A Weekend in Ballintubber

Oh my gosh, I am so far behind on blogging. I'm not sorry about it though because it means that I'm having fun and not sitting behind my computer, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try to catch up!

About 3 weeks ago, I went to Castlebar in County Mayo for a homestay weekend. The family I stayed with lived outside of Castlebar in a rural town named Ballintubber. On Friday night, our host mom, Shirley, picked Bridget, another girl in my program, and I up in Castlebar. We were fed heaps of delicious lasagna and ice cream for dinner.

The next afternoon, Shirley dropped Bridget and I off in Castlebar to explore. We walked around this church and then continued into the heart of Castlebar.

Eventually, we stumbled upon a park in the town. From the top of a hill, we could see Croagh Patrick. The green grass next to the blue of the river was stunning, but the best part of the view were definitely the mountains in the distance. To say that I'm missing New England's ski season is an understatement! (Not that I'm complaining about being in Ireland!)

The sun was peeking out from behind the gray clouds and showering the mountains with a gorgeous golden light. Pictures alone could not possibly do it justice.

Bridget and I met up with Maddison and Kaity for a lunch of fresh fish and chips in Castlebar. 

In the evening, Shirley fed us chicken curry, a surprisingly popular dish here; you can go into a traditional Irish pub and order a curry dish for your meal. I love it!

The next morning was overcast but that didn't diminish the views outside of Shirley and Jim's house. Seven fields stretched out in front of and behind their house, which Jim farms, addition to his full time job. 

On Sunday, Shirley gave us the grand tour of Ballintubber. Earlier in the weekend, I had casually mentioned that when I came to Ireland with my family, we had searched for a thatched roof cottage and had trouble finding one. In response, Shirley told me her friend owned one and she would take us to see it. I was unbelievably excited to be up close and personal with a traditional Irish cottage. Shirley's friend, Pat, invited us inside the cottage. I know what you're thinking and from the inside, you can't see the thatch; you wouldn't even know from the inside! 

 Mom and Dad, we must have been looking in all the wrong places because since that weekend, I've seen many thatched roof cottages.  

From there, we visited the family farm, right near Jim's childhood home, so we quickly met his parents. They, like all Irish people I've met, were so warm and welcoming.

In one field, a sheep and baby lamb hopped and grazed. They were a little skittish and didn't want to get to close to us, but that was okay with me.

In another field, a massive, white bull was resting amid a few cows. When he noticed us at the gate, he stood up. I cleared out of there before he decided to charge. Even though we were on the other side of the stone wall, the bull absolutely could have trampled the wall and us with ease.

Inside the barn, there were five baby lambs who were only three days old and had barely survived the past few days. Hopefully they are still getting stronger!

In the adjacent barn, there were massive cows and a few baby calves. I don't know what type of cows these are, but they are HUGE. It's hard to see their scale in the photos, but take my word for it, they are giant.

I even touched a baby calf! For those of you who know me well, this was huge for me. Clearly, with my hesitation around animals, farming isn't my calling!

Shirley drove us to these castle ruins, which were impressive alone. But, when we were told the castle sits on a gorgeous lake, the scene became even more picturesque. I caught a few glimpses of the water, but the clouds made it difficult to see the lake which didn't show up in pictures. 

Our final stop on the tour of the town was Ballintubber Abbey. This Abbey was built about 200 years before Columbus came to America and has continuously held mass since. The history amazes me because as Americans, we forget that most countries have a much longer history than we do.

The Abbey is incredibly beautiful and is surrounded by old and new graves alike. Around the premises are different scenes of Christ's story and an old monk's quarters. There is a permanent nativity scene and these crosses. During the week before Easter, the congregation puts on a reenactment of the Easter story. According to Shirley, it's absolutely gorgeous and moving. Someday, I'd love to see it!

Before the bus came to take us back to Galway, Shirley served us this delicious stuffed chicken and mashed potatoes. It was so nice to have home cooked meals that I didn't have to make for myself. 

When it came time to leave, I couldn't thank Shirley and Jim enough. They were so welcoming and so hospitable and I'm so thankful I was paired with them for the weekend. Shirley, if you're reading this, thank you so much for everything!