I Have a Celtic Look

     We started day three in Donegal at Gteic. There, we were given a presentation about Gaeltacht's and some statistics about Ireland. We were then given a little genealogy lesson. Our educator went around the room explaining the origins and meanings of our first and last names. He also focused on those of us with Irish names and origins. He unfortunately did not include my name in his research. However, when I went through the names book provided, I learned about my mother's maiden name. McKenzie is an Irish name, though it originated in Scotland. Our lead told me that I had a very Celtic look. I figured as much by my reddish hair and my basically translucent skin. He also told another group member that she had a very Celtic look, and she has very dark brown hair that's incredibly curly. It was strange that she and I could look Celtic and also incredibly dissimilar. 

    Following the genealogy workshop, we learned many Irish words from one of Maire's many friends. I, unfortunately, retained zero of those words. I did write down the pronunciation of eleven, but not the spelling. Pretty useless for a blog. I did enjoy the flagrance of Irish. The "proper" way to say things was often overly dramatic. There were always a thousand thank you's and a hundred thousand welcomes. The language is very passionate, and I appreciated how excited everyone around us was to get to talk about their first language. The passion between language and language speaker seemed mutual.

    Afterwards, the gang trekked to Glenveagh Castle through a lot of wet. I honestly enjoyed the weather because of the sights to see on the way up. By the time we finally reached our destination, we parked in the food area. I had the best chicken sandwich I'd eaten in years. The potatoes and apple crumble were also to die for. After lunch, I perused the gift shop to find I'd run out of time. The castle was gorgeous, but I must admit that I wished I'd seen more. I had heard about the beautiful gardens and the decadent indoors. All I got was this lousy t-shirt.  

    The night ended back at Leo's with a large amount of dancing. The pub was packed, and you could tell the regulars were over the moon to have new people fill the place. I tried my very hardest to follow along with all the moves the pub goers were pulling out. I was unable to match their flare, but I gave it my best shot. I believe dancing at Leo's was the time in which I experienced the most culture thus far.