Talent Show

Reaching for the Stars  by Adin White

Castles and Communities staff member Colin Drake
Jaramillo wows the crowd with a harmonica solo

     When we all arrived in Ballintober, I think it's safe to assume none of us expected to have the opportunity to join locals of the county in comedy routines, live music, and Irish dancing. But, to my surprise, we were actively and enthusiastically encouraged to do so on multiple occasions. One of my favorite memories coming away from Ireland was one such occasion: The 'Reach for the Stars' Talent show. 

     

     The Talent show was a multi-round elimination kind of thing, and had been going in other parts of Roscommon County prior to our Arrival. Participants were scored by two judges on a ten-point scale based on two criteria: Their stage performance, and their actual perceived talent. 

    Like any talent show, the opinions of the judges were subjective, so it was hard to watch a fellow student get a score that the rest of us may have felt was undeservedly low, but everybody took their scores like champions. 

    The performances ranged from the jokes between the children of the directors, to Ocarinas and something like opera singing. I was surprised by the number of willing participants and even more-so by the incredible response from the local towns people. The crowd of onlookers was huge! I suspect that at least a quarter of the population of Ballintober was there applauding each and every one of us, genuinely entertained by us Americans. 

I personally did not make it past the Ballintober round, but I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it thanks to the warm and welcoming response of the crowd. 

    In closing, I would encourage all future students and staff alike to get on stage and do whatever you want. It's not about winning or showing off, it's about showing that you appreciate the hospitality of the wonderful people of Roscommon county and Ballintober have shown to all of us in giving us opportunities like this, and showing them that you are indeed willing to participate and excited to be in their homeland, not just because you are obligated to do so. 

Highlights for Ana and Sam's children:  I liked meeting everyone in Ireland, Dad can I watch TV? - Catalina

In Ireland, the camp, and swordfight training.
The last day of camp with pizza and water balloons. Party at clonalis with Aaron. - Gael

 Catalina

 Tom giving Gael his award trophy

 Rope pull 2016. We see no adults pulling on this side.

 I really liked duck, duck, water and I really liked camp and all the people - Luna

Siobhan showing kids the dig

Although I need a few more days to digest this trip, I can say it was a life experience that I will never forget. It was amazing to be able to take in so much culture, history, and archeological disciplines in one go.I learned more than I ever could in a classroom with a textbook . I spent most of my time in the field  on foot survey, gradiometry, and digging/scraping.  I really enjoyed being around so many bright people who are interested in the same subjects as me. The fact that we  got to try and get a taste of learning Gaelic was very cool,  albeit  a bit difficult. One of the most unique things about the field school is that we were immersed into a rural community that the vast majority of people who visit Ireland will never have the opportunity to see. We met so many colorful locals who were more than welcoming, they were genuinely interested in hearing what we had to say. One of their more popular questions was " Trump or Clinton?" I would be remiss if I didn't mention the directors of the project, who showed incredible patience,  and are down right chill people.
Sláinte!
--Aaron Turner

Gradiometry

Gradiometry. When I came to this field school I was excited for the digging aspect and being in a medieval castle, so it's kindof ironic that what I spent most of my time doing was walking back and forth through a field, scaring off cows with stakes while looking underground for something we didn't know even existed. But now this whole magnetometry process has touched my soul because it shows that even things that aren't present to us above ground can still leave its mark on the world. I loved the field school and loved staying at Clonalis. The directors were awesome and so down to Earth and willing to let you try anything you wanted to. I can't wait for next year!

-Valerie Watson

Castlerea

Castlerea
On the trip to see Castlerea for the first time, we (the students) were asked to complete a mini scavenger hunt. We had to find the price of a scone at a particular deli, than we had to find out the average price of a cow, and if the local pizza places would deliver. The trip in general was fun, but Castlerea gave out a different vibe than any other town we have visited. Castlerea is a small town in CO. Roscommon. Not as small as Ballintubber, but still small. Castlerea is a dull and grey town; at least those are the words I would use to describe it. Most of the shop keepers are friendly, but most of the general public there will pass you by without even a smile. The town is abandoned; every other shop there is closed down. I heard it was partly because the town never recovered from the recession. Castlerea has a main street where all the shops and pubs are located. There used to be a hotel there, but since it has closed, the other businesses (shops. Etc.) Have suffered from a lack of tourism. Once a week one of the pubs will host an event such as traditional music, but that is not enough to attract any large amount of attention. Once a week, every Thursday, there is a livestock market held which brings many residents from other towns, which is the busiest day of the week where the most activity is seen. One day during this trip, I went into the town of castlerea and talked to all the shop keepers. I asked them what they think of our project and if it might benefit their town in any way. Many of them said that it would be a great idea if we could eventually get the castle to a point where people were welcome to look around and tour the castle, because tourists would have to drive through their town and doing so could potentially bring more business to the area. Even though that day is far off in the future if even possible, it is good to know that our project has the support of the surrounding towns, not only the community in which we live and work.

-Kayla Ward

Welcome to the Lab!

The lab is where all of the findings go after they have been excavating from the cuttings. The people in the lab wash bones, dry wash artifacts, give them artifacts/sample numbers and put them into the database.  -Dana Noguera

This is the outside of the lab

Drying bones

Artifact bag: Nail

Maya and Rebekah working hard

Artifacts

The Irish National Heritage Park

The Irish National Heritage Park

Ferrycarrig, County Wexford, Ireland

On July 8, 2016, the Castles in Communities archaeology students and staff visited The Irish National Heritage Park.  We toured sites from the Mesolithic (stone age-7000 years ago) through thOe Viking settlement of some 1000 years ago.  We were lucky enough to be able to spend the night in the Park.  We each chose a place to sleep that suited our individual sense of adventure.  I chose a Neolithic (new stone age) farmstead.  The hut was built of wattle, daub, and thatch. It had 3 “rooms” – one large one that encompassed approximately one-third of the hut, and two smaller rooms – each partitioned off, plus a central area.  I image the smaller partitioned rooms were for livestock as they could easily be closed off.  My bed was in the larger room.  It was made of a wooden frame with wood slats, covered with straw, and I added a sheepskin and cow skin for comfort.  It also had a sheaf of bound straw for a pillow.  The hut was warm and even though it rained through the night it remained dry.  My hut and visitors.

- Nancy O'Shea