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?