Week 3 Pt2.

What's happening in this course is I am being taught how to write historically correctly. I am also being taught how to research properly and how to link my research to my writings. When I say link I mean put in place what are called footnotes. Footnotes are lines that associate any of your research to your own piece of work. They have to be done in a very precise way and that of course is part of the education and learned skill sets. I am working very hard to ensure that I do it 100% correctly. It isn't an issue to me at the moment but due to finding so many new subjects coupled with very thrilling case studies plus,  as I find out how to research more I find other secondary slices of history that are so interesting that  I am confused about what to do! What a great place to be in! It is a confusion that will of course pass, unlike dementia that I feel this could stave off.
My mother passed away at the age of 88 about two weeks ago. Living in Ireland, the funeral is very fast.  You have the removal generally on the same day, but definitely if not the day after, and then the following day you have the funeral. I believe that is a wonderful way to do it. From the death of my mother to the funeral was two weeks, I did believe this makes it all a bit tougher on the family, too long to plan it. At 88 one is not so much mourning the passing but more celebrating 88 years on this planet,  and 88 times going round the Sun!  The funeral was lovely we had a little cry and a lot of laughs. I read the eulogy which is rather special as we only have one mum. As dad had already passed away two years ago!  The most thought provoking part to myself my brother, and my sister, is that we are now orphans!        Rest in peace mum!

Week 3

After being away for one of the lessons I have finally caught up just today. Last Wednesday's lesson was superb.  It may be strange but I feel a change in me already. It's been a long while since I've been at college and I'm not into the routine, where as others coming straight from their degree will be used to the discipline. However even at 58 it's coming back. In fact to be truthful I don't think 58 is any age at all. I do feel I look a bit older but any person going on in years would say they still feel like a teenager and of course this is no different for me. I do believe being vegan helps me substantially with the levels of energy required to do your work and also to go through the learning system where 50% of your time is taken up researching and the other 50% somehow trying to transpose that research. Transpose it into words and sentences but not only makes sense but put across an atmosphere within the text of being knowledgeable and interesting.  The bigger  problem is that after all my years,  I tend to think I am interesting. It is why I write in the way I write, but that is only my opinion. Some people do say to me they love my writings but what percentage of the population is that? I do not know. It's very flattering that someone might say nice things, but just like the existence of God or the big bang I do not know. I do know what is sensible to believe. I do know what I want to believe. I am moving away from the topic at hand. Currently I'm finding out many historical things

Week 2

On holiday in Spain: lovely to be here but also regretful not to be at University, I have spent time each day trying to understand what is required in the two journals and filling them in, I am paying a lot more attention to spelling, punctuation and general literacy, am a bit exhausted, it is 30 degrees most days, I have now seen the second lesson and it is basically a trip to the Boole Library, I can do that when I get back, the rest of the lecture is about primary and secondary sources.  There is also there is an article to be reviewed about the killbrittain castle and the burning of it, we have to do a case study of it and it is daunting but then that is why I am here, what do they want? a political overview?  All overviews of course, that is a difficult area for me. I am coming in as an outsider and this is my achilles heal, I am hoping that my simplistic way of addressing things is going to cast a more interesting light onto any given subject.  I will find out now if in practice it works.  If not I will have to knuckle down and get political.

WEEK 1

Lecture 1. This is what they called a taught masters,  and it is part time, one evening a week which initially seems ok, that's in actual fact  just the tip of the iceberg. The first evening dealt with using the online journal system but I have to write 200 words in one journal explaining the features and benefits and in a second journal explaining what effect it has had on my chosen thesis topic. Was a nice easy glide into the course.
For the next week I go over the concepts now and over and over again as it slowly sinks in that for the next two years most of my waking hours will be spent working on this Masters. Personally I think that is fantastic.
we learned about primary sources and secondary sources and official sources and some other stuff. we get to download powerpoint slides that are really useful and good for nudging your memory.
My thesis / dissertation is about the middle parish but it will be honed down, I am already thinking about 1845 - 48 reference merchant princes during the great famine under the laissez affaire doctrine. brain is exploding, and I have to go on holiday to Spain tomorrow, will fill in the journals  on the beach, and chill.

Introduction

Hello, my name is George Patterson, I'm a 58-year-old about embark on a Masters in local history at Cork UCC in Ireland.

I have lived in Cork for 20 years and I've learned a lot about the history of Ireland.  I now want to further my education and use that  part of my brain that is primarily used for learning. I want to further myself and hopefully increase my intellect, change my perceptions, emotions, trains of thought and I suppose my general personality in order to be more knowledgable and happier in my own skin. I suppose that's what we all want to do really, or at least those of us who want to do just that.