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.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Popular Posts