the museum, the post office, and the gaol

I went to jail today. oops, I mean gaol.

I had class today, and we are learning about the history of ireland. this was the last class period I have in ireland and luckily it was the last day of irish history. but I have to write a paper about my thoughts on Irish independence after visiting the Killmainham Gaol, the General Post Office, and the Road to Independence exhibit at the National Museum.

this should be prefaced.

at the end of april, I went to a presentation on campus about the Easter Uprising of 1916 because my professor said we didn't have to write one of our papers for the trip if we went. and she enticed us with the promise of Irish music and dancing. I took Brian to it and everything. ugh. boring up the wazoo! it was a very monotonous lecture on the history of Ireland's fight for independence starting with the first failed rebellion and ending with one of the last failed rebellions in 1916. I swear, they are worse than the French when it comes to winning wars.

so in class today we discussed the uprising in 1916 again. I then went to Killmainham Gaol, where the leaders of the uprising were imprisoned and executed. I visited the General Post Office which was their headquarters during the rebellion (and which was burned down during the fighting. there are still bullet holes from it in the columns outside the building - way cool!) and the Road to Independence, based on the exhibit, began and ended with the 1916 rebellion.

needless to say, I don't freakin' care about this rebellion anymore! it wasn't even successful! it wasn't even the last failed rebellion! but all the leaders have become martyrs for the cause. the irish love when countrymen die for no reason except to die for Ireland.

I will admit the last letters these men wrote to their families were touching. and gaols are supercool, especially when you spell it that way. but it took me my entire day to go to these three sites. I have never been on or waited for so many buses in my life. wastes away the time that is for sure.

I guess what I am saying is that today was not the best day. but I did get all my field trips out of the way, so now I can write that paper (the paper I don't have to write is one for scotland. go figure).
I think perhaps all my constant travelling is catching up with me and I am just tired and ready to be home. I don't want to live out of a suitcase anymore. or fill my day with the sights and sounds of foreign-ness. I want to just sit around all day and do nothing. but I just don't have the time.
tomorrow should be fun. I am going to Newgrange to see a neolithic tomb built before the pyramids.

and I got my pictures burned to a disc so I can clear my memory card and take another 250 pictures! woo woo! I doubt that will last me through Scotland, but hopefully I will get to download again!