Dear Mom and Dad:
On Thursday we went on an all-day excursion to Arranmore Island. We had to wake up really early after a late-night listening to a traditional Irish music jam session in Dungloe. Let’s just say that it was really hard getting up and out when the sky was all rainy and gray. We were a large group; there were 26 of us: 12 campers, our camp directors (that’s 2), our two main teachers (an Irishman and a New Yorker), four of our young Irish friends, and then seven guests visiting us from Dublin! And don’t forget Martin, our bus driver. We had to drive a half-hour from Maghery to Burtonport, another small town where you catch the ferry to Arranmore. From there it was about a 15-minute ride.
If you want to see what Arranmore looks like, take a look here at the map!
We went by car and bus on the Ring Road throughout the island to see the most important sites. Sometimes we would get off the bus to spend some more time at different sites; that we way we were able to snap some AMAZING photos.
Since the blog posts about camp are for all of us (not just that Kate writes them all for us), all of us campers (and two of our Irish friends) have each written about the day. Please enjoy our thoughts about this wonderful excursion!
Ciara: Yesterday we had a great day at Arranmore. We travelled from Dungloe to Burtonport and got the Red Ferry to the island called Arranmore. The day was beautiful with the lovely blue sky and clouds and the sun was out most of the day. We took lots of great pictures and who looked at the beautiful viewings of the island. We stopped off at lovely places but one that struck me was the lighthouse. Then we had lunch beside the lighthouse. We did a bit more sightseeing and then we got the red ferry home.
Álvaro: I got up at 8:45 and we went on an excursion. I looked at sheep and they had lots of wool and their bottoms were all different colors. I loved the landscapes, but it was very sunny and I needed the umbrella to rest. Connor and Conor tried to take my umbrella and I wasn’t happy. We saw a lighthouse, but we couldn’t go inside. At the end of the day, I was very tired!
Nacho: We went on a ferry to Arranmore Island. I liked the lighthouse, but we couldn’t see the inside. We saw sheep near a cliff. We were 26 people. We went to the café to eat chips and to the beach to go for a walk. It was a nice day! I liked all the day things that we saw on the island. I want to go again.
María: Yesterday we got up early, had breakfast and went to Dungloe. We went to Arranmore in a ferry. We visited the island, took photos of cliffs, walked…and had lunch. After we came back home, had dinner, and we went to bed at 12 o’clock.
Conor: It was a cool day because we went to Arranmore. It was very fun. We went to the bar first. Then we went to the lighthouse. There we saw a beautiful landscape. I would like to go back to the island. We went to the beach too. The bus name was Duddy’s bus. There was free wifi in the bar. When we came back on the boat to Donegal the TV didn’t go on..I looked at sheep.
Marta: Yesterday, we travelled to Arranmore on a boat. We saw many beautiful views. When we arrived at the island, we started to see Arranmore. It was very exciting! We saw many cliffs before we had lunch. We ate two sandwiches and then we continued to see the island. We stopped at the beach because the other car was lost. After that, we went to the pub. At five o’clock we left the pub because at quarter past five we needed to board the boat. The trip was very short. When we arrived in Dungloe, we went back home to have dinner. We slept at twelve o’clock because we saw the photos that we took of the landscape. I really love these photos!
Jorge: Yesterday we got up really early and we went to Arranmore Island. First we went to the boat and we took it to the island. Then we went to the mountains and we saw the cliffs and the lakes. I love the landscape of the cliffs. After we went to the lighthouse and we ate sandwiches with the sheep. Finally we arrived in Maghery and we had dinner.
Eugenia: What a day on the island! Yesterday we went to visit Arranmore Island. The sky was beautiful, there were a lot of clouds and the sun was shining almost all the time. To get there we went by ferry. When we arrived there, we went to a pub and after we went up the mountains; the landscapes were amazing. We walked around a lake next to the Beaver Island Monument, that has two flags, one of the USA and an Irish one. We also went to see the cliffs’ views, I loved it and we took a lot of photos. In the mountains there were a lot of sheep with the bottoms painted in different colors. We visited the lighthouse and we had lunch near the sea. We went to a little port and threw rocks there. After we went to a pub to chat with our family and our friends. And later we came back home.
Javi Serrano: Yesterday I woke up earlier than usual. Conor, Ciara and I went to Dungloe at nine o’clock but the bus arrived half an hour later. We reached the pier at quarter to ten and at ten o’clock we got on the ferry. The first thing we did on the island was to drink a coffee at a pub. Then we headed up to the beaver monument in a lake. After that we went to the cliffs and we took some amazing pictures. Then we went to the lighthouse and there we had our lunch. Later we went to the small port where we could throw some rocks to the sea and make them jump. At the end we spent some time at the beach until the ferry was leaving. It was an amazing day and I hope to have another one like this.
Pablo: the Thursday 10th of July we got up earlier than usual, because at 9:00 we had to leave. We were preparing all of the things we would need. We got to the port by bus, here we took a ferry to Aran Mór. Now on the island, we could see incredible landscapes like the high cliffs, the fields and the lighthouse. After having lunch we returned to the bus, and some of us to the car (there weren’t enough seats for all) which got lost. Later we met at the port to take the ferry back. Later on, at home, we had fried eggs and chips for dinner. After that some of us decided to went to the pub to with our families and friends. We came back home and Colum was playing piano, and a few minutes later we were asleep.
Víctor Buitrago: On Thursday, I got up the earliest than all of the other days. I had a shower and then, I had breakfast very quickly because the bus arrived at nine o’clock.
We went to the port and we took a red ferry to Arranmore Island. When we arrived, we took the bus again, and we saw a lot of landscapes, such as, a lighthouse near cliffs, two beaches and a lot of sheep and turf. We had lunch at midday on the mountainside, then we went to the beach. There, I listened to music and I bought an ice cream and cookies. At five o’clock, we took the red ferry and came back home. After that, I watched TV and we had potatoes and fried eggs for dinner. At night we went to the pub and I played pool with Victor and I spoke with my mother.
Later, at eleven o’clock, we went to bed.
Javi Nieto: The Thursday 10th of July we got up early because the ferry was going to leave at 9 45 at nine o clock we took the small bus and we went to Dungloe to pick up Javi after that we went to the port. We started the trip when we arrived at the island we took the bus and we went to the mountains we saw cliffs, sheep, and lakes it was a nice day
Víctor Camacho: On Thursday, we woke up a quarter to eight. We had breakfast and then we took a bus to the port to take the red ferry at ten o’clock. We went to Arranmore Island. When we arrived, we went to see some amazing cliffs and after we went for a walk around the lighthouse. We had lunch and we took some photos of the landscape. Afterwards we went to a small port and we threw rocks into the sea. Then, we went to a beach and we stayed in a pub with WiFi chatting with our families, because the ship didn’t leave until half past five. When we finally arrived, the bus took us to the cottages. After we had dinner, the boys went to the pub and Victor and I were playing snooker while the other guys were talking with their families for one hour. It was a long and a fantastic day.
Elena: On Thursday 10th of July we got up early, we had breakfast, we got dressed and then we prepared everything for a long day on Arranmore Island. We caught a red ferry, which took us to Arranmore. We were there 20 minutes and we took advantage of the situation to take so many photos of the rocks in the sea and of the sea’s cristaline water. When we arrived there we went by car or by bus to the most amazing views. The landscape that we could see is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen. I could say that it looked like a mix of the views in Galicia and Asturias with all the different blues in the sea, the amazing cliffs and the beautiful green grass. We had lunch while watching nature and then we were going to come back, but first we stopped at a beach and there we threw lots of stones into the sea. Finally, we arrived to a pub and we chatted with our friends because there was WiFi. A few minutes later, we caught the red ferry again and then we arrived back to our houses. I was so tired and I went to bed really early.
Some of the gorgeous cliffs on Arranmore Island
Can’t wait to write more soon! Next up, Irish dancing!
Love,
The Campers of the Maghery Summer Course 2014
Camacho & Seijas S.L.N.E. 