Life in the Gleann

Hello to everyone out there! It has been a long time since I have had time to actually post anything, and the Internet is so slow here it always makes things interesting...although I think I have the fast computer so things are okay!
I am currently in a very small village called GleannColmCille which inhabits about 1,000 people (on a good day) and about 900 sheep (on a bad day). Alot of my time has been filled with classes, which only makes sense since I am getting credit for going to what I like to call Irish summer camp! It is really hard to go to class when you are surrounded by a very gorgeous beach, huge cliffs to go hike on, rolling green hills to go frolic in with the sheep, and lots of grass to run around in.
A usual daily schedule looks something like a morning language class for a bit over an hour, then an hour break, then an afternoon class for 3 hours, and an evening class for 2 hours. The classes range from studying Gaeltachts (areas designated as Irish speaking), Bodhran, tin whistle, weaving, hiking, Irish, Irish Mythology, poetry writing, donegal dancing and Sean nos singing.
After the evening class we usually head to the pubs or the beach for a bonfire. The pubs in Ireland are really interesting, it is where social life happens locally. The social commentary is really striking, for instance there is a male and female side to the main pub in town. Now imagine being a 20 year old girl going to the pub here for the first time to get a pint and talk and you walk in and sit on the "male" side. All the old guys sitting at the bar looked at us like we were crazy and occasionally try and herd us out of the area. It was a very intense time until the old men realized that we weren't going to move to the room without a warm fire...although sometimes we do but on our own will! It is interesting because you don't want to go into a new area and pretend it is like America where you can do "what you want" (although not fully) but at the same time you do not want to feel like you aren't worthy of being on a certain side of the pub. Although the pub situation is not as serious as it was before Ireland joined the EU it was still a shock to me because I have never REALLY felt unwelcome or discriminated against because of my sex, at least not this strongly.
This Friday the whole group is leaving the Gleann for five days to go to Galway and Derry and then returning for the rest of the time here. In Galway we will be going to see Yeats grave, a Sean nOs (old style) singing and dancing festival and to see the burren in Connemara then heading to Derry to see where the troubles occured and after an intense day of seeing the wall and murals of a still tense situation we will head to a rural part of the county and see the Giant's Causeway and the Carrick-a-rede bridge. I am really looking forward to Derry because the American media does not say much about the situation between the North and the Republic except for 'ceasefire'. From things I have heard from Irish people living here the IRA seems still alive as ever and I have heard tensions are still building in the North. The trip should be interesting as an upcoming election is in the works for the end of May as well!