Today, we were able to take a day trip on the Wild Rover Tour and visit places such as Kilkenny, the Wicklow Mountains, and Glendalough National Park. It was a bright and early wake up at 7:15am with a 2 hour drive to Kilkenny. The small village of Kilkenny was very nice and I had amazing bangers and mash and also visited the castle and the cathedral. Then the next stop was Glendalough Park where we walked on a trail with amazing views of the mountains and the lakes. We finished off the trip with a visit to a local sheep farm where we were able to learn about how the farm operates and pet the sheep.

Rural communities in Ireland are mostly populated with farms and small town homes. While Dublin is starting to become more populated like a big city with high rises, skyscrapers, and big companies taking over. The rural communities are also heavily less populated compared to Dublin. The rural side of Ireland has a heavy emphasis on agriculture as we saw today from the sheep farm. Dublin is the economic center of Ireland and is home to many multinational corporations, tech companies, and financial institutions. In contrast, rural communities tend to have more traditional economies based on agriculture, fishing, and small businesses. Dublin has more advanced infrastructure compared to rural communities in Ireland. The city has a well-developed public transportation system, including buses, trams, and trains, while rural areas may have limited public transportation options.

From personal experiences so far, local perceptions of foreigners have been generally the same throughout everywhere we go. The local people living in the area have been very welcoming and helping us with any questions we have along the way.

Today, there was lots of entrepreneurial activity that was happening. In Kilkenny, there were lots of small own restaurants and also lots of small business owners selling small antique souvenir items. Also, in Kilkenny and Glendalough, there were lots of food trucks and food stands that looked like small own family businesses operating on their own. Along with that, the sheep farm we visited was also family owned and operated.