Dunmore East: An Untouched Irish Beauty

IRELAND
March 8

Hordes of tourists often compromise the enjoyment of travel. Crowds of people with cameras and shopping bags clog quaint streets and disrupt the natural beauty of parks. It is hard to find a famous city untouched by souvenir shops and gimmicky restaurants. Yet if you go off the radar, stray even a little from the famous cities with their public transportation and convenient lodging, you may find some lasting bastions of untouched European beauty.

One place of untouched beauty in Ireland is Dunmore East. Tucked away in the southeast coast of Ireland, the small fishing village of Dunmore East provides a tranquil getaway from the crowds and busy streets of tourist cities.

Dunmore East is located in Waterford County, only 30 minutes away from the more well known Waterford. Getting there, however, is not without its difficulties. Lacking a car, Dunmore East can only be reached by a private bus company called SuirWay, which is based in Waterford. Although some may find using a private company to be a hassle, the bus fare to Dunmore East is under five euro so the trip is definitely worth it. Plus, SuirWay is primarily used by locals with only a few visitors sprinkled in.

Once in Dunmore East, SuirWay buses drive through the main roads between the upper and lower village, dropping off passengers at their desired locations. After exiting the bus, this quaint village is small enough to easily navigate on foot.

Beginning at the topmost point of the upper village, there are a series of grassy hills, rocky cliffs and sandy coves. Curving up past the village, these cliffs run along smooth meadows enclosed by stone fences and framed by small houses. At these high points the wind whips around explorers adding to the uninhibited, almost wild beauty of the southern Irish coast.

A narrow path lined with thorns and prickly Gorse bushes, evergreen shrubs with small yellow flowers common to the south-east of Ireland, trails along the steep hills. Following this path is a thrilling way to explore the breathtaking sights of the coast. From these hills on clear days, Hook Lighthouse, a famous medieval lighthouse, can even be seen across the bay.

Heading back toward upper village and down the main street, follow the water past a small harbor with colorful fishing boats enclosed by a rock jetty. Passing this harbor and continuing down the main road you find a park with a playground, a large expanse of green grass and several benches looking out on the water. Nearing sunset, families walking home from the park toward the village interior with its thatched roofs and small stone walls give Dunmore East a charming Old World feel. Past the park, between upper and lower villages, is one of Dunmore East’s many beaches, Lawlors.

Lawlors has a large stretch of sandy beach flanked by tall cliff faces. The water may be cold during these early spring months, but not too cold to take off your shoes, roll up your jeans and let your toes sink into the Irish sand as the icy swells languidly roll in.

Continuing through lower village past Lawlors beach, numerous other coves and cliffs dot the coastline, ready to be explored. Yet a stroll through the village is also an interesting way to get a taste of quaint Irish living.

Dunmore East truly is a city encapsulated in time. With few visitors filling the several cafés, bed and breakfasts and seafood restaurants, Dunmore East does not have the feel of a tourist town. The cafés and restaurants are inhabited by locals and there are no souvenir shops. Once you step outside the village, it’s hard to imagine 21st century ever encroaching on the strikingly jagged rocks and green hills – their tall grass rippling like the waves that crash beneath them in the fierce wind.

Once you’ve experienced Dunmore East, you want it to stay this way forever, hugging the beauty of the relentless Atlantic Ocean, caught in a simpler, almost mythological time.

Carnival in Maastricht

MAASTRICHT
March 2
Submitted to the Arts and Science Magazine

A man beating a big bass drum in a parade stops at a large square and takes a sip from a beer set in a cup holder atop his drum. Finishing his drink, he looks at a van parked illegally in the square. Without pause, he reaches into his coat and pulls out a pad and pen, writes something, rips off the sheet and places it on the van’s windshield.

Only during Carnival in Maastricht, The Netherlands, would a policeman drum in a public parade, drink beer and hand out a traffic ticket in succession.

In Maastricht, Carnival is about the only time during the year that looking completely ridiculous is socially accepted. Dutch citizens don face paint, fake eyelashes, wigs, fuzzy top hats, neon-colored clothing and various themed costumes, or “pekske” to celebrate their pre-Lent celebrations. The streets and main squares are covered in the Carnival colors red, yellow and green and are full of participants dancing, making music, drinking and eating. Carnival is celebrated in ways unlike any holiday in America, yet the themes behind this Dutch festival bear resemblance to academic holidays like spring break or regional celebrations such as Mardi Gras in Louisiana.

The Carnival calendar begins six weeks before Easter, and this year the first day fell on Saturday February 21, 2009. At 1:11 p.m. the Carnival Prince arrived at the Central Railway Station. At 1:55 p.m. there was a parade between the railway station and city hall. When the prince reached the market square where city hall is located, he climbed to the top of a statue depicting an old woman and placed a wreath of vegetables around her neck.

On Sunday the 22nd at 12:11 p.m., 11 gunshots fired on the “Vrijthof,” the main square, officially starting Carnival. Afterwards a huge parade with floats and bands took place in the city center for several hours. After the parade, celebration of Carnival spread to streets and pubs around the city center until 3 a.m.

On Monday there was a children’s parade in the afternoon and regular Carnival celebrations lasted until 3 a.m.

Tuesday was the last day of Carnival. This day saw a contest for Carnival bands in which each received a first place award after a costume contest for the children. At11:55 p.m., Carnival was declared officially over, but the pubs stayed open until 2 a.m.

On Wednesday, the people mourn the end of Carnival and, according to tradition, eat herring and drink more beer.

Although the chronology and practice of Carnival seems haphazard, many elements of Carnival have historical and cultural significance.

“Each (Dutch) city has a group that organizes Carnival,” Isabella Strauch, University of Maastricht Center for European Studies secretary and coordinator of introduction programs, said. This group is called the Council of Eleven and is also involved in choosing the Carnival Prince. The number 11 holds importance in Dutch culture. “Eleven was a perfect number in Medieval times,” Alexander Nies, a Dutch native and CES intern, explained. “A lot of councils in Medieval times had 11wise men.”

The number 11 is also the word “elf” in Dutch and German. This word is linked to the word “alfen” which means the ghosts of ancestors. Nies said that the tradition of starting Carnival events at times that include the number 11, such as the Carnival Prince’s arrival on Saturday at 1:11 p.m., is in respect both to ancestors and the number itself.

The tradition of wearing crazy costumes during Carnival stems from an older practice of “scaring off ghosts,” Nies said. Yet he explained that the costumes are to frighten bad ghosts and not the ghosts of ancestors.

The statue of the old woman, or the “Moos wief” in Dutch, in the market also has historical significance. “She was a fisherman’s wife from the 1500s,” Nies said. “‘Moos wief’ is literally translated ‘the vegetable woman.’” The Carnival Prince puts a wreath around her neck to acknowledge the vegetable market that has always been in that square and the people who worked there.

Another fun tradition in Maastricht’s Carnival is the music. People constantly sang, pubs blared traditional Dutch folk songs, and bands played music during Carnival. Nies said that each year the Carnival prince makes up a new song and distributes it among the people who in turn sing it during the four days of Carnival celebrations. Carnival music is just for fun. “They are really silly songs,” Strauch said.

Maastricht’s Carnival traditions hold several themes in common with spring break and Mardi Gras. Carnival is a festival that traditionally celebrates the time before Lent. Participants want to enjoy themselves as much as possible before they must go through 40 days of self-deprivation. Louisianans celebrate Mardi Gras for the same reasons. Mardi Gras, which means “fat Tuesday” in French, is celebrated each year on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, a day of repentance and the beginning of Lent. There are parades in each city and people on floats throw out purple, green and gold beaded necklaces. Mardi Gras is basically a calmer, smaller version of Maastricht’s Carnival.

Students also respond to spring break in the same way Maastricht inhabitants respond to Carnival. It’s a brief respite each year; a time for celebration and fun with friends and family. The whole city pauses for four days during Carnival. The shops all close and the houses and streets away from the city center are vacated. Everyone gets a rest. During Carnival, the streets outside of Maastricht’s city center feel very much like a university campus during spring break. They are empty just like a university campus is empty until the return of students from their spring break festivities.

Baylor students in the midst of Lent and anticipating spring break can learn from the example put for in Maastricht’s Carnival. Carnival is about enjoying life, but not in a selfish, reckless sense. It is a family event. “All the people here love Carnival,” Nies said. “They think children should be involved in it.” The Dutch want to make sure the entire family unit enjoys the festivities. Baylor students should remember to seize the day and take a break, truly enjoying the things that matter in life: friends and family.