Posted 3:03 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, 2011
Gary Walth, UW-L director of Choral Music Studies, led a tour group through the Dingle Peninsula of Ireland July 22-29.
[caption id="attachment_4771" align="alignleft" width="450" caption="The Irish hiking tour group rests after climbing to Maghanaboe, in the middle of the Dingle Peninsula of Ireland. Bottom row from left to right, Andrea Mekkelson, Gary Walth, Mike DeYoe, Martha Bordwell. Middle row from left to right, Susan Curti, John Bordwell, Marla Engbloom and Sharon Krumenauer. Top row from left to right, Phil Curti, Maeve Kelly, Tess Tancredi, Barry Nelson, Toni Kettner, Carmen DeYoe and Dennis Krumenauer. "]
[/caption]They hiked seven miles a day from lush valleys to rocky cliffs. In the Dingle Peninsula in southwest Ireland, UW-L professor Gary Walth and his tour group of 14 people found historic ruins, Irish music and breathtaking views.
Walth, UW-L director of Choral Music Studies, led an Irish hiking tour through UW-L Continuing Education and Extension July 22-29. He took over the tour from Jim Gallagher, a retired UW-L professor of archaeology, and hopes to add more cultural and music stops in future years.
In the towns on the Dingle Peninsula, one can hear live performances on everything from Lady Gaga— Irish style — to traditional Irish music. The last night of the tour a professional musician taught the group how to play the Bohran, an Irish drum.
This was Walth’s third trip to Ireland. He last visited in May 2009 to conduct the UW-L Concert Choir on a concert tour.
A highlight of this year’s hiking tour [caption id="attachment_4774" align="alignleft" width="450" caption="A shepherd moves his flock down a road on the Dingle Peninsula of Ireland. "]
[/caption]was visiting The Blasket Islands, a set of islands abandoned more than 50 years ago primarily because the government deemed them unsafe to live. Now only ruins of a community remain.
“There is a spirit on that island that captures you right away,” says Walth. “I’ve read books about it, but being on that island you had a sense of a people who struggled, yet had their own sense of spirit and survival.”
Maeve Kelly, a tour guide from Ireland who helped lead this trip, will visit UW-L in November to discuss hiking in Ireland. The next tour will be in summer 2012. It is open to anyone. Check for information on the tour in October on the UW-L Continuing Education and Extension website.
[/caption]They hiked seven miles a day from lush valleys to rocky cliffs. In the Dingle Peninsula in southwest Ireland, UW-L professor Gary Walth and his tour group of 14 people found historic ruins, Irish music and breathtaking views.
Walth, UW-L director of Choral Music Studies, led an Irish hiking tour through UW-L Continuing Education and Extension July 22-29. He took over the tour from Jim Gallagher, a retired UW-L professor of archaeology, and hopes to add more cultural and music stops in future years.
In the towns on the Dingle Peninsula, one can hear live performances on everything from Lady Gaga— Irish style — to traditional Irish music. The last night of the tour a professional musician taught the group how to play the Bohran, an Irish drum.
This was Walth’s third trip to Ireland. He last visited in May 2009 to conduct the UW-L Concert Choir on a concert tour.
A highlight of this year’s hiking tour [caption id="attachment_4774" align="alignleft" width="450" caption="A shepherd moves his flock down a road on the Dingle Peninsula of Ireland. "][/caption]was visiting The Blasket Islands, a set of islands abandoned more than 50 years ago primarily because the government deemed them unsafe to live. Now only ruins of a community remain.
“There is a spirit on that island that captures you right away,” says Walth. “I’ve read books about it, but being on that island you had a sense of a people who struggled, yet had their own sense of spirit and survival.”
Maeve Kelly, a tour guide from Ireland who helped lead this trip, will visit UW-L in November to discuss hiking in Ireland. The next tour will be in summer 2012. It is open to anyone. Check for information on the tour in October on the UW-L Continuing Education and Extension website.