My number one tip for anyone studying abroad is to take classes outside of your major. If you’re studying in a new country, why not take the opportunity to fill your head with some fascinating country specific knowledge to word vomit back to everyone in the states?
This is the approach I took when making class selections for my semester at NUI Galway. While three out of four of my classes are pretty random, I’m still able to get Linfield credit for them! So really, I’m having the most culturally enriching semester of my university career, and I’m still on track to graduate on time.
With that being said, my favorite class this semester has been The Development of Castles in Medieval Ireland. Not only was it fun to attend lectures about castle history in Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland, but we got to go on a field trip as well!
The field trip took all day and in total we visited three different castles: Pallas Tower House, Cloonburren Motte and Bailey, and Dunamase Castle.
Pallas Tower House was our first castle of the day. It’s located about an hour away from campus in what appeared to be someone’s backyard. The castle was still in mint condition for having been built in the 15th and 16th century. It was accompanied by a bawn wall and the remains of a house. We were able to climb all the way to the roof of the five storey tower to enjoy the view.
Our next stop was Cloonburren Motte and Bailey in County Roscommon. While surrounded by livestock, farm land, and the Shannon River, it is also positioned right behind someones house.
Mottes are a unique type of castle as they appear as a hill or even just a lump in the ground. However, the height of a motte is what makes it a naturally defendable site. We were able to hike to the top and imagine what it may have been surrounded by back in the 13th century.
Our last stop of the day was at Dunamase Castle, located east of Galway toward Dublin.
Dunamase was probably the least aesthetically pleasing in photos, but it was definitely the most impressive castle of the day. It’s the largest castle in Ireland which meant the entirety of it couldn’t be captured in a single picture. In person it was absolutely magical, especially since we explored it as the sun began to set.
Dunamase is positioned on a tall limestone outcrop and while in ruins, you can still tell this castle would have been just as impressive on the inside in its late 12th century heyday.
This field trip was something I’ve been looking forward to since I registered for classes in January. In the end, it lived up to my high expectations and was an amazing experience.
In the next two weeks I plan to travel outside of Ireland during the break before finals. I’m really looking forward to visiting two new countries and sharing my experiences here.
Best,
Laney Green