Saturday - Giant's Causeway - Antrim Coast

Under a bright blue sky we traveled North on A2 towards the Antrim Coast. Our first stop was a photo stop at Dunluce Castle. As can be seen – this castle is built on the very side of the cliff. Erica told us a story about this site. It used to be a place for dinners. Then one night, the guests had been served their first course, and were waiting patiently for their main course. Eventually, the host opened the doorway to the kitchen to find out what was holding up the rest of the dinner. He was struck by a wave – the whole kitchen and everything in it had been hit by a huge wave and had disappeared over the cliff.
From here we went on to Bushmills, and the Bushmills distillery. We were given a great tour of this 400 year old facility, and then were invited to sample a drink of our choice. Many chose to sample the 12 year old Whiskey that is a special ‘edition’ available only at the distillery – and in celebration of the 400 anniversary. I do believe a number of this very special whiskey left the distillery today.
Our next stop was the Giant’s Causeway. This magnificent site has recently been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and although we knew about this, and saw a video – it did not prepare us for what we were to see and experience. To know that nature created so many hexagonal shaped rocks, that fit together so tightly it is impossible to drop even a paper between them is incredible. The pictures speak more clearly that I could tell. A number of us walked down to the sight, with most opting to take the bus back, if not in both direction. Once close to the water it was possible to walk along the pathways, or clamber at will over the rocks. A few went all the way around to the view point, and the following pictures depict the beauty that was the reward for the walk.
After returning to the bus we journeyed south and slight y west toward Belfast. The planned road was closed, so we journeyed through the Glen of Antrim. The scenery which was very pastoral was relaxing, so many chose to take a wee break from the exertion of the Giant’s Causeway.
We stopped off at the Europa hotel in Belfast – just long enough for a bio break, then headed out for our Belfast tour with Bibi Barrett. The tour was very informative though somewhat frustrating as we could not really see all the buildings as she pointed them out, and photography was limited at best. We did see several landmarks including the City Hall, University, the Opera House, the Arena, and the Titanic area.
The hotel is lovely, and the dinner enjoyable. This evening a number have opted to take a walk around the down town area. Barb and Harry headed over to the river Logue, and on the way had a conversation with some locals who actually got in their car and drove us to the nearest bridge, then gave us instructions on the return trip.
This evening the bars are litterally jumping across the street, but we are sure to get all the sleep we need. This is our last night in Northern Ireland. Tomorrow we head back into Dublin, and then on Monday – head home.

Friday - Exploring Derry

This morning we were up and out of the hotel by 9 AM. Once on the bus we were introduced to our city guide Martin McCrossan, a very experienced guide who absolutely loves Derry. This is a statue signifying the Catholics and Protestants coming together in peace. He walked us around the walls of this very old city, describing the history of the various sites as we went. We gained a much better appreciation of ‘the troubles’ and an even greater appreciation of just how wonderful is peace. We learned about Bloody Sunday (January 30, 1972)and the way in which this was glossed over by the British, and how there is now a multi million dollar inquiry which started in 1998 is being conducted. This first mural is a tribute to the young girl who was shot in the head as she went out on an errand. The second mural depicts the Bernadette Devlin, Member of Parliament for Northern Ireland who went to jail as a result of a conflict in the House. We also learned that the border, which is just a few kilometers outside of Derry is rather contentious as Derry is predominantly Catholic, where as the rest of Northern Ireland is Protestant, and The Republic is Catholic. The peace was worked on by a number of individuals, among them a Canadian general. This made all of us stand just a little taller. This Presbyterian Church which was closed a number of years ago due to damage to the roof is going to be repaired and reopened. Martin saw this as a wonderful sign of the strength that peace has brought. This is a shot of the oldest Shopping Centre.
Once we completed our tour of the Derry Walls we headed for the new shopping centre. There was a singer, beautifully face-painted children, food samples and photographers.Martin was excited by the fact that this shopping centre was now open, and this was a very special day, as the new food court was being officially opened today. This made us instant celebrities as we were the first tourists to visit. It also meant that we had our picture taken for the local paper, and we were invited to partake in lots and lots of free food samples. Despite having just finished breakfast – we all did our part. We had the opportunity to meet the Mayor—Mary had quite an in-depth conversation with his Honour.
Then we were off on our own to a beautiful cathedral that was erected between 1628 and 1633. As we walked about we all appreciated the wooden carvings on the ends of all the pews, the stained glass windows and the cushions on the seats and the floor for kneeling.
From here – some of us walked down the old Irish street to the Union Hall, then back up again checking out all the stores as we went. From here some returned to the hotel via the bus, some walked and some took a cab. All in all it was a really great day. When we returned we met 2 of George’s sisters (he has 3 sisters and many brothers).

Thursday - Devenish Island - Ulster Folk Park

Under a bright blue sky we headed north towards Derry. Erica took this opportunity to give us the history of the ‘troubles’. She read us the story – “The Papest and the Prod” or “The Northern Interlude”. It is the story of a Protestant Young Man who falls in love with a love Roman Catholic, and the effect of the intolerance on their lives. It was a very sad story.
As we drove along, we noticed a further change in the scenery – there are lots of hills and valleys, and increased vegetation. or plots of land designated by hedges and/or hedges are a little bigger, and someone noted that there seem to be more cattle than sheep, though both are in ample supply. Our first stop was Enniskillen where we boarded a boat the HM Kestrak to take us to Devenish Island. There were lots of swans and duck at the wharf just waiting to be fed. However – we good Canadians – knowing how bad bread is for these birds – fed nary a one.
The cruise took just over a half an hour to get to the Island, and our guides Stephen and his partner filled us in on what we were seeing along the way. Once we arrived at the Island we all wandered around the island reading the signs, and drinking in the ambiance of this worship filled place. There was a group of school children with their teachers, spending the day learning about the island, and adding to their vocabularies, and understanding of the effects of nature on the structures from ancient times. Several of our members enjoyed climbing up the towers to get some amazing view—despite very tiny windows.
After a ride back to Enniskillen during which we enjoyed a drink and a scone, we were back on the bus headed for Omagh were we had lunch, then spent the next 2 hours wandering through this very interesting historical park which tells the story of emigration from Ulster to North American in the eighteenth and nineteen centuries. There was a museum and then a 50 acre display of houses, equipment, and information designed to educate the participants on this historical period of time. Once again we ran into a group of school children who were on a three day field trip, learning about the crafts and skills from that period.
The last leg of our journey was into Derty itself and to our hotel where we will stay for the next two nights. We learned that the city’s name has just recently been changed back to Derry from Londonderry. There are obviously some very strong feelings about this change, as there were several signs where the London part of the sign has been painted over.
Tomorrow we will be getting a tour of Derry, so we will all turn in early tonight for a leisurely morning in anticipation.