Spring Break: Turo Theology Course in Dingle

This week we participated in the turbo spirituality course at the diseart. Although the days are long, the material that you learn in class is actually very interesting. I expected the whole week to be about Catholicism, however the class focused on Celtic spirituality and how every person can find a connection to the earth and God through everyday participation. This portion of the semester involved a lot of field trips to monastic sites, tomb sites and holy wells. I found this portion boring by the 12^th monastic site, however the weather was beautiful and we always ended up at the beach for a while during class so of course that was a plus. Also during this week my friend Steph from the States came to visit me over her Spring Break. Thanks to the amount of pre-planned activities there was never a dull moment for Steph and there was so much to do.

           It worked out well having a friend visit, because there is more than enough room in the house to accommodate guests. Since this week was also the week that Sacred Heart students came over for their spring break, group dinners and trips were also organized. One afternoon we went rock climbing and zip-lining in Dingle, and that was a lot of fun and something different than what we normally do. The students that were only here for a week also had the opportunity to go horseback riding, and Steph was able to participate in that as well, which I heard was an amazing experience. If your friends ever want to visit you while studying in Dingle, I would highly suggest telling them to come over. By now, you will know the in’s and out’s of the entire town, and the weather will be warm enough that there will be endless amounts of things to do outdoors as well.

           This week we had a group trip to Killarney and the Blarney Stone, and it was nice to get out of Dingle for a while. We all kissed the Blarney Stone and ran around the Castle, and then headed back to Killarney for an afternoon in the town. Killarney was very similar to Dingle, just four times bigger and we stayed in a beautiful hotel. Killarney also offers a very lively nightlife, so be sure to save some energy to check out the live music and pubs!