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Arriving in Achill


Heuston Station to Westport

Although I had been to Achill last year, I had missed the official start, the cross-Ireland train trip. Any thoughts that I might have the chance to admire the Irish countryside on this 4 hour trip were dispelled as soon as I sat down. Almost immediately the staff coordinators had a meeting to finalise the details of the various activities and workshops which would be on offer. Then we launched into an ice-breaking activity which involved interviewing someone you didn’t already know from another culture and finding out a whole lot about what makes them tick.

And finally it was time for the students to decide which activities they wanted to participate in during the Achill week. At Westport station three buses were waiting to take us the last bumpy hour to Achill itself. Though many were visibly flagging by this time there was the opportunity for some to get Spanish tuition from a native speaker. A beautiful blue sky had by now turned cloudy and before night fell we had our first Irish rain of the trip but spirits were high as we settled into the seaside cottages which are to be our base in the coming week.

By Anne Fox

From Westport to Achill

At the Westport train station, we were met by Michael Anthony Lavelle, Paul McLoughlin and Karsten Kneese. Michael and Paul had come to take us from Westport to Keel – and Karsten had just spent some weeks on Achill doing an internship and paving the way for our arrival. The luggage was put onto the trailers, we took our seats on the buses – and off we went. The roads were long and winding – and after the train ride some of us even managed to fall asleep. However, those who stayed awake could get a first flavour of the landscape before we actually arrived in Keel.

 

When we went past Achill Sound we realised that we had finally arrived on the island. We could see Mount Slievemore at a distance and lots of smaller hills in front of us. We could also get a first impression of the weather on Achill, as bursts of rain were mixed with dry phases and a wonderful sunset. But we had been prepared for the fact that the weather might be changeable – and so this fact didn’t come as a surprise. Finally, we were glad to arrive at the cottages. Eva, our accommodation manager, had prepared lists according to which the cottages were allocated. She had ensured that all the cottages were shared by mixed-nationality groups. This way we had really international teams so that it was much easier for us to get to know each other. The same applied to the grouping in workshops etc.

Our catering manager went round to provide us with some basic food supplies for a light supper – and after a short while many of us felt as if we had known each other for a long time! Achill, we are ready for an exciting experience!

By Andreas Faulstich


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Co-ordinator: Dr. Laurent Borgmann, Remagen
FH Koblenz, RheinAhrCampus

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