NOTE: This is the first in a series of four stories about the experiences of a group of Kiefer students who traveled to the Republic of Ireland and parts of the United Kingdom earlier this month.
“Travel,” they said. “See the world,” they said.
So, they did.
Eight Kiefer High School students, their teacher and six adults from Creek County and Arkansas boarded a Delta Airlines flight in Tulsa June 4, bound for Ireland and three countries in the United Kingdom with EF – Education First – Tours. The group spent the next nine days exploring the Emerald Isle as well as portions of Wales, Scotland and England, walking more than 60 miles and logging in excess of 10,000 miles of travel.
“This was truly the trip of a lifetime for Logan and me,” said Cindy Wilson of Kiefer, whose grandson, Logan Holt, is a senior at KHS and made the trip with Wilson. “I’m so glad we did it.”
In addition to Holt, student travelers included senior Ashton Cooprider, juniors Evan Webster and Mikayla Godwin, sophomores Kaitlyn Ellis, Savannah Lee and Brooke Mullings and freshman Sierra Lee. Besides Wilson, adult travelers were Misty Sloan of Kiefer, Trela Lopez of Kellyville, Josh Qunnelly of Sapulpa, Kathy Vaught and Sherrie Robb, both of Arkansas, and KHS English teacher, Lorrie Quinnelly, the group leader.
The group began talking about and planning the trip in September 2015. It came to fruition this month.
“It’s one thing for me to tell my students about (William) Wordsworth and the other lake poets, but it’s another thing entirely for them to see the places where these poets worked and lived, to see the views and the lands that inspired them,” Quinnelly said.
“I wanted my students to stand in places that have stood for 1,000 years, to absorb the intertwined concepts of history and literature and culture. We did that.”
“I know it sounds daft, but when I see pictures of the trip my eyes well up with tears as I think, ‘We did it; we were there,’” Wilson posted on her facebook page. “They are not just pictures; there is now an experience, a memory that Logan and I shared. At my age, it may be my last big adventure, but for Logan and many (of the) others, it is just the beginning of a life lived large.”
“Seeing places that have been around for a thousand years, that are still standing after two world wars, countless civil wars, and wars to control the land, … to have parts of it still standing, that is something,” Josh Quinnelly said.
Lorrie Quinnelly said that’s what she wanted every traveler to experience and to know; they can dream and dream big for some things and then experience them, be a part of them.
The group landed in Shannon, Ireland , June 5 and immediately began touring at Bunratty Castle, a 15th century tower house build by the MacNamaras in 1425 and the first of more than five castles the group would mount the stairs to or climb upon during their journey.
In Kilarney, students and adults took “jaunting car” (carriage) rides through the 2,000+ acres of Kilarney Park. The park grounds – including Loch Leem and the ruins of Ross Castle – were donated by an American businessman who had inherited them from extended family.
“My favorite experience was the carriage rides,” Ellis said. “I had a blast.”
The castle ruins were of particular interest to Sloan and her daughters, Savannah and Sierra Lee, Vaught, her mother, and Robb, her aunt, since one of their ancestors was a Ross.
“That’s pretty cool,” Sloan said as the jaunting cars pulled by Irish draft horses drew closer to the ruins. “Who would have thought there’d be a castle (associated) with one of our family names?”
Her daughter Sierra referred to the ruins as “our castle” for the remainder of the trip.
The drive through Adare and County Kerry and then on through Mallow, a small village near Cork City known as the home of Irish chocolate and the milk industry which employs more than 3,000, brought the group face-to-face with the Irish countryside. Its green hedge-rowed hills dotted with cattle and sheep and quaint villages and white-washed cottages with brightly colored doors or cottages in bright yellows, greens, purples and blues were straight from the pages of travel books and paintings.
“The rolling green hills, mountains filled with grazing sheep and cattle, the valleys filled with lakes … it was beautiful,” Wilson said.
“I loved the landscapes, the colors, the towns and the history,” Sloan said. “I even loved the weather (60s during the days, 40s at night) during our visit.”
Daylight comes early in the summertime when you’re that far north, sometime between 4:30 and 5 a.m., and the sun does not set until between 9:30 and 10 p.m.
“We learned to appreciate black-out drapes in our hotel rooms,” Quinnelly said.
The following day, the group traveled to the Kerry Bog Village. Bog is a wet, spongy ground with soil composed mainly of decayed vegetable matter. The Irish harvest it, much like Americans cut out and harvest sod, dry bog and use it for fuel. In fact, bog is the largest energy source in Ireland.
Because bog contains no oxygen, it is a perfect natural preservative, and it is in the bog that archaeologists have found centuries old artifacts, animals and people perfectly preserved right down to clothing, red hair, fingernails and teeth. In fact, those artifacts along with several bog bodies are on display at the national museum in Dublin.
“That is something you have to see,” Webster said. “Even their fingernails are right there.”
Aboard the bus, the group began the tour of the Ring of Kerry, a scenic drive around the Iveragh Peninsula in southwest Ireland’s County Kerry. Its circular route takes in rugged and lush coastal landscapes and rural seaside villages. The two-lane road winds approximately 112 miles. Once begun, there is no turning around; drivers must complete the trip.
“We made several stops along the coastline there,” said Lorrie Quinnelly. “Waterville, one of the stops, is where, according to Irish legend, (the biblical) Noah’s granddaughter sailed and began the Irish race.
“It’s a beautiful, peaceful place. It’s easy to see how the Irish people would find great contentment there and in that legend.”
“My favorite country was Ireland,” Vaught said. “I loved the quaint little towns and the history and the beauty of the countryside.”
“Ireland was no doubt my favorite country that we visited because the countryside was so beautiful,” Godwin said. “I loved all the history behind the country.”
Other stops along the Ring of Kerry included Sneem, where most of the Kiefer travelers scooped up some creamy, homemade Irish ice cream; Cahersiveen, the childhood home of Daniel O’Connell, known as the great Liberator of the Irish people; and a herding dog demonstration.
“That was cool,” Josh Quinnelly said. “The (shepherd) just looked at one of the dogs and said, ‘Go get them, Rick,’ and that dog took off like a shot and ran those sheep right down the hill. The sheep were a good 300, 400 yards off.”
The dogs, Rick and Max, were border collies trained to respond to voice and whistle commands and bring in the whole herd or cut out portions of the sheep. There are no natural predators for the sheep in Ireland – no bears, wolves, or snakes – so the sheep see the dogs as predators and run in the direction the dogs point them, the group was told.
Also visible along the Ring of Kerry was Skellig Michael, the rocky island home of an abandoned 7th-century Christian monastery, and the site of Luke Skywalker’s appearance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Portions of the next Star Wars installment also have begun filming there.
On Day 3, the travelers climbed the hill to Blarney Castle where many continued on up the 120 steps of the winding staircase to the battlements where they could hang upside down and kiss the Blarney Stone. Those who did are said to have gained the gifts of blarney (the ability to tell tall tales well) and golden kisses.
“Kissing the Blarney Stone and seeing a ton of amazing castles was really cool,” Savannah Lee said.
Blarney Castle sits among acres of gardens, trails, waterfalls and greenery. Its coach house is now used as a stop for water and soft drinks in the summer, hot chocolate or tea and coffee in the cooler months as well as baked goods such as scones and shortbread, desserts and sandwiches.
Across from the castle, travelers shopped and dined at the Blarney Woolen Mill, the largest exporter of Irish goods in the country. There the Kiefer group could purchase anything from knitted Irish wool sweaters, priced from 69 to 180 euros (approximately $76 to $200) and Waterford crystal to Irish fudge, woolen tartans, Irish bagpipes, furniture and baby gifts.
“My favorite experience was visiting Blarney Castle,” Sloan said. “I loved walking the paths, the gardens, the castle, kissing the Blarney Stone and shopping.”
From Blarney, the students and adults drove the 3½ hours by bus to Dublin, Ireland’s capital city, stopping briefly to see Cashel Rock. In Dublin, they took a short walking tour with tour director Tom Quinn, himself a Dubliner.
The group trudged across Ha’Penny Bridge, by the Temple Bar area on to the Trinity College campus and back to the Garden of Remembrance. They even stopped to see the city’s smallest house. Though three stories tall, the house is less than 12 feet wide.
Day 4 found the group wrapped up in Dublin, home of such famous folks as James Joyce, Frank McCourt and Alexander Graham Bell. Following a short driving tour of the city and a visit to the Trinity College to see the Book of Kells, the Kiefer group had the rest of the day to ramble in Dublin. While they all managed to visit the National Museum where the Irish National Treasures are housed along with artifacts from the bog and other archaeological discoveries, they did so at different times and were left to themselves most of the day to shop, explore and experience the city divided by the River Liffie.
“The most fun thing on our trip was roaming the streets of Dublin, Ireland, to look at all the cool shops,” Webster said. “I liked the experience of being outside of my comfort zone.”
“I loved getting to walk around Dublin and shopping,” Mullings said. “I got to experience the city and see how other people live.”
In fact, Mulling, a Kiefer sophomore this fall, is contemplating pursuing a college degree in Dublin. Her mother said she’s already told her dad that’s where she would like to go.
Next Up: The Kiefer students and adults sail to Wales.
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Featured Image: Ashton Cooprider, Brooke Mullings and Savannah Lee climb the walls of Ross Castle in Kilarney.
