Computer woes

Sorry for the silence! My computer is broken.. sigh. My dad complains that I go through about a computer a year (which is probably true). I'm so bad with technology! I just got this HP netbook for my trip since I wanted a really light weight and portable computer. However, since there's not a lot of memory, I compressed a lot of my files (including my hard drive) so now my computer doesn't even start. Oops. Hopefully when I see my parents tomorrow my dad will be able to help me out.

Which brings me to more exciting news... tomorrow I leave Belfast and fly to London! I leave at the crack of dawn for London where I'll be meeting my parents who are visiting me for a week. It'll be nice to see them and it'll be their first time in Europe.

The Belfast poetry scene is really quiet these days since Queen's has yet to start classes. Sadly, the Seamus Heaney Poetry Center wasn't as lively as I thought it would be. However, I did meet some really awesome people. Including a PhD student named Paul who is currently working on establishing an audio archive of Irish poets. I also met up with Lia Shimada, a Wellesley AND Watson alum! It's nice to make connections and talk to someone in-depth!

More to come once I'm in London...

Cheers!
Courtney

Derry & The Giant's Causeway

Hi everyone!

Currently in Derry (my last night here). I'm so exhausted! During the past few days, I've walked around the entire city (viewed from the top of the walls), toured the bogside and learned all about the sad history of "The Troubles" as well as visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site--The Giant's Causeway. The Giant's Causeway was incredibly gorgeous and it was probably the place where I felt the most inspired. Despite warnings that it would be a tourist trap, I went early in the morning to avoid the crowds and ended up just sitting on this tiny, well-worn bench at the very top of the cliffs writing. I of course forgot my notebook (argh) and had to resort to using all the brochures I had stashed in my bag (might as well get some use out of them)! But, I now have the skeletal outlines for a few poems written on my Cliffs of Moher brochure! I have about a half dozen or so poems that I'm currently revising, so once I feel they're somewhat polished and decent, I'll post them. In the meantime, here are a few more photos from the Giant's Causeway as well as an excerpt from Seamus Heaney's poem that discusses Derry (there's a display on "Derry in Verse in the town center).



Here's the link to the photos uploaded on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2066847&id=2102998&l=4d0b588886

My next stop is Laurel Village(http://www.laurel-villa.com/), a poetry themed B&B in Magherafelt. I'll be taking a guided tour with Eugene to visit "Heaney Country" and his childhood home Mossbawn. I'm really excited! Each room is supposedly decorated in honor of a different Irish poet. I'm hoping for the Michael Longley or Seamus Heaney inspired room.. haha nerdy, I know!

Final thoughts: "...your solitude will be a hold and home for you even amid very unfamiliar conditions and from there you will find all your ways." --Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet (Worpswede, July 16th, 1903)

The Aran Islands in photos

I took a ferry out to Inishmore, the main Aran Island just off the coast of Galway for a day. There are three islands: Inishmore (the biggest), Inishman, and Inisheer. Most of the ferries run between the coast and Inishmore, although you can find ferries that will take you to the smaller islands. Since it was only a day trip, I only made it around the main island. Inish is the main language spoken on the islands and I was able to see one of the summer schools where intensive Irish language summer schools are held each year.

Most tourists visit Inishmore in order to see a fort called Dun Aengus. Built on the edge of a cliff at a height of 100 meters overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the hike up to the top wasn't as easy as it initially looked especially with very, very gusty winds and heavy torrential rain. Although, it miraculously cleared once I hit the summit.

The Aran islands have a very rich literary history. In addition to local poet Máirtín Ó Díreáin of Inishmore who upholds the tradition of written Irish poetry, Lady Gregory sought solace in the rugged beauty of the Aran Islands. W.B. Yeats also has a connection to the island as he famously told his friend and playwright J.M. Synge: "Go to the Aran Islands, and find a life that has never been expressed in literature." Synge listened to his friend's advice and the Aran Islands had a profound influence on his plays, forever altering the direction of his work. W.B. is everywhere in Ireland and it seems that I can never move to a new town or county without locating places he stayed, visited, or referred to in his poems!













Final thoughts: "In this world, there are things you can only do alone, and things you can only do with somebody else. It's important to combine the two in just the right amount." — Haruki Murakami (I'm currently reading "The Wind-up Bird Chronicle")

Galway City and Cliffs of Moher

The last time I blogged I was in Dublin, so I have a lot of updates for you! After Dublin I traveled to Galway where I was staying in the Kinlay House Hostel (right in the center of Galway city off of Eyre Square). Galway is often considered the "heart" of Western Ireland and is known for its numerous cobblestone lanes and village atmosphere that invites various musicians, artists, and writers every year. Galway also has a number of renowned festivals (particularly music and arts festivals), although none were going on when I was visiting. For anyone thinking of visiting, you should time your visit to conicide with the annual Cuirt Poetry & Literature Festival which is scheduled for April of each year and features poetry readings, book signings, and theatrical performances.

On my first day in Galway I decided to just explore the city. The city itself is very walkable and I found that it was a lot smaller than I had expected (although maybe this was because I had just come from Dublin). Some of the main streets looked a lot like Dublin, but it was really the back roads and streets where the shops and stores were interesting. I found a bookstore that seemed to have every single edition of Time and National Geographic magazines available. I also found some rare Yeats books in a vaulted case. I was interested in seeing them, but the owner was reluctant to open the glass cabinets unless I was "extremely serious" about purchasing them. (Which I was not since I didn't have the money!) A few hours later just before dinner, I came across a Japanese restaurant "Kapa-ya." I had been craving rice and Japanese food, so I decided to splurge and ordered katsudon, which was really very good. I was surprised! The owner/cook is actually from Japan and didn't speak much English, so I thanked him in Japanese and he seemed appreciative.

The next day I took a day tour of the Cliffs of Moher. I was trying to resist pricey bus tours, but the Galway countryside is just too huge and there was no way I could see the coastline without a car. The cliffs are really beautiful, probably one of my favorite places in Ireland so far. (My favorite is still the summit of Knocknarea in County Sligo!) During a visit, you're able to walk along the edge and peer over the craggy limestone cliffs. Peering down the 203m was a test of my fear of heights! I'll have to update more later with pictures from the Aran Islands.

Here's a poem to conclude by Julie O'Callaghan (who gave a poetry reading at the Yeats Summer School). I can certainly relate to the poem:

Leaving Home

The first night
you’ll lie face-down and cry.
That helps to clear your head.
In the morning, you aren’t sure
what to do about breakfast
since you’re in a strange house.
You unfold the map
your father gave you
and follow the mark
of his felt-tip pen
along the outlines of streets
that seemed impossible
to imagine last week
but now stalk right outside.

-Julie O’Callaghan