2024 Ireland Adventures - Northern Island Tour Part 3

Day 2 of being in Northern Ireland was jam-packed. So, not so different than the previous days! Although we fit so much in a day, I never felt rushed or that I wish I had more time in a place. The pace was excellent; we had just the right amount of time before moving on. 

Giant's Causeway is what I would call the jewel of Northern Ireland. We arrived relatively early; the parking lot wasn't very busy but by the time we left it was filling up. Remember Finn McCool from Part 1 of the Northern Island Tour? He plays a big role in Giant's Causeway. The story Tomás told us was that there were 2 giants: Finn and Benandonner, a much larger Scottish giant. Benandonner threatened Ireland, so Finn tore up the Irish coastline to make a path to Scotland to confront Benandonner. When he got there, he found the Scottish giant fast asleep. He was amazed at how big he was, so he quickly went back to Ireland and told his wife what he saw. They came up with a plan: Finn's wife dressed him like a baby so that when Benandonner came looking for Finn, he would find a baby. That happened, and when Benandonner saw the baby, he thought if the baby was that big, how big the father must be! He hastily made his way back to Scotland, tearing away at the path Finn made, creating Giant's Causeway. In reality, volcanic lava cooled and made these hexagonal columns over 60 million years ago. The result is breathtaking.

Finn McCool's Organ

The Chimney Stack

What a way to start the day! We had a lovely drive on the Causeway Coast Road to Portaneevey.

From Portaneevey we were able to see several islands as well as the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. 

The famous Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge connects to the small island.

The ruins of Dunseverick Castle were only a couple of stones but the scenery was beautiful. The original castle is believed to have been constructed in the 5th century, or earlier. St. Patrick is said to have visited here and baptized a future Bishop. The site is reported to have been attacked by the Vikings a couple of times; the final blow came from Cromwell in the 1650's. We didn't stay here long, just long enough to admire the beautiful scenery and take a couple of pictures. 

The next place made up for Dunsverick. If you watched Game of Thrones, you may remember seeing this castle as the Seat of the House of Greyjoy. Dunluce was a 1600's town originally built in the 1300's. Walking through the remains, you can imagine how grand it must have been.

Our stop for the night was a town on the coast of the Irish Sea. Ballygally Castle Hotel is the most interesting place I've ever stayed. There is a lot of history associated with the hotel, including a resident ghost. The opening page to the hotel states that it is a 17th-century castle "overlooking the golden sands of  Ballygally Bay with uninterrupted views of the Irish Sea." One site indicates that in discussions about the most haunted places in the north, Ballygally is quite often mentioned. Here's the story as I heard it: Lady Isabella Shaw gave birth to a girl; however, her husband was not happy that the baby wasn't a boy, so he banished her to the tower...without the baby. Distraught, Isabella heard the baby's cries and tried to escape to get her. The end result was that she fell to her death. Supposedly, she wanders through the hotel, knocking on doors to find the baby. 

On the lighter side, Ballygally is the site of one of the ten Game of Thrones Doors. It has the crest of the Houses of Stark and Bolton, as well as Winterfell Castle. 

Game of Thrones door. There are 10 in the area.

Before dinner, M & I had a chance to walk along the seashore, as well as take a stroll around the beautiful grounds and explore the old part of the castle.

Ballygally

The door to the original part of the castle.

After supper, we had the opportunity to go up to the "Ghost Room". When I went up the family that was in the group was in there, but they left me! I didn't linger...I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up so I hightailed it down the stairs.

M didn't care to venture up the stairs, and when I showed her the next picture and what I thought I saw, it spooked both of us! But, I told her that Isabella knew how ticked off we were at her husband and would leave us alone. 

Maybe I have a great imagination, but I think if you look in the circle just above the rail you can make out a face. 

At breakfast the next morning, this sign made me smile. I did just as it suggested, and had the most wonderful porridge I've ever had! How could this not have been mentioned before?

Heart Healthy Hodgepodge

 

Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at From This Side of the Pond.

1. What area of your life feels like you're stuck in a Groundhog's Day loop, doing the same thing over and over? Does it bother you or is that just how life is in this particular season? 

Uh...everything! That's just how my life is right now. I'm settled into a routine and I'm fine with it.

2. Something that makes your heart skip a beat? 

I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing, but getting calls from my boys give me a split second of panic. They're males, so they don't usually call Mama unless something is wrong. 

3. Do you wear your heart on your sleeve or are you more of a closed book? Elaborate. 

I'm definitely a "wear my heart on my sleeve" kind of person. My book is wide open! Sometimes that's not such a good thing, but that's how I am.

4. According to Prevention Magazine, these are 25 of the best foods for heart health-

wild salmon, sardines, liver, walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, oatmeal, blueberries, coffee, red wine, green tea, soy milk, dark chocolate, raisins, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, whole grains, apples, oranges, grapefruit, avocado, avocado oil, olive oil 

Which five do you include in your diet most often? Are there any foods on the list you simply cannot abide? 

Include: dark chocolate (so glad that's on the list!), oatmeal, coffee (again, glad that's on the list), apples, olive oil, red wine .  Oops...that's six. Think of the wine as a bonus! 

EWWWW: Brussels sprouts, sardines. Although I'm told if you cook Brussels sprouts correctly they're very good. I've tried them with friends who promised me they were excellent, and I couldn't take it. 

5. What was the last piece of furniture you bought? Is there a piece of furniture you need/want to purchase this year? 

Before CH passed away, we bought a lift chair. I guess that counts. Before that, I think it was the couches in our living room. I've been thinking about a nice comfy reading chair for the living room. If anyone has a suggestion, let me know!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Last week I did something I knew I needed to do: I went away for the night by myself. Some solo travel FB groups suggested starting small...go somewhere close to home, somewhere you feel comfortable. Living so close to the Smoky Mountains, it wasn't very hard to decide where to go. I booked a room in a place where I've wanted to stay since it opened, but the experience wasn't everything I hoped it to be. You can read about it on my Flyin' the Coop blog. Being alone wasn't as weird as some people may think it was so I'd call it a success! 

2024 Ireland Adventures - Northern Island Tour Part 2

Day 3 of the Northern Island Tour with Vagabond was the day we crossed over into Northern Ireland. We knew when we crossed the border. The signs, buildings, and license plates were all different since we technically entered Great Britain. This is going to sound weird, but it even felt different. I can't describe it, but the feeling was there. 

Before we crossed over the border, Tomás had a couple of places to show us. He saw this beautiful spot, and, being the photographer he is, saw a perfect photo op. We got out of the van and trekked over a closed gate (were we supposed to do that?) to get some beautiful views of Lough Finn. Green fields at the bottom of the mountain with the gorse blooming alongside a railroad track left us awestruck. 

With all of the rain, the waterfalls were plentiful

Lough Finn is named after the nearby town, Fintown. Finngeal, a mythical woman, is said to have drowned in the lake after attempting to rescue her brother who had been wounded. 

The teacher for a photography class I attended gave this piece of advice: when everyone is taking pictures of something, turn around and see what they're missing. So I did. This hill was on the other side of the road from Lough Finn.

We visited the most northern national park in the Republic of Ireland before leaving the country. Of course, Glenveagh has a castle! The castle was completed in 1873, taking 6 years to complete. The owner, John George Adair, evicted over 200 tenants on the property. A murder took place during the evictions, which earned John Adair the nickname "Black Jack Adair". His wife, Cornelia, was an American who upgraded the castle for comfort and planned out the gardens after Jack died suddenly. Following her death in 1921, the castle was occupied by Anti-Treaty as well as Free State Army Forces during the Irish Civil War. The castle then switched hands twice before being sold to the Office of Public Works, which created the National Park. The castle, gardens, and most of the contents were then bestowed on the country in 1983. We opted not to tour the castle; we walked around it and then spent time in the garden. 

View of the Derryveagh Mountains

View from the boat launch/swimming pool area

View of the castle from the garden

We took the garden trail. As beautiful as it was, I could imagine how stunning it would be in the summer with the flowers in bloom.

Balinese statues. The last private owner of the estate brought these back during a trip to Bali

The previous week, I visited the ruins of a stone fort. On the itinerary for the Northern Tour, there is a reconstructed stone fort visit. It was amazing.  It's possible that Grianán of Aileach was originally built around 800 AD. Following the Vikings plundering the fort, around 1100 AD the fortress was destroyed only to be restored in the 1870's. The views from the top were spectacular.

I had to stand in awe, thinking about so long ago when it was originally built. How long did it take them to build it?

As we were walking up to the fort, a man spoke with M & I. That was the beginning of Tomás shaking his head and saying we find friends everywhere we go!

It doesn't look like much from the outside, but I thought the inside (and the views) was spectacular.

And then it happened. We crossed the border to Northern Ireland. There was no border control and not even any signs, but we knew it. It seemed like instantly the buildings were different, and of course, the signs and license plates were different. As I said in the opening paragraph of this post, it felt different.

We were on our way to our stop for the night in Derry. The Brits call it Londonderry, but the Irish call it Derry. I didn't know much about the city, and I had no idea it was a walled city. We took a walking tour on the wall and learned a lot about its history, not just about "The Troubles". The city was established in the 1600's through a Charter by King James I. The wall was built to keep the Irish out of it, forcing them to live in the "Bogside". Londonderry was the first planned city in Ireland; originally it is believed to have been a monastic city between the 6th & 11th centuries. (from https://www.irishtourism.com/derry) 

During the walking tour, we experienced pelting rain. That's the only way I know how to describe it. It felt like ice pellets hitting us; some of us tried to get away from it by getting close to the wall and squatting. You never know what kind of weather you're going to get in Ireland! Don't be fooled by the blue skies in the pictures below.

The Derry Girls greeted us as we prepared to cross the street for our walking tour. I tried to watch the series a few years before I went on this trip and didn't think much of the episode I watched. I watched it when I returned from the trip and thought it was hilarious. I think it helps to know the history of the area.

View from the Wall

St. Columb's Cathedral was the first Cathedral built after the Protestant Reformation in England and Ireland. Built in 1633, it is the most historical building in Derry. The "Siege Heroes Mound" (the circle on the right of the church) is said to contain remains of 5000 people killed during the Seige of Derry. 2 of the Apprentice Boys were laid to rest nearby.

The tower was the hanging tower of the old gaol (jail). It now houses a WWI museum.

St. Eugene's Cathedral (Catholic) Notice it is outside of the city walls. Derry is predominantly Catholic.

Cannon overlooking Bogside near Bishop's Gate. There are 4 gates around the wall.

"Bernadette": Social activist who was a member of Parliament. She was arrested, convicted, and served jail time for initiating a riot

"Death of Innocence": Annette McGavigan was 14 when she was killed by a British soldier in 1971 as she stood at the side of the road as she was walking home from school.

St. Augustine's Church, built in 1872. The site is thought to be where St. Columba's monastery was in 543 AD. 

14 Sycamore trees can be found along this part of the wall to commemorate the 13 apprentice boys and James Morrison (their lookout). These boys closed the city gates against James II's Catholic troops who were advancing on Derry.

Peace Mural

Apprentice Boys Memorial Hall. 

View of the Peace Bridge from our room at the Ebrington Hotel

The hotel where we stayed was brand spanking new. And it was nice! It took M & I a while to walk through the maze to get to our room; we had to actually go outside onto a patio and then back in. If there was an easier way to do it, we didn't find it. We thought maybe going down the stairs would be easier, but we ended up in some conference or dining room. Thankfully, a staff member was walking through at the same time and directed us. Otherwise, we probably would have been wandering around for quite a while. 

We opted to not go into the city for dinner. Honestly, I didn't get a good "vibe" from Derry. It may have been the part of the city we saw, but I didn't feel comfortable going out. The 2 solo ladies in our group felt the same way; 1 of them joined us for a very swanky dinner, which means we spent way too much money on it. There is a bar but we didn't think they served food. We found out from Tomás the next morning that they served pub food. Oh, well; the desert was worth the price of the small portions for dinner. 

For more information, see my post on Flyin' the Coop that covers days 3 & 4. To keep this post from being really long, I'm going to stop here. Watch for Day 4 of the Northern Island Tour from Vagabond Tours.