On The Road to Dublin

With every performance in each different city of Ireland, not only do I learn more about this delightful country, I learn more about these very talented students. During the evening concert on Day 5, many our our kids' new friends from St. Brigid's came to see them perform in our hotel ballroom! How fitting that night's concert included a song by The Dubliners - "Night Visiting Song."

Our education continues on Day 6, as we leave Galway and head to Dublin. On the way we stop at the ancient Monastic site, "Clonmacnoise," nestled along the River Shannon in County Offaly.

This area, known as "The Crossroads of Ireland" was once a major city and place of learning. We must have had the "luck of the Irish" on our side with a "picture perfect" day for taking pictures!

As we continued to our final leg of the trip, we stopped for our next performance at Holy Child, an all girls secondary school of 330 students. Once again, we are greeted with the warmth of a dear friend, as our students sang from the heart to their newly found peers.

The young ladies from Holy Child presented us with the gift of song, performing "Cuanla," a traditional Irish folk tune.

Several of our senior students had prepared a special arrangement of "Five Years Time" for the concert - the captive audience couldn't wait to hear it.

Again I am impressed with how these teens are drawn together through music, making such an important impact in each other's lives.

With very little energy left, we head to our hotel in Dublin for the last full day of our Ireland adventure - and our final performance at the historic St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Comments

[Margaret Moglia]

This was a beautiful journey for me--even just watching on computer in St. Louis, Mo. The music was beautiful - made me cry as usual! The pictures were so beautiful. What an experience of a lifetime for the group. Margaret Moglia (Sage Pope's grandmother)