A weekend in Castlebar!

Day 24 
15 - 2 - 2019

I'ts friday and I wake up at around 10 o'clock. I have no lectures today and during the weekends Cratloe Wood is pretty much extinct. Pretty much all of the students who live here during the week go back home over the weekends and the same applies to the students of Thomond Park. Earlier this week Zaief asked me if I would like it to come home to Castelbar with him for the weekend. He said he wanted to show me his hometown where he grew up, to show me the countryside in county Mayo and to meet his old friends. I happiliy agreed and I was told to be ready at 15.00 so we could get the bus up north. 

So after I've finished my household chores and packed my bag I walk towards the Cratloe Wood entrance and meet up with Zaief there. I ask him how long it will take to get there and he responds with approximately 3 hours. So we hop on the bus and three and a half hours we arrive in a small little town in the North of Ireland called Castlebar. Castlebar is the county town of county mayo. 

I think this is a good time to explain what I'm talking about everytime I mention something as County Mayo or a county town.
The island of Ireland is made up of four provinces and 32 counties. And when I'm talking about the island of Ireland, I'm talking about the island as a whole (Northern Ireland + Ireland). 
Since the early 17th-century there have been four Provinces of Ireland: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. The provinces of Ireland no longer serve administrative or political purposes, but function as historical and cultural entities.
And then there are the counties. The counties of Ireland are sub-national divisions that have been, and in some cases continue to be, used to geographically seperate areas of local government. There are too many counties to mention in this travel log but feel free to look them up.
These land divisions were formed following the Norman invasion of Ireland in imitation of the counties then in use as units of local government in the Kingdom of England. The name county derives from the older term shire. 
Originally, the counties' function was for the King to control these areas when it came to taxation, security and the adminstration of justice at the local level.
In Northern Ireland, counties are no longer used for local government; districts are instead used. Upon the partition of Ireland in 1921, the county became one of the basic land divisions employed, along with county boroughs.
Nowadays, the traditional counties are still respected for many purposes such as the basis for local government & planning and community development and are still governed by county councils.

So back to the story! We get of the bus and we walk towards Zaief's parents' house where we will stay for the weekend. I haven't eaten since 12 o'clock and Zaief and I feel like we're starving. So we decide to grill some burgers the moment we set foot in the door. After meeting Zaief's three younger brothers we decide to head out to take a stroll around town and meet his old friends.

We arrive at a house in the "suburbs" of castlebar and this is where I meet David, Rosie, Owain and Francis. And let me tell you, so far I haven't met a single Irish person who has been rude or disrespectful or whatever. Everyone here is so nice and welcoming and the same applies to Zaief's friends. I learn that it's Rosie's birthday the next day and apparently Zaief and I are invited to her birthday dinner at the pizzeria and the houseparty afterwards. And although it feels a bit weird to accept, given the reason that I literally introduced myself an hour ago, we accept. We hang out for a while at the house and just chit chat about each others lives, after which at one point we decide to hit the pub for a few pints of Guinness and cider and at around 1 a.m. it's time to go home and catch some sleep. Tomorrow is a busy day. Zaief, David, and a few other friends of them that I haven't met yet are going to show me around county Mayo and we might even walk up Croagh Patrick (Ireland's holy mountain). 
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Day 25. 
16 - 2 - 2019

Yesterday I asked Zaief if he would like to wake me up for breakfast. Something I regret asking very much this morning... 11.00 o'clock in the morning and Zaief walks in my room playing loud music, screaming and filming my reaction waking me up in the most annoying way he could think of... (So Zaief, if you're reading this... Up yours)

But anyway, I'm awake and I get dressed. I meet Zaief downstairs and he tells me we are heading out to get breakfast with Rosie, David and the rest of the group. This is where I meet Tadhg (no that's not a misspelling), Monika, Sean, and Mark. We all get in David's mini-van (Sorry dave ;P) and off we go. 

After breakfast we all meet up at David and Rosie's house and we discuss our plans for the rest of the day. Originally we were supposed to drive to Westport and climb up Croagh Patrick. But it's quite cloudy outside and that means we won't be able to see anything at the top. So change of plans, instead of going solely to Croagh Patrick and do a bit of hiking, David is offering to drive Tadgh, Monika, Zaief and I across the county and show me some important landmarks. So we hop in the car and drive off.

First stop: Wesport and Westport House.
Westport is a town in County Mayo in Ireland. It's at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast of Ireland. The design for the town was commissioned in the 1780s by the John Browne of the nearby stately home, Westport House, as a place for his workers and tenants to live. John Browne cleared the original village of Cahernamart, that had 700 inhabitants, to make way for his gardens at Westport House.

Wesport house is a well known Irish tourist attraction in Westport. It's currently owned by the Hughes family, a wealthy family that own a number of businesses in the west of Ireland. Up until January 2017, Westport house was owned by the Browne family. The head of the Browne family was the Marquess of Sligo. The title and the house were separated in 2014, following the death of The 11th Marquess of Sligo, who left the estate to his five daughters. The house was built by the Browne family in the 18th century, near the site of an O'Malley castle. 
One of the more significant sightings on the premises are the west gardens. In the early 1900's, George Ulick, the 6th Marquess of Sligo, was responsible for creating the once so beautifull west gardens. Where there is currently nothing but grass surrounding an ancient Greek burial tomb, there once featured formal Italianate gardens which were characterised by it's symmetry and perfectly manufactured hedging. If you stand on the steps of Wesport house you can still see the outlines of the past pathways surrounding the Greek burial tomb. Sadly, there is little information about the original whereabouts of this tomb.

After Westport House David drove us to the foot of Croagh Patrick. It took us approximately 10 minutes of driving amongst the stunning Irish coastal lines. As I've already mentioned we decided not to climb the mountain today because the weather prohibited us from enjoying the beautiful view from the top. But nevertheless, it was still nice to walk up the foot of the mountain for a bit where we could still take some great pictures. David told me the significance of the mountain.

Croagh Patrick is a 764 metres mountain and an important site of pilgrimage. It is climbed by pilgrims on Reek Sunday every year, which is the last Sunday in July. It's name comes from the Irish Cruach Phádraig meaning "(Saint) Patrick's stack". There had been a chapel on the summit since the 5th century, called "Teampall Phádraig". An archaeological excavation in 1994 found the remains of a foundation at the summit. A small chapel was built on the summit and dedicated on 20 July 1905. During the pilgrimage on 31 July 2005, a plaque commemorating its centenary was unveiled. It was decided in 2005 to open the church every day during the summer, rather than only on holy days. Mass is celebrated in the church on Reek Sunday and on 15 August.

As I'm standing at the foot of the mountain looking up, I decide that I'm definitely coming back here within the next five months. I just have to climb this mountain. But for now we have to get back to the car and have to get moving. Time is moving fast and we realize that we only have a few hours left before Rosie's birthday dinner. Right before David is about to drive us all back home he remembers he hasn't even shown me the Great Famine memorial. So this is going to be the last stop before we head back home.

Across the road of Croagh Patrick's parking lot stands a memorial called the "coffin ship". It's a national Irish monument to commemorate all those who died during the Great Famine, also known as the potato famine, between 1845 and 1850. During these years millions of Irish people died due to failed potato harvests across the nation resulting in the Great Famine. Following this famine, the Irish population decreased with approximately 25%. Mostly due to death by starving, but also because many Irish families decided to emigrate to the United States of America. Crafted in bronze by John Behan, the dramatic sculpture depicts a "Coffin Ship" with skeleton bodies in the rigging. "Coffin Ship" was the term used to describe the ships which left our shores horrendously overcrowded with emigrants fleeing the famine. The dire and unhygenic conditions on board ensured that many did not reach their destination.

After this we hopped back in the car and David drove us back to the house again. We get back at the house and Zaief and I decide to head home first in order to freshen up and make ourselves ready for dinner and the party. We arrive at the pizzeria and have a lovely dinner with all of Zaief's friends. I feel right at home and I feel treated like I'm part of the gang. We finish dinner and go straight to David and Rosie's house for the party. 

Today was absolutely incredible and educational, but now it's time to blow of some steam and have a good time!
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Day 26. 
17 - 2 - 2019

After one of the best nights out so far I wake up at the couch at David and Rosie's. Not because me or Zaief were too drunk to find our way back home to his house, but because we were so tired and it was too late last night to even walk back. 

I'm one of the first to wake up and start walking around the house, trying to find a clean cup and some coffee... But mission failed. Since I have no idea where anything is in this house, I decide to get back on the couch again and catch some sleep at least. After an hour or so, Zaief wakes me up and we head back to his house.

In turns we take a well-needed shower and freshen ourselves up. Luckily the hangover isn't all that bad and we decide to take a short stroll around the neighborhood since it's such a beautiful day. 

And after an absolutely lovely dinner made by Zaief's mother it's time for me to get back on the bus and start my journey back to Limerick. Zaief won't be joining me, he tells me he has to stay with his family for the rest of the week because of some religious ritual. But in all honesty, I'm too tired to be social at the moment anyway. I hop on the bus and off we go. I fall asleep right away and wake up at the gates of Cratloe Wood. I walk towards the apartment and start to think back of everything that happened this weekend!

I made some amazing new friends which I'm definitely going to see again, I've learned some really interesting facts about Irish landmarks, and had a great time with my good friend Zaief. Castlebar, be prepared... I'm coming back soon for sure!