Today was another day where we traveled and got in touch with the outdoors. We started the morning out by visiting a sheep farm, where we learned about the process of raising sheep and training dogs to herd them. Next, we traveled into Glendalough, a former monastery that had some old structures still standing as well as some hiking trails and great views of the hills and valleys of the Irish countryside. Then, we capped off the day by heading to the town of Kilkenny. Kilkenny is a passionate hurling town, a sport in which we learned all about during our trip to Croke Park. The town has a variety of shops and restaurants to walk through and grab something to eat, but my favorite part was the Kilkenny Castle, a 12th century castle in the middle of town.

After exploring some rural areas of Dublin, I have definitely noticed some cultural contrasts. The rural areas, albeit tourist hotspots, definitely had a diverse group of people. I heard a variety of languages and accents while walking around. While in Dublin, we have collectively gotten our fair share of stares from the locals, so I have concluded that it is pretty easy for them to tell that we are foreigners, whereas the Irish natives in the “touristy” places do not bat an eye at foreign visitors. Also, I did not notice any large differences communication-wise between the rural and urban areas, other than the obvious difference from what I am used to in America.

Many industries in Ireland are exclusive to outside of Dublin. Oner that we visited today was the business of sheep farming. This ties into the many woolen mills shops that I have noticed in the larger cities. While passing through the countryside, I have also noticed lots of cow farms. This brings to mind the supply chain challenges of preserving and delivering famous Irish butter and Irish beef to Dublin and other cities. I also noticed some chains throughout the country in various cities. SPAR seems to be a popular convenience store in all the cities, as well as some fast food restaurants such as Abra-Kababra and Supermac’s . On the topic of entrepreneurship, the Kilkenny Design Centre should be considered. This shop brings together products from a variety of artists in Ireland and displays and sells a wide variety of things. I bought something from artist Eion O’Conner, a young artist from Wicklow who’s work was on display. Overall, this shop provides for these upcoming artists, who I would consider entrepreneurs.