The past week has been pretty busy. Monday we had class as normal. Tuesday we toured Leinster House. Wednesday I met my TD. Thursday I had work. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we were in County Wexford.
I’ll start with Tuesday. The Dáil is the Irish analogue of the House of Representatives. It’s the lower house in the Oireachtas, which is the Irish legislature. The Dáil is the more active house and has 166 members. Along with the Seanad, or Irish Senate, it’s located in a place called Leinster House. Leinster House is in the middle of Dublin City. It was built by James FitzGerald, 1st Duke of Leinster. It was originally a residence, but has since been converted to accommodate the chambers of the Dáil and Seanad. It’s a truly beautiful building, and the interiors are breathtaking, but I’m unfortunately not allowed to take pictures.
Wednesday, I met with my TD and started my internship. A TD is a member of the Dáil. I’m technically not supposed to talk about who I’m working for or what I’m working on, but I will say he’s very nice, and I think I’ll be doing some really rewarding and fun work over the next three months.
Friday we left for our homestay in County Wexford. It’s in the southeastern part of Ireland, and it’s beautiful. The town we stayed in, Gorey, was right near the coast. My friend Josie and I stayed with a fantastic family: a travel agent named Janice and her nine year old daughter Alannah. They were so welcoming and made us feel right at home. Yesterday, Janice took us to Wexford Town, down the coast. Wexford is an adorable little place. It’s an old town with narrow streets and cobblestone and beautiful 18th century churches rising above them. We spent a few hours looking around (and discovering that tours of the buildings have to be booked in advance) and then went back to Gorey for the night. Today we went to the beach. It was gorgeous, like something from a postcard. I’ll have pictures of both Wexford and the beach up tomorrow.
The best part of the weekend, I think, was getting to see what day to day life in Ireland is like. Gorey is small, comparable to Magnolia, so seeing how people live there brought Ireland a little more into perspective, both in how it’s different from the States and how it’s similar. I loved getting to know Janice and Alannah, as well, and I hope to keep in contact with them. All in all, it’s been a good week. A new one starts tomorrow.
The Southern Belle of Dublin City 