We went kayaking today! Before we got in the water, we talked with the owner of the adventure sports company in the local area and he told us a little bit about his story. He’s certified in many different sports so he can have a versatile lifestyle, and his company started out small but now grew to accommodate multiple classes for different sports almost every day!

And then came the kayaking portion! It was very fun, the weather was nice, and we played a few games throughout as well. I fell in only once, but that’s fine. We went to the coffee shop nearby afterwards to warm up a little bit, and I got a delicious hot chocolate!

Then, we went to Carrigart! We had some free time before lunch so we walked around the gift shop and the surrounding areas. After lunch, we were able to meet with someone from a GAA club (Gaelic Athletics Association). With him and Hugh, we learnt a lot about some local sports and the GAA’s history. Not just for sports, the GAA helps the members and others from the community retain their Irish history and culture through many different ways. It’s also a volunteer system for coaches, so just people giving back to their community. Different sports like Gaelic football (and women’s), hurling, etc. are played.

After that, we went to Gteic and worked on our final presentations for the next day, followed by our farewell dinner at Carrigart One8!

Although we paid to go kayaking, it still affects the local economy. For one, it boosts the business and pays the employees. But in turn, those employees buy things from other local businesses that keeps the money flowing. The owner whom we talked to also invests money in other businesses. And after kayaking, we visited the local coffee shop and spent money there so not only did we fuel the kayaking business but also the coffee shop. As for the GAA club, their money comes from funding and donations, even the athletes don’t get paid. But since so many people support the club (so much so that thousands of people come to watch the finals for sports played at a beginner level), many of them donate and buy things at the games that keeps the club going that comes directly from the people. In turn, the things that GAA buys fuels the other companies that they do business with.

Business models like a private, for-profit, tourism driven model of the kayaking company that works directly with individuals, and the non-profit GAA club works directly with the community as a whole. By having businesses that focus on opposing sides of a customer market, the money keeps flowing, even if it’s in different ways.

Overall it was a very interesting day as we close out our program!