Just Follow the Zombies...

"Just keep following this path for another couple of minutes or so and stay to the right. You can't miss it. If you see zombies, you're in the right place," replied the Irish couple we stopped to ask directions from as we tromped up the Dublin Mountains. We all got a good laugh from the Irish couples' joke about zombies being at the ruined "occult" lodge we were checking out. Imagine our surprised as we crested the hill to the lodge and realized they weren't joking...

Last weekend, 17 of us headed up to Dublin Mountains for a day of hiking and exploration. One of the main attractions on the mountains is an old stone building known as the Hellfire Lodge. The legend behind the building was that a bunch of rebellious youth from Dublin got kicked out of their favorite pub for their rowdiness and so they decided to use this cabin (whether it was owned by a family members, we're unsure) for their get-togethers. Eventually, the cabin was supposed to have been used for occult meetings and rituals. More than likely, the true story behind the building was that it was a location for a bunch of Dublin men to gather together, drink a few pints and rant about the government. Nevertheless, the site does claim to have had the Devil himself back an appearance at one of the rituals, and I just couldn't help myself.


After knowing all the history behind the two-story hunting lodge, you can guess at how surprised we were when stumbled right into over a dozen men and women done-up as zombies chasing people around the building and shouting down at us "Ahhh, fresh meat".
Weirder things have happened?

What we had actually stumbled upon was the shooting of a music video for a local band called "The Riptide Movement". The members of the band weren't actually present (as far as I know), but the actors were extremely friendly and didn't seem to mind taking a break (and drinking some pints) while we took some time to explore the ruins. They even posed for a group picture with all of us.

I know that when I first arrived in Ireland, I had plans to travel over the rest of Europe every weekend, but as time passed, I realized that Ireland all by itself has more amazing sights than I could possibly see in my four months even if I never stepped off the island. Ireland is an incredible country with a rich history and, most importantly, incredible people. Every time I have stopped to ask for directions, I've always received them (about three times, just to make sure I got it), and I always got where I needed to be. Disclaimer: I will say, however, that sometimes the Irish's descriptions can be a little off. Example: "Roads" may well mean "scraggly paths of rocks" and "10 minutes" may actually be more like "25-30 minutes"

I guess what I want to say is, if you have plans to visit Europe, I wouldn't discourage you from visiting all the famous sights in the places like England, France, Germany, Italy etc., but I would urge you to take the time to see the little, less known sites. You never know who will be there or what will happen. This trip up to the Hellfire Lodge, though not educational in the least, is one of my most favorite memories from Ireland. Thanks to Ben and all the other actors there who made the trip the experience that it was!

I know I promised to talk about Arthur Guinness day and some of my other trips, but you can find information on my counterparts websites:
Check out http://frogwind.blogspot.com/ to read about Maddy's experience here in Dublin
Or http://jessicasinireland.blogspot.com/ to read Jess's Blog (and see her amazing pictures!)

(I have one more counterpart, Brett, but I don't currently have his website link!)

Check in in a few days for insider information on some of the classes here in Dublin!

Cheers
~Heather~