If you read all of the information posted online about this place, they will all mention the huge hill you have to hike up. I took a taxi up and walked down.
|
Discoveries in Northern Ireland |
Another late post. When in London I also visited the Royal Observatory Greenwich to straddle the prime meridian. This is a line of longitude defined as 0°. If you read all of the information posted online about this place, they will all mention the huge hill you have to hike up. I took a taxi up and walked down.
0 Comments
Another late post. I have put all of the pictures in a slide show and included comments. I am so sorry I have not posted in awhile. There have been a multitude of difficulties. The Texas rebel in me has finally taken over, and I feel more confident about what I am doing.
Enough. On with the show. In March I had an opportunity to visit Norwich for a TEDx event. The topic, of course, was education. If anyone reading this ever has a chance to go to a TED event, I encourage you to snap it up. I emerged imbued with a passion to do more in the classroom and in the field of education. The connections and relationships I developed while in Norwich have made this possible. Below are videos of some of the talks along with commentary. If you are an educator, please use these videos as a jumping off point to change education. This first video is entitled Success Sucks! Nothing beats defeat. The presenter, Matt Bagley, uses games to to help students develop resiliency. In his talk, he explores how we can use failure to help kids learn by teaching them to explore options. Dr. Rob Loe's talk, So children can build a society, not just hold down a job, discusses the importance of building relationships. Although he does not use the term "social capital," that is one of the ideas he is discussing. So how do we teach a generation who believes all the answers are on the internet? Kieran Miles believes we need to teach kids to problem solve. His talk, Googled it; educating a generation that know's everything, will help educators explore how to do this in their classroom. Steff Aqurone had a very different education experience, but it helped him develop ideas about ways to engage students. I highly recommend watching How to create more crazed fantasists. In a time when more_ and more people are demanding to ban tests, this talk looks at the changing role of teachers in the classroom. Tom Gilliford demands Let's ban 'teachers. Don't worry; your job is safe. Although is talk is about technology, there is a vital piece of information we can all take away from it - the need for passion. We should be passionate about our subject matter as well as the craft of teaching. Mark Stevenson explores this passion in Developing Developing Developers. If you have never been to Trim, Ireland, I urge you to find your way here. Do not settle for a trip from Dublin to see the castle. Come stay for a couple of days. The small town is charming, and the people are warm and friendly. One thing you must do is take a stroll along the Boyne River. There is a special path behind the castle just for this purpose. Right now the river is high and rapid. I saw policemen in rafts patrolling the river. Hopefully it was just precautionary. A view of a bridge from another bridge. The path beside the river. There is the occasional place to sit. You can see the castle or much newer construction. This is the yellow tower and a gate on the road to the castle. Yes, that is a troll underneath the bridge. Below is a slideshow of some of the images from Newton Abbey. The largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland is Castle Trim. It took about 30 years for Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter to construct their home in County Meath, Trim Castle. Construction began in 1176. It is unique because of its cruciform shape, having twenty sides. As our tour guide pointed out, that may have been a drawback when trying to defend the tower from defenders. This is the back view of the keep. This is the entrance. Side view of the keep. For defensive reasons, the castle was built on the top of a hill by the Boyne River – two natural forms of defense. It also had a wall with several gates and a dry moat. This is from the outside. These stairs lead to the top of the gate towers. Defensive gate and tower. That small window is where an archer would be positioned during an attack. Dry moats would slow down the attackers. Blue stalking before attacking. Trim Castle actually went through three major renovations. This is the initial construction. Walter de Lacy wanted it taller. This is the third reconstruction. Do you see that slanting line? That is where Walter took a part of the original roof off and added stone to increase the height. Near the top of the keep. Let's talk hygiene. The two images above are a garderobe and a privy hole in the garderobe. This medieval toilet was also used for a particular type of pest control. At the very bottom of the keep was a room where all of the human waste would go. Some poor soul had the job of stirring the mess to release ammonia. You would hang your clothes in the garderobe, and the ammonia would kill the fleas, live and other pests living there. Stone alter in the chapel. The two niches below are also in the chapel. The bowl shape indicates they could have held holy water or the blessed sacraments. Spiral staircase. These were built small and cramped, with the thinnest part on the right hand side, on purpose. If an attacker made it inside the castle, it would be difficult to run up the stairs with a sword drawn. The fireplace in the solar. The solar was a gathering place for the family similar to our living rooms today, Sadly there was no television. The picture below is some graffiti carved into the wall of the solar. And now for a view from the top. Blue gets caught. That key is the key to the castle. They locked him out. |
Carolyn GeraciI am a middle school English teacher, a wife and mother, photographer, amateur archeologist, and a global wanderer. This website is dedicated to my journey during my experience as a Fulbright Distinguished Teacher. Archives
May 2016
Categories |