Olympic College's Study Abroad Program Ireland 2017

Have you ever wanted to go surfing in Ireland? Study abroad in Ireland this April and you can surf with the Leprechauns. Find out more! http://olympiccollege.link/study-abroad

Guess who's going back to Ireland? More info to come soon.

Check this out Seattle area friends! Get your ticket today!

Attention Seattle Sounders FC fans! You can support Olympic College student success AND get a chance to watch the Oct. 8 Sounders match in a suite with 15 friends! We're selling 150 tickets at $50 apiece. We'll announce the winner at the Kitsap Wine Festival Aug. 11, but you don't have to be there to win. Get your tickets now at https://olympiccollegealumni.org. Thanks to the Macomber Family and Kitsap Community Foundation for donating this experience. Scarves Up!

Greetings...I would like to invite the 2017 Ireland Study Abroad group to march in this years St. Patrick's day parade with myself, the new president, and the 2018 Ireland group. Let me know if you can make it...March 17th! And don't forget to wear your great OC shirts!

Check this out! SeaTac airport is now flying straight into Dublin!!🍀

Nonstop Seattle-to-Dublin flights to begin in May SEATTLE (AP) — Nonstop flights from Seattle to Dublin will start next spring. Irish carrier Aer Lingus said Friday the service will begin May 18, 2018. The service will be provided four times a week. Because Dublin airport has its own U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility, passengers and their...

Is everyone ready for fall quarter? Fall quarter is also the time we start getting ready for the 2018 study abroad trip to Ireland! So if you went last year and you know someone who wished they went, but didn't than tell them to come by and see me, Heather in HL 116!

KAREN BOLTON PRESENTATION TO BE BROADCAST ON BREMERTON TV
Olympic College Alumni Association SPEAKER SERIES (Open to the Public)
Presented by Dr. KAREN BOLTON – AUGUST 3rd 6:00 PM
THEY SAID YOU’LL NEVER AMOUNT TO ANYTHING
Presentation video recorded by BKAT (Bremerton Kitsap Access Television) Thursday August 3, 2017 from 6:00 PM at the Olympic College Rotunda to a live audience
WAVE – Channel 3
COMCAST – Channel 12
TUNE IN ON THESE DATES/TIMES:
WED 8/9 10:00 AM
SAT 8/12 6:30 PM
SUN 8/13 4:00 PM
FRI 8/18 1:30 PM*
*Confirmed with a call to BKAT that 1:30 pm (Not 2:00 pm as published on the handout at the presentation) is the correct time. Although 1-1/2 hour is reserved on the BKAT schedule for the presentation, the recording lasted slightly over half an hour.

VIDEO OF COASTAL IRELAND

I saw this program when it was broadcast earlier and recommend it to anyone interested in seeing Ireland's West Coast for its wild and natural beauty. Set your DVR or VCR for tonight 1:00 - 3:00 AM, Channel 9 on Comcast and Wave or your antenna.

Ireland's Wild Coast
KCTS-DT - 9 Fri, 8/11, 1:00 AM 2 hrs
Repeat, 8/02/2017, Profile, Nature, Cultural, Outdoors
Emmy Award-winning wildlife cameraman Colin Stafford-Johnson goes on a personal journey along the Atlantic coast of Ireland, the place he now calls home, to show off the wildlife and landscapes that make the coastline spectacular.
Credits: Colin Stafford-Johnson (Host)

Enjoy,

Richard Shipley

http://www.ireland.com/en-us/what-is-available/literary-ireland/literary-festivals-and-lectures/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=0711-literary-ireland-link-post&utm_campaign=literary-ireland&utm_term=organic

Literature #irlnd Ireland’s literary romance really is one for the books. Our stories are written into the land, our poetic traditions ancient and our authors celebrated the world over.

Study-in-Ireland people from Olympic College assembled to march in the Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, pictured here with Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent, March 18, 2017. (From the SUMMIT, Olympic College’s alumni magazine)

Day 9: (Mon 5/1) Relaxation and Games on Our Last Day in Bundoran -
Today really began after a full yesterday to/in/from Derry in Northern Ireland. At our hotel, the Atlantic Apartotel in Bundoran, its owner John had booked a very popular band that kept his three bars and staff hopping. Known for entertaining in the wee hours, the band started around 1am and played until almost 3am to a packed house of local people, tourists, and band followers. Needless to say, we had breakfast later (10am instead of 7am). This was a full Irish breakfast, complete with three sausages (too bland for most Americans), a tomato, two strips of thick bacon, a poached egg, bake beans, mushrooms, toast, fried bread, and blood pudding (which to all the Americans in our group except me (who had lived 12 years in England) remained un-eaten). Following breakfast two lads from the Donegal Adventure Centre took us to a “sportnation” fenced-in play field funded in-part by the Leitrim County Council. There the younger folks in our group suited up in protective gear and formed two teams to play Archery Tag, followed by Capture the Flag, with soft foam-tipped arrows. After our last evening meal we stopped to say good-by to the two elderly ladies who have made Brennan’s world famous. Attached to this post are photos of some in our group enjoying drinks there several evenings earlier. We had to call it an early night to pack in time for our coach’s departure to Dublin tomorrow.

Check it out!

Enjoying our Olympics! - Institute of Study Abroad Ireland A big welcome to Olympic College WA, and Richard, our oldest student yet! Great to have Karen, Michael and the students of Olympic College WA...

Day 7: (Sa 4/29) Yeats Country – Winding our way along The Old Bog Road through pastoral, rural landscapes with sheep in the foreground and picturesque, treeless mountains against a gray sky in the background we pass well-maintained period buildings intermixed with dilapidated ones. Our destination is Drumcliffe, the burial ground of the prolific Irish poet and a founder of the Abbey Theatre, William Butler Yates (1865 – 1939). Here also is the Drumclifffe Monastery, founded in 574, and the High Cross from the 19th Century. The gravestones date back over many centuries and are inscribed with a wealth of names worth researching further. The final leg of our journey is a stop at the Glencar Waterfall, easily accessible via a well-maintained walkway with stairways winding through the lush, moist, green ground cover. This is definitely a popular, family tourist spot.

Day 10: Dublin

Today was our last full day in Ireland. We started the day with the four hour bus ride from our lodgings in Bundoran, Donegal to our hotel in Dublin. We dropped off our luggage and started our last adventure with our guide Niamh to Dublin's EPIC Immigration Museum. The museum talked about how Irish immigration spread throughout the world, and how it impacted and helped shape different cultures of the world.

After finishing the tour through the museum, we said our goodbyes to Niamh and headed to Trinity College, where the Book of Kells is located. The Book of Kells is the first book ever created, and it was amazing to see it, and to read about the techniques used to create it. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside the exhibit, but we did get some pictures in The Long Room, which is the oldest library of its kind in Ireland.
Upon exiting The Long Room we ended up just walking around and exploring the city (and by this point, the group had branched off into smaller groups to sight-see and whatnot). My group visited St. Stephen's Green, Dublin Castle, viewed the Government Building, and roamed the shopping streets. And may I just say, Dublin has some amazing architecture!

The people we encountered in Dublin were so friendly. It seemed like as soon as we pulled out our map to check where we were someone offered to help us find our way. In fact, it was just such an encounter that led to us finding out about an Oscar Wilde monument located across from his childhood home that, of course, we decided we had to visit.

The day ended with one final stop in a pub called The Bleeding Horse before we all returned to our hotel rooms.

Ireland was such a beautiful country with a rich history, and the people were nice and charming. It was truly an amazing experience that I believe everyone was grateful to have received.

Day 2:
Visit to the Karstic Landscape, Neolithic Sacred and Secular Spaces at the Cavan Burren.

The Cavan Burren is a prehistoric park located on the boarder of County Fermanagh and County Canvan. During our visit to the Cavan Burren we learned the history of the types of stones in Ireland. Ireland is known for its two types of stone, limestone and sandstone. The ancients used the sandstone to carve circular images in. These images were used for communication within the ancient community.

Our tour guide Seamus, a former teacher, has dedicated a huge part of his life to this site. He has spent many years exploring the landscape of the park and researching the ways and culture of the ancient people. Seamus has a great passion for this landscape and is committed to the continuing preservation of this historic landscape.

Day 6: Ballyshannon

Our first stop today was at the Orphan Girls “Famine” Memorial in Ballyshannon. Here, we learned more about life in the workhouses as well as the 19 girls who were shipped to Sydney, Australia during the Great Famine.

Due to some bus troubles, we set off on foot towards the river, which turned out to be the best way to experience all this town has to offer. Walking through the town, we were able to notice the historic details hidden throughout the town that we would have otherwise missed. The river was lined with local fishermen, who were very friendly and willing to talk and ask questions with our group. Perfect for all our photojournalists!

After exploring Ballyshannon, we had a free afternoon in Bundoran, where many of us took the opportunity to go horseback riding by the beach! Overall, this day was very laid back and relaxing. Just what we needed after surfing and bowling the day before!

Day 8 -"in the prison of his days teach the free man how to praise." -W.B Yeats Memorial artwork of Derry showing the struggle of the civil rights movement . These powerful painting remind us in order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.

Day 5: Atlantic Ocean Adventures!
After a hearty breakfast, Olympic College travelers were escorted by leaders of the Donegal Adventure Center to the nearby shore for a beginning lesson in surfing. As we reside along the Pacific Ocean, many of us were ecstatic to jump in the Atlantic waters for the first time (after squeezing into our full-length wetsuits, of course). After a delicious lunch at Waves Café, the worn-out group bundled up to give back to the community of Bundoran by participating in a beach cleanup. Each student spent the afternoon gathering one large waste bag filled with fishing rope, plastic and other garbage that is extremely harmful to marine life. What an amazing way to become involved in the community! The evening was wrapped up with a large game of bowling, where the group laughed, danced and exchanged tons of silly moments.
Check out Day 5 with some photos of our activities and the gorgeous beaches along the coastline of Donegal, which is world widely famous for its awesome surfing. How incredibly lucky we are to experience Ireland in the Springtime!

Day 4

The Slieve League Cliffs is one of the highest cliffs in Europe and located in Donegal county, Ireland. It's Pronounced ; "Shleeve League"
From the highest point on the cliffs, it’s a staggering 609m (1,998 feett) drop into the swirling Atlantic Ocean below. On day 4 of our study abroad in Ireland, we climbed these cliffs.

After you come to the cliffs themselves, visit The craft shop stocks locally made knitwear and artworks and, come summertime, you can even catch a traditional Irish music session.

Here are few photos I took from the cliffs and walking up and down the cliffs. The experience was so magical and moving. These cliffs has so much rich and full of culture behind it that I was in awe the entire time.

Also you can bring your lunch and have a picnic with the BEST view. ⛰🏃🏾‍♀️🌤☀️☘️🇮🇪

Enjoy!!

Grace G.

Day 1- Hill of Tara
On our way to Bundoran, we made a stop at the Hill of Tara. Here is where the statue of Saint Patrick can be seen. This is a favorite spot for locals to spend time with their loved ones and enjoy being being outdoors. The Hill of Tara contains a number of ancient monuments and was also the seat of the High Kings of Ireland.

Day 3- A small town in Donegal

Today we spent the day in a Donegal town in County Donegal where we were able to visit many attractions. The main part of our visit was to Donegal Castle! Donegal castle has a lot history to it; as it housed two different, but very important families, from two separate centuries. The castle was originally built in the 15th century by the O'Donell chieftains and they lived there until the early 16th century. Shortly after, they fled to the mainlands of Europe to escape the new English order. This has become widely known as the 'Flight of the Earls' because of those who followed and fled with O'Donell.
Shortly after this, the castle was granted to an English captain named Basil Brooke. He then rebuilt and added a floor, plus other additions to the castle and it's grounds. Then around the 18th century the castle fell into ruins. But since has been turned over to their public works and restored to allow people to walk through a piece of history. The restoration was finished in the early 1990's.