What the Bloody Deuce is That?

So I was looking out the window Sunday morning, enjoying my bagel with Nutella, when I spotted something in the distance.

Do you see that?  That block of something just above the tree line?  I wondered for quite a while about what that was (so long that I had to have another bagel with Nutella), so I decided to go on a little trek to investigate (lucky for you I brought my camera).  Suddenly, as I was walking down the river path, I looked left and saw this:

I crept through the woods for a closer look, and I found a strange stone spire with an alcove inside of it and winding stairs that went all the way to the top.  Here it is really up close:

I have no idea what this ruin is for!  My guess is that it was a lookout built along the Shannon, made so that the region’s inhabitants could be forewarned as to what sort of trouble was sailing up the river (damn English!).  I can’t even take a guess how old it is, but I think I can safely assume that it was built before the Act of Union in 1801.  I would like to think the Vikings made it after they built their settlement of what was to become the city of Limerick in the year 812, but I doubt something that old could have retained its shape without proper care, and it seriously looks as though it has fallen by the wayside.  However, I think some other college kids have noticed it before, judging by all the beer bottles and cans littered all around and inside of it:

Damn English!  Anyway, today was the first day of classes here at UL.  As a study abroad student, I am actually allowed to attend whatever classes that I want for the first week, and then pick which five I would actually like to continue taking.  That way, I get a feel for the class before I have to commit to it.  I wish that was true at Susquehanna, or else I would have never dealt with many of the professors that I suffered through in years past (without naming names…I’d like my blog to remain classy, thank you).  In the social department, I’ve been making a few friends, both Irish and American (with a little of French as well).  A group of Irish friends have convinced me to join their club (the Outdoor Pursuits club), which travels to the various regions of Ireland and goes on hikes and bike rides and such.  It’s funded by the university, so it would be a cheap way to travel and see more of this fantastic country (with random ruins all over the place)!

Tomorrow I will be going into Limerick city to register with the Immigration office, so I hope to be doing a little exploring and picture-taking there (maybe the Immigration guy will pose for a portrait with me).  Seachain i gcathair na stab!