Arrival on Achill

Our correspondent today is Bill Malley:

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.” ~ Mark Twain

Greetings from Achill Island, Co. Mayo, Ireland!

It is hard to believe but our time in Belfast had come to an end. After Geraldine, our helper in Belfast, along with everyone else finished packing up our dorm kitchen at Queens Elms, we said our goodbyes to Raymond and boarded a private coach to depart for Achill. After the five hour bus ride, we finally arrived. We were greeted by Achill locals’ right before we crossed over the bridge onto the island. I immediately felt like a celebrity by the VIP their reception; it was hard to believe that that they were waiting for us to arrive on the island. During our time on Achill we were constantly photographed and videotaped like reality TV show stars.

Our group was too large to accommodate together on Achill; hence were split into two groups and placed at two different Bed & Breakfast Inns (B&Bs). Our group was split between the stylish Achill Lodge and the beautiful Innis Aoibhinn. I stayed at the Achill Lodge which is run by Kenny Deery. My room at the Achill Lodge is awesome and Kenny is making sure that made we were all well taken care of. After settling in for a few hours, we went to be officially welcomed to Achill at the Aras Forbairt Acla.

Our official greeting on the island was quite a large ordeal. It was attended by local government officials, VIPs and church dignitaries. Our greeting was nothing less than spectacular and extended my feeling of being a reality TV show star. We were given the full honor of a Civic Reception at the Aras Forbairt Acla. At the Aras we met all of those who set up this trip, and they spoke to us about the opportunity that we now have. Terence Dever, who was one of the driving forces behind this program, spoke first and introduced everyone else. Along with Mr. Dever, the First Citizen of Achill, Kenny Deery, Mr. Bizga, and a few other officials spoke to us. They all welcomed us with open arms and told us how happy they are that we were here, they were all clearly very excited that we came. The more I listened to them speak, the more I felt like a student ambassador for my country. We often felt like this in Belfast and the feeling has continued here on Achill. After the formalities had passed we were ushered outside for a performance by an Dookinella Pipe Band. Cian, one of the Achill students that we would be getting to know over the next few days, plays the snare drum in the pipe band that played for us.

At the Cliff House we began talking to all of the students from Achill. I sat next to Maureen and Alice, we began to talk and I realized how alike we all were. Before meeting everyone I, along with all the others, were a little nervous because we didn’t know what to expect of the kids. I wasn’t sure if we would get along well, but we did end up getting along quite well. We had a delicious dinner; I got the lamb and some spuds, or potatoes. We even had the additional treat of vocal performance by Kevin Gibbons! On our way back to the B&B, crossing over winding roads across peat bogs hedged by mountains, I could not help but to reflect on how different Belfast and Achill feel. Achill was more in line with my romantic, stereotypical idea of Ireland. There is lots of green space, it is very rural, and it is ruggedly beautiful. While talking to Maebh, I was a little shocked because she told me that people still collect the turf from the bog and use it for heating their homes. This just made it seem even more rural than before; it is the bogs of Heaney’s imagination. After seeing how and where they lived and even just meeting the kids shattered everything I thought about the people from Ireland, in all reality they are just like us. Finally we made it back to our B&B, we were all exhausted from the bus ride so we fell asleep immediately. With only a few more days left in Ireland I am very excited for the fun we will have in Achill and the friendships that have already began to form. It was an amazing night in which the rich ties of friendship between the people of Cleveland and Achill were strengthened.