Last weekend I went hiking in the Dingle Peninsula with the Outdoor Pursuits Club. It was great craic, but it was also really intense. I was expecting some light hiking for half of the day and I was very wrong. We started climbing up a good sized hill on farmland and I don't think we went downhill for a few hours. The ground actually became wetter, too, the farther up went! We jumped over or climbed under a few barbwire fences, as well, and spotted sheep everywhere. When we finally reached the top of a tall hill, I thought we'd made it, but then after a quick lunch break, we walked along the top of the ridge and proceeding to scale an even steeper, taller mountain. After a group picture, we carefully went down the other side of the mountain towa
rds a boggy area. Now, we were finishing up the hike at a pub and as far as we could see at the top, there was no pub in sight. So, once we got to bottom, we set off through the bog towards a path between two large hills. There were a few smaller, beautiful waterfalls that flowed into a river and then into a lake. You could see old stone walls dividing the land (and sheep herds); I wonder how long they've been up there. I can't even imagine how long it took to carry the stones up there to build them! We did finally make it to the South Pole Inn, built by Tom Crean, who is a local hero for exploring the Antarctic. 
This was my first trip into the Irish countryside and it was amazing!!! I can't believe how pretty it is over here. On the drive there, we went along the coast and I wished I could just backpack through there for a weekend. The Dingle Peninsula is a Gaeltacht-an area where Irish is a primary language. One of our guides explained to us that you need to prove you're fluent in Irish to build a house there; it's part of a government effort to revive Irish culture. Also, people who live in that area get extra government funding to go to college....unfortunately, it doesn't apply to study abroad students who know Irish. Oh well, it's not like I know any Irish yet anyway!
rds a boggy area. Now, we were finishing up the hike at a pub and as far as we could see at the top, there was no pub in sight. So, once we got to bottom, we set off through the bog towards a path between two large hills. There were a few smaller, beautiful waterfalls that flowed into a river and then into a lake. You could see old stone walls dividing the land (and sheep herds); I wonder how long they've been up there. I can't even imagine how long it took to carry the stones up there to build them! We did finally make it to the South Pole Inn, built by Tom Crean, who is a local hero for exploring the Antarctic. 
This was my first trip into the Irish countryside and it was amazing!!! I can't believe how pretty it is over here. On the drive there, we went along the coast and I wished I could just backpack through there for a weekend. The Dingle Peninsula is a Gaeltacht-an area where Irish is a primary language. One of our guides explained to us that you need to prove you're fluent in Irish to build a house there; it's part of a government effort to revive Irish culture. Also, people who live in that area get extra government funding to go to college....unfortunately, it doesn't apply to study abroad students who know Irish. Oh well, it's not like I know any Irish yet anyway! 
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