an interesting one. We’re going to the 12th of july parade tomorrow, commemorating the victory at the battle of the boyne in the 1690s. yes, the protestants are still celebrating after all these years, reminding the catholics that they’re here to stay. I find it a bit ridiculous after all the turmoil, but it’s history and it’s why we’re here. I’m having some mixed feelings about being here, actually, but I understand that it is a fundamental part of irish studies. We’ll also have a tour of Belfast city tomorrow. Tuesday, we have two classes and a poetry reading, all of which are our normal classes but are focused on northern Ireland rather than the republic. Wednesday, we’re off to the antrim coast for the day! Thursday, more classes. Thursday evening, we get to go to stormont to meet with some members of northern Ireland parliament, which should be interesting. Then, I’m off to London for the weekend!
xxx
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