RAG Week wins

Despite my earlier skepticism, RAG Week has beaten out anything I've seen at Penn State. They started Sunday evening (maybe even afternoon) and are still going. Monday and Tuesday were the craziest days. Most apartments were having some sort of party and all the windows were open and everyone was out on the balconies and outside on the lawns, drinking. On my way to class on Monday there were dozens of kids on the bridge that takes you to school drinking out of cans and bottles in pure daylight at 11 a.m. Then it seemed to calm down by yesterday morning and I figured the worst of it was over. But that's only because I had been smart enough to avoid town at night the past couple of days -- mostly just because I was working on a big essay I have due next week.

Then there was last night. We ate dinner at my apartment (because it is currently the cleanest apartment) and then I went with my friends Tori and Paddy to the Kings Head. It's a more touristy pub, but I'm really starting to love it. We got often to see the band Donegal Catch, and its so great! It's made up of three male NUI Galway students. They all sing a little, though there is a main singer. One plays a sort of bongo-like drum, another (named Shaun, he's Paddy's friend) plays the banjo and the third plays acoustic guitar and sings. They are a cover band, but the best thing about them is that they do covers of popular American songs, but also covers of popular trad songs. Because they play stuff Americans and Irish alike know, everyone in the pub dances, claps and sings along. Some personal favorites are "Galway Girl," "Save Tonight" (yes, by Eve 6), "Ring of Fire," "Hills of Connemara," and the one that gets the most participation, "The Bog Down in the Valley."

Here's the song, sung by the Irish Descendants:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxgmAwoqr4E

After the concert was over the Kings Head closed, so we decided to head home. It was only about midnight and the streets were FILLED with college students. Most of them were drinking while walking down the street, singing and yelling. Mobs of them. There were also broken, and not broken, bottles littering the streets. And the Garda were all over the place trying to create order (i.e. stop the one kid from relieving himself onto a shop window) It was shocking, especially considering these kids have all been "on the beer," as they say, since Sunday. (And this is not to mention the "day drinking" I saw yesterday in town at one in the afternoon in the middle of shop street)

Classes were also pretty empty this week, and the teachers know it. All of them made RAG Week comments at the beginning of class. Some were pleased with the amount of students that showed to class and others were disappointed.

I don't want to give the Irish kids a totally bad rap, it is just one week that will soon be over, but at the same time it is way too excessive and really not a necessary thing. This week is supposed to be about raising money for charities. Last weekend Thon raised $7.4 million for kids with cancer, and now NUI Galway students are spending a week drinking, and maybe trying to raise 20,000 euro for charity. It definitely takes any good feeling about this week away.

But I must admit, it's still kind of funny. It is RAG Week after all ...