University of Wisconsin–Madison

Ireland: Elisa Miller (A New Experience)

People walk around a beach with white rocks next to the bright blue water with more land in the distance.
A rocky beach at the base of the Howth Cliff walk.

One of the best parts of living in Dublin is the DART, the Dublin Area Rapid Transit, an elevated railway network that runs through Dublin and along the Irish coastline. Right next door to my accommodation, I met up with a friend at the Pearse Street DART station one Sunday to take a day trip out to Howth. Howth is a small seaside village about thirteen miles north of Dublin famous for its cliff walk. Luckily for us, it was a relatively clear day, even getting some sunshine as we made the trek up to Howth Head!

Grassy hills lead to the bright blue waters of the ocean.
The view from Howth Head, the island, Ireland’s Eye, in the distance.

We walked through the town, passing ice cream shops, cafes, and plenty of fish and chip shops before reaching the waterfront. Though we still had about thirty minutes before we’d reach the actual cliffs, the views were already stunning. We made our way up a steep hill and marveled at the beautiful homes strewn about the cliff edge, their backyards open to the sea. Finally, we arrived at the Howth Cliff Head. After some light climbing, we sat a safe distance away from the edge of the cliffs and stared out at the gorgeous Irish Sea. The water was strikingly blue and seemed to stretch forever as seagulls passed overhead and the sun shone on our backs. After about twenty minutes of taking in the views, the wind finally bore us down and we decided to head back into town to grab a late lunch. I finally got my first order of fish and chips from a hotel/restaurant near the waterfront and it was absolutely delicious! Howth was the perfect day trip for an adventurous Sunday, and I’m sure I’ll be back again in the springtime to get an even more spectacular view.

 

Elisa poses in front of several different shades of green bushes.

Elisa Miller

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Major: English & Communication Arts

Program: Trinity College Dublin Exchange

I most look forward to learning about the literary tradition of Ireland. As an English Creative Writing major, I love to read and write, so I’m very excited to live in a city with such a rich literary history. As this will be my first time leaving the country, I want to push myself to really get immersed in Irish culture and take advantage of everything Dublin has to offer.