Sunday, May 27
by Sophie Kopf, sophomore alto
Goodbye to Sunday! I can't believe that we're almost
finished with this wonderful adventure of ours. We've waited for this trip all
year and now it's gone in the blink of an eye. It feels like we just flew into
London yesterday, and already we're on our second to last night! But what an
adventure this has been!
As usual, breakfast was delicious, with scones, tea, and
toast. We even got to do some singing! Some of the waitstaff wasn't able to
make it to our concert last night, so we sang “Shenandoah” for them. They
seemed incredibly appreciative of our song and that we were singing
specifically for them. It always feels great to share music with people outside
of our concert settings.
We were granted another unusually beautiful day here in
Ireland, although it did cool off JUST a little. The Drake Choir is going to
have an incredibly unrealistic view of Ireland when we return - where's the
rain we were promised? Not that any of us are complaining, of course. The warm
weather is an absolute blessing, and makes traveling and sight-seeing a whole
lot more enjoyable. Although, if I can admit, I am a little sad about not being
able to use the pretty little umbrella I bought especially for this trip. What
a shame!
We really have been all over Ireland in just a few short
days. I can't even list all the counties we've toured, but I think it's
somewhere around six. With each county I'm more in awe of this beautiful
country. It's green and lush and - I'm sure you've heard all about it in the
previous blogs!! Even now I'm still pinching myself to make sure this is real.
We stopped for our morning coffee break in Adare this
morning - which, of course, makes us all feel a bit like Hobbits since it's
technically second breakfast for us all and we get a snack for later. Adare is
such a cute little town (it won
the “Tidiest Town” award in 2007) with a geneology tracker that a lot of DC
members took advantage of. Some even came out with a little plaque with their
family crests on it! It was very exciting to see that so many of our members
have Irish heritage.
I still can't believe how narrow the roads are here. It's
not so bad in bigger cities, but when you get out on country roads and in
smaller towns, our buses can barely get through! I always feel as though we're
going to smash a car next to us as we're driving along, but our amazing bus
drivers always pull through for us.
We'll have to remember to give them our profuse thanks when this trip is
over.
Our second stop of the day was to the Cliffs of Moher, which
I'm sure you know is the place to visit while you're in Ireland. It's
absolutely spectacular. We got incredibly lucky with our clear, sunny day,
because it meant we could clearly see the cliffs and the ocean spreading out
for miles beyond. Drake Choir spent about an hour exploring the Cliffs and
climbing up the large slopes to stand near the edge of the walls. It was an
incredible stop! What was even more incredible was that our choir president,
Sarah Bannon, has an uncle that contacted one of his friends that lives here in
Ireland - near the Cliffs, to be exact! Marquita wanted to have us for tea, but
we didn't think she could fit 74 of us in her living room. So she met us on the
Cliffs, and we sang “Shenandoah” and “My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord for
her. She looked so grateful that we were singing, happy to hear American songs
sung by Americans. And on that note, it was absolutely wonderful to bring her
and the others standing around the joy of music. It made the day even more
special.
Our third stop was to the Burrens, which are a stretch of
land that cover a lot of the seacoast in southwestern Ireland. They are
absolutely beautiful - craggy shores that make you really believe that, for a
moment, you're in Ireland. They were the kind of thing I've been dying to see
all trip, and I finally saw them! Although the rocks are very uneven and
slightly shaky, if you walk carefully you can make it to the edge of the rocks,
where it slopes down into the sea. You can imagine Drake Choir as we stood
there taking our artsy-fartsy photos of ourselves standing on the edge of a
cliff or staring pensively out into the ocean.
Dinner and our entertainment for the night were fabulous. If
we all thought dinner and dessert was great, then the traditional Irish music
and dancing that we witnessed afterwards was even better! We listened to a trio
that playe accordian, guitar, and sang, and they regaled us with great reels
and jigs - and even taught us a jig, too! I can now say that I have dance an
authentic Irish jig with an authentic Irish band. Another check off my bucket
list! There were also three traditional Irish dancers that entertained us, and
I was in awe of their fast feet and concentration. They looked genuinely please
to be there performing for us, and we were all completely happy, of course. I
mean, it's Irish music and dancing! You can't get much better than that, I
think.
This day has been one that will stay with my forever.
Standing on those Cliffs and in the Burren made me realize just how precious
this trip has been. I got to spend two weeks of my life in Ireland and Wales,
and not many people can say they've done that the week after they've turned
twenty. The pictures will be ruined, and I might forget the details, but the
beauty will stay with me forever.
We're looking forward to our last concert tomorrow night,
and I think I can speak for the whole choir when I say we can't wait to see you
all and tell you about our adventures!
TWO photo links:
The Cliffs of Moher 34 photosThe Burren 20 photos
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