Irish Dream

May 8, 2009

I write this week's blog from Belfast, Ireland. The first half of tour has been wonderful so far! The scenery is absolutely beautiful; postcard perfect. We arrived in Dublin last Tuesday and enjoyed lunch at a little Irish diner. The drive to the city of Cork, where we stayed for five days, was just the beginning of a feast of rolling green hills dotted with sheep, wildflowers, little cottages and old stone walls. Once in Cork we stayed at a four-star hotel in the heart of the city. We participated in the Fleishmann International Choral festival where we placed second and were awarded the Peace Prize (essentially the Miss Congeniality of the festival!). We were actually quite happy to receive that prize inasmuch as competitions are rather foreign to BYU Choirs and the goal of our tours is to share the Spirit and our love of music. We had a wonderful concert at a beautiful cathedral while in Cork. The people have been so hospitable: they feed us LOTS of desserts! And they do desserts well here :)

After our stay in Cork we spent two days in Limerick. We visited the Blarney Castle and I made the trek up to the top to kiss the Blarney stone! So now, I should be blessed with "The Gift of the Gab", or the gift of eloquence. Fingers crossed! The gardens on the castle grounds were beautiful. Little bridges and waterfalls and rivers and flowers and tons of trees. Seeing ruins hundreds and hundreds of years old was amazing. But as I walked up the tiny and cold staircases and in and out of the rooms, I was grateful for my modern home - though it's never been called a castle, it is infintely more comfortable and luxurious than that ancient castle would have ever been. Also, while in Limerick we visited the Cliffs of Moher - which are the famed Cliffs of Insanity from the Princess Bride. This has been a highlight for me so far. It was cold and windy, but the wind blew the fog from the cliffs so we were able to see the lush green wrapping all the way around the ocean. It was remarkable. I kept taking pictures hoping I could capture what my eyes were seeing. But nothing beats being there.

Two days were spent in Derry, or Londonderry depending on where you are from. It is right on the border of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which are two separate countries. Ireland is separate from the UK but Northern Ireland wanted to stay part of Britain. Thus, the name discrepancy. Also, Ireland uses Euros and Northern Ireland uses Pounds. However, you can only use Irish pounds in Northern Ireland, but you need English Pounds for England. It's never been so hard to get people to take my money before!! Anyway, in Derry we had a concert in a really nice hall. We combined with a youth choir from the area and had a wonderful evening. Earlier that day we walked the walls of derry and visited a cathedral.

Today we left Derry and drove to Belfast. Along the way we saw some of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen in my life. We drove along the coast of Northern Ireland, which was breathtaking. We stopped at a place called the Giant's Causeway. It is a place on the coast where huge rectangular rock formations just naturally occur. We were able to go right down to the ocean's edge and climb all over these incredible rock masses. The forecast called for a cold and rainy day, but once we were on the road the rain let up and the sun came out. It was incredibly windy but we were able to enjoy the sun as we watched Atlantic Ocean waves pound in against the beautiful rocks. We also saw a breathtaking full rainbow as we continued our drive along the coast this afternoon.

At about 6 pm we arrived in Belfast and met our host families for the next two evenings. I am staying with a fabulous couple who had a daughter in BYU Singers about 7 years ago. They are both from Ireland and have a cute home. We are very comfortable and just enjoyed a great home-cooked dinner of salmon, potatoes and a new favorite vegetable: Leeks! How have I missed leeks all these years?? Of course we had dessert afterward: wam pie and fresh whipped cream. I'm in love wiht the Irish people!

Well, that pretty much covers the highlights of the first half of the trip. We'll be with host families from here on out and we are scheduled for either a fireside or a concert every night for the rest of the trip, starting tomorrow. I have absolutely loved this experience so far . . . but I'm dying to get home to McKay :) and my family. I'm counting down the days til the wedding and am so proud of the fabulous announcement McKay designed. Everyone, get ready to be impressed.

Until next installment, love from your Irish Singer! And as a final note, if you want to read daily details of the trip, visit www.singers.byu.edu/blog. We have our "choir mom" on tour with us taking pictures and blogging each night. Cheers!