Written by Luis Cordon ’22

Wednesday morning began with a slightly tired group preparing for their next journey. With wake-up call at 7:00am, we embarked on a trip to Kilkenny, a smaller, yet nevertheless historical town, just over an hour and a half southwest of Dublin.   After going on the coach, we were given the day’s overview, and the next hour was followed by sleeping and reviewing the choir songs. Once we made a stop at the highway Applegreen right outside of Kilkenny, our original state weariness was alleviated through drinks and ice cream.

Once arriving, we made our voices heard by singing “Danny Boy,” “Little Book,” and the Irish National Anthem on the sidewalks. We actually attracted quite the crowd. As we walked, we witnessed the beautiful residential and commercial buildings and arrived at St. Canice’s Cathedral.

St. Canice’s Cathedral is the second longest cathedral in Ireland and is considered one of the best preserved churches within Ireland as well, with the most notable replacements being the stained glass. This cathedral has a long history of different ownership and was at one point bought by England for 200,000 pounds in the 19th century, which is the equivalent to 30 million pounds today.

Our welcoming tour guide explained the history and architecture of the cathedral.  This was followed by a self-guided tour.. Many of us were amazed by the organ and the set up of the seats themselves, as some seats were set sideways in the front of the building.

Afterwards, we started to prepare for our concert.. This consisted of around an hour-long rehearsal and a forty-five minute performance. Many visitors at  the cathedral today were in attendance and were impressed as they listened.

After performing, we took a few more minutes to marvel at the cathedral and proceeded to have free time in the surrounding area. Many of us went out to local coffee and sandwich shops for a quick lunch stop. We then went to Kilkenny Castle, a major landmark, which had received a major renovation effort from conservationists who bought it from one of the previous owners, for a nominal sum of 50 pounds.

The tour consisted of both looking inside the castle at the preserved art, dating back centuries. The paintings of royalty and sculptures were by the most interesting, by far.  This was followed by an audio tour in a part of the castle. This video elaborated on the history of the castle, and offered a visualization of its transformation from the previous times it had been worn down to where it stands today. While we finished early, we were granted around an hour of free time, in which some of us played with frisbees and tennis balls.

We then went to Langstons, which was a really fancy restaurant, as we attempted to order food outside of our comfort zone. This had been mutually agreed as the best place we had gone to eat so far. Once this ended, we went home on the coach and had intense rap battles between the students and even a guest appearance by Ms. Winter.

Tim Cole-French ’22 and Adam McDermott ’22

Tuesday brought more adventures as our first full day in the city of Dublin, as we explored the city in the coach and on foot and shared several more memorable experiences. 

Wake-up call was 7:30 today, which was very welcome news to the 26 energy-deprived boys who got some extra sleep this morning. We also had no planned performances, so the mood was light as we gathered in the hotel cafe for another Irish breakfast. Shortly after, Ms. Winter made the rounds asking people their dinner orders for the night, not-so-subtle foreshadowing for the excellent food later on. When Ms. Winter finished taking orders—despite forgetting to ask the chicken wing fanatics what sauce they wanted—we piled on the coach for a visit to Trinity College, Dublin (Editor’s Note: Ms. Winter, the editor, is well-aware of her shortcomings as a waitress. She has decided to stick with teaching and, perhaps, editing travel blogs). 

Trinity College is a 17,000 student, 42-acre haven within Dublin, which houses The Book of Kells, a marvelous manuscript of the Gospels with fascinating calligraphy and artwork. My jaw dropped when I saw it. The fact that people our ages (14-18) designed the book around 529 BC is mind blowing. I cannot recommend visiting enough. After the Book, we headed up a flight of stairs to the Long Library and inhaled centuries worth of literature, while taking in the gorgeous sculptures of philosophers and authors lining the book cases. We also got to see one of the oldest harps in the world!

After our visit to Trinity, Anton and Ann guided us through the narrow streets of Dublin telling the tales behind several noteworthy buildings. In particular, the design of the Georgian Blocks was intriguing and gorgeous, a nod to the rich history of Dublin.

Our winding city tour led us back to Phoenix Park, where we marveled at the scenery and took an impromptu photo shoot with Doctor Rozenberg.

We then visited the towering Papal Cross (where Pope John Paul visited!), and sung “Shenandoah” and the Irish National Anthem for Ann and other families nearby. In fact, some children playing nearby joined us for our photos after.

When we all recovered from our hilarious encounter at the Papal Cross, we rushed back to the city where Anton once again wove through the streets until we came back to Trinity, but this time to have some free time exploring and eating. After lunch, we all hopped back on the coach to head to our next destination: the EPIC museum and the Jeanie Johnston.

The first location my group stopped at was the Jeanie Johnston—a replica ship named after the, well, Jeanie Johnston. A witty tour guide introduced us to the millions of stories of Irish emigrants heading overseas during the Irish potato famine. He led us through the dark history of 50,000 migrants dying on board “coffin ships” and the not-so-dark history of the Jeanie Johnston, where not a single person died on board. Along the way, we learned unsettling statistics about the ramifications of the potato famine in Ireland and on Irish people around the world. 

Our second stop was the engaging EPIC museum, where we went through 20 rooms discussing emigration and Irish people, Irish culture, and their influence on the world. 

We then took a gorgeous walk through central Dublin to our final stop of the night: Meghear’s Pub, another lively pub with delicious food. We got the whole basement to ourselves, which meant our dinner was filled with singing and loud—and good—conversation. We left the venue with a smile after singing a cathartic “Danny Boy” and trotted back to our hotel to wrap up a thrilling yet laid back day.

Written by James Delaney ‘22 and Hoa Ly ‘22

We began our day bright and early with a 7:30 A.M. wake up call and packed our bags and suitcases for our long day of travel to Dublin. We convened in the hotel lobby for our morning breakfast, where we enjoyed each other’s company over a quick meal. We then checked out of the hotel and filed into the coach bus, all luggage in hand. Our first stop was a brief photoshoot at the Stormont Estate, home of the Northern Irish parliament.

After packing back into the bus, we were onto our next stop: the C.S. Lewis walking tour, headed by East Side Tours, a local tour guide company. We strolled through the different statues of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. We learned a bit about Lewis’s life in Belfast where he spent the first ten years of his life and encountered many inspirations for his later literary endeavors. We visited the statues of the author’s work and even sang “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” in front of the statue of Aslan, the lion from Narnia. (Dr. Rozenberg also learned how to play frisbee from Zach Ewing ‘23. See below!)

After our quick walking tour, we took the coach to the Victoria Shopping Center, for an opportunity to shop, eat lunch and snacks, and explore the mall. We split off into groups as we enjoyed each other’s company and the time we had left in the beautiful city of Belfast.

After our trip through the mall, we headed to the the ruins of Monasterboice Monastery, where our tour guide, Anne, gave us a quick history lesson on monastic life in the 11th Century. As we explored the site, we learned about the intersection between Paganism and Christianity in the architecture. We explored towers climbed by monks, ancient sundials, and Celtic crosses in these now ruins. 

After that quick taste of history, we boarded the coach once more for our final stretch to Dublin (with a rest stop to stock up on drinks and snacks, of course!). The bus ride was filled with singing, attempted freestyle rapping, and some much-needed sleep. Upon arriving in Dublin, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Nancy Hands, a local restaurant and pub in Dublin. The uniqueness of the location was enjoyed by all, and it was a fitting first stop and welcome into Dublin.

Written by Brayden Larnard ’22 and Jack Mullin ’22

After a night of well-needed sleep, we enjoyed our first hearty Irish breakfast at the hotel before a quick rehearsal in the lobby. We then boarded the bus and headed into Belfast on our way to Saint Peter’s Cathedral for Easter Mass.

We made our way into the cathedral and walked up to the balcony for our final rehearsal. At 9 AM sharp, the mass began, and we began to sing our repertoire including “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” “The Lord Bless You and Keep You,” “Panis Angelicus,” “O Sweet and Blessed Country,” and “Ye Sons and Daughters Bless the Lord.” It was a very special mass not only because it was Easter Sunday, but also because Bishop Noel Treanor, the Bishop of Belfast, was one of the presiders. If you would like to watch the recording of the mass it can be found at: https://www.churchservices.tv/stpeterscathedral/archive/recordings/RaLpIEZ1DcAY9U3

Immediately after the mass, Ben Petrillo ’22 and Ms. Winter went to the front of the congregation and answered questions from the bishop about our school and travel experience.

Next, we got into the bus to drive to the Giant’s Causeway on the northern shore. The drive took two hours, but we took a break at a rest stop to eat and get snacks for the day. 

When we finally made it there, we had a few hours of free time to explore the scenery and gift shop. The views were stunning and the photos speak for themselves.

After this awesome experience, we made our way back to the hotel, making a quick stop for some more pictures of the Irish coast. We rested at the hotel for an hour. Then, we all got back on the bus and went to the Morning Star — a pub in Belfast — for a delicious dinner. We made the best of this experience — a fact exemplified by our impromptu performance of a few of our favorite choir songs.

We made our way back to the hotel and got ready for another well-deserved rest. We’re all looking forward to exploring Belfast and traveling on to Dublin tomorrow!

Written by Kevin Camy ’22 and Nate Pearce ’22

We embarked on our journey from Logan Airport on Friday, April 15. We checked in at 1:50 and boarded our plane at 5:15. Our flight was five hours but felt longer because of the shift in time zones. After a sleepless flight on the plane for most of us, we landed at Dublin Airport.  We stopped for breakfast along the way to  Belfast. Many of us indulged in the Irish bacon and sausage. After we drove to Northern Ireland while singing some of our repertoire on the bus. We then had a driving tour of Belfast, learning about how its challenging history still resonates today as seen in its peace walls and political murals.  We then arrived at Queen’s University for a group photo and the singing of the  US national anthem. 

Our journey continued with us going to St. George’s Market where we had a chance to eat new foods. Later,  some of the group went to Veronica Square where we explored stores in an amazing mall and took photos at the very top of the store. We continued to City Hall and walked around until we met up with the other groups.

Our journey then took us to the renowned Titanic Museum. We started our visit by witnessing the glory of the HMS Caroline, a British WW1 battleship and the last survivor of the crucial Battle of Jutland. Then Dr. Rozenberg  led us all in an impromptu recital of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

After a brief takeover of a children’s playground (don’t worry, no other children were present), we made our way into the museum itself. We started our tour with a brief history of Belfast in the decades prior to the Titanic’s voyage, learning about her thriving ship building, linen, and rope industries. The scenery quickly changed to one of scaffolding and metal, as we took a short amusement ride explaining how the ship was built. The ships design, decor and amenities were the focus of various exhibits. We finally reached the tragic part of the museum and read various stories of passengers, both those who lived and those who died, on that horrid day. The tour concluded with a short movie highlighting the deep sea exploration of the wreck, and we saw models of the equipment used to witness it.

Now fully exhausted, we made our way to the hotel. We helped ourselves to a dinner of burgers, fries, and lasagna. After 36 hours of little to no sleep, everyone gladly made their way to their rooms and prepared for the upcoming day.