Competition and Kells

MacTurcaills is fast becoming our favorite pub, with the gang gathering there on Tuesday night to reflect on our classes so far. While there, Brittany designed a couple coaster-people and we caught a bit of football and surprisingly the Laker's game.

Coaster-Man

Wednesday night was riddled with competition. But before that could start, Kathryn, Sean, Maggie and I went to the first meeting of the Dublin University Surfing & Bodyboarding Club for the Hilary Term. Most of the meeting was devoted to discussing the new Club sweatshirts and the first trip of the semester on the weekend of February 4th. Signups are next week, and I will definitely be joining the team for the training trip. As to whether I will join them for the trip to the Canary Islands at the end of term, I suppose that will only happen if I turn out to be some sort of surfing prodigy my first time on a board.

The next event of the evening occurred at the Andrew Lanes Theatre - a club venue near to the main entrance of campus. This week was RAG or Raise and Give week at Trinity, so the Student Union was hosting various events throughout the week to raise money for charities throughout Ireland. We had intended on going to karaoke at Captain America's on Tuesday, but problems with the venue forced its cancellation. Earlier on Wednesday I witnessed the conclusion to the Iron Stomach competition held in Front Square, with the "champion" devouring a pound of butter in the final round.

The competition at the Theatre was Beer Olympics, with an entrance fee of 50 euro per team (again all proceeds going to charity). Naturally "World Police" (Team America) entered, comprised of Sean, Eric, Maggie, Brittany, and I. We had wanted our entrance song to be the Team America: World Police theme, but when the didn't have that we considered using Party in the USA or Proud to be an American. Instead we ended up with Ring of Fire. After various competitions (that I will not detail here) we reached the final four on a Wild Card (2nd place in our group, of total 12 teams in 3 groups). We were defeated there, but did far better than any of us could have imagined. With our classes not starting until the late afternoon on Thursday, we stayed for a couple hours afterwards with the defeated Surfing team - ALT reverted back to a club once the Olympics ended.

World Police

Thursday night was low-key. A few of us went to Kathryn and Maggie's to watch some Irish sitcoms and play cards. Even though they only get BBC2 and RTE (the Irish public channel), there were some hilarious programs such as Episodes (with Joey from Friends). It debuted this year and follows a British couple who try to retain creative control over a show they brought to the US. Other shows we watched included a reality TV show about people trying to be waiters at a ritzy French resort, a panel-comedy talk show, and a drama about chefs at a restaurant in Dublin (quasi-Hells Kitchen). Contrary to the States, various swears were aired throughout the programs (imagine PBS approving the F-bomb), and there were few commercial breaks.

After lectures today, we finally toured Trinity's Old Library. The centerpiece of the tour (free for students and their guests) is the Book of Kells produced in the 800's and remarkably ornate. The collection included three other manuscripts of similar age, but with far less imagery. After passing through the museum-style layout for the manuscripts, you ascend into the Long Room which holds over 200,000 books across two floors of stacks. It is a remarkable room that stretches the length of the building and is complete with an open arched ceiling. There are many books from the time of the 1641 rebellion centered in a museum display, and various descriptions of events during that time. Among those books is the oldest harp in Ireland.

The Jedi Library and the "unrelated" Trinity Long Room

Unfortunately, you are unable to take pictures while touring the building, however Trinity students can still request books from the old library for use in special reading rooms. I strongly recommend that visitors to Trinity (of which there are many) pay the 8 or so euros to see the Book of Kells and the Long Room.