The other 2 times I visited Ireland, I stayed in the Republic of Ireland so I was looking forward to experiencing Northern Ireland. My SIL (M) has been all over the island, so she kind of knew what to expect. Our group for this tour through Vagabond was a little larger: we had 12 in this group. The group consisted of M & me, 2 solo travelers (which included the Aussie who was in the previous group), a couple, and a group of 6 who were related. We chose the front of the van but offered to change seats if anyone else wanted to. We ended up staying in the same seats the whole time, which was fine with us. Our "vagaguide" was Tomás, a witty young man who loves the outdoors. I think it goes without saying that he was witty...he's an Irishman. He did a fantastic job of spending time with each of us in the group. M & I bonded with him right away.
We spent the first few days in the Republic, although we were headed north. For those who aren't familiar with how Ireland is divided: There is a sliver of the north that is the Republic of Ireland, not Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of Great Britain; however, they did not want the sliver on the west coast. If they claimed it, Northern Ireland would have been predominantly Catholic. Since they didn't claim it, the country is predominantly Protestant. You'll hear more about that in a future post.
Our first stop was Corlea Trackway. I was so glad we stopped here; it was fascinating. I wish I had known about it when CH & I were there; he would have loved the history of it. And now you're probably wondering what it is!
This is an Iron Age road built in the boglands of Longford. The largest to be found in Europe, it is said to have been built in 147 BC. The amazing thing is that it is so well preserved. Once the logs sank, the bog kept them from rotting. Artifacts that have been perfectly preserved have been found. An actual body (or 2) has also been found. While the purpose hasn't been specifically named, it is believed that it was some sort of "ceremonial road". The logs are free from ruts which would have been made using carts, so there is a bit of a mystery to it.
Just a sidenote: I watched an episode of Shetland where a body of a young girl was found in the peat. She had been missing for over 10 years but her brother's wife said that it looked like she had just fallen asleep. Jamie Perez told her it was because of the peat.
Part of the track is in a climate-controlled visitors centre
A "nail" that was used to keep the boards together
On the way to our next stop, Tomás stopped at a place that is popular among kayakers: Tarmonbarry Lock on the River Shannon. It was a nice little stop, although it was a tad bit windy.
The obligatory wind-blown picture
From there, we went on to County Mayo. The Museum of Country Life will give you a glimpse into what life in Ireland was like from 1850-1950. I found the exhibits to be interesting, but this is one place I don't think I would revisit. That being said, in all fairness, it was a rather chilly, drab day so we didn't have a chance to wander around the property. I know we missed some things, like a thatched roof cottage and a round tower.
View of the museum from the van
There was a little bit of everything in the museum to depict daily life, from lobster pots:
to chairs:
to egg baskets:
to dolls representing St. Brigid:
The night before the feast of St. Brigid, crosses were made out of materials such as straw or thrush. Holy water was sprinkled on them and they were placed in the inner thatch, asking St. Brigid to protect the building.
Hurling was a new sport that CH didn't know about until our visit to the EPIC Museum in Dublin. The season begins in the summer, and in the 19th century, girls would make hurling balls out of horsehair for their sweethearts to use in the MayDay competition.
A wooden bench outside of the museum
We ended the day in Enniscrone, County Sligo, where we had a group dinner at the Ocean Sands Hotel.
View from our room
The next day was jam-packed with adventures! We started the day with a beautiful rainbow as we left Enniscrone:
Photo courtesy of Barbara
We were treated to several view of Benbulben. Benbulben is Ireland's most famous table mountain. As we looked at this beautiful sight, we heard the story of Finn McCool & Diarmuid. I won't get into the whole story, but suffice it to say it involved a girl. And a boar. Long story short, the boar was charging Grainne (the girl), Diarmuid stepped in front of it and fatally injured him. Finn had the chance to save him but chose not to because of his jealousy over Grainne choosing Diarmuid over him. Diarmuid died in the shadow of Benbulben.
Benbulben struck me as being majestic, yet mysterious
I saw another sheepdog demonstration. It was a bit different than the one during the Southern Tour. The farm we went to does a lot of breeding for sheep farmers. We saw hours-old lambs, one of which appeared to be in distress. M & I let the farmer know we were concerned, and he briskly took the little one to the heat lamp.
This farm is in the shadow of Benbulben. If I'm not mistaken, he said that the dogs will often have to head up the mountain to find his sheep.
Picture courtesy of Tomás
It was a beautiful farm and the demonstration was incredible. This farmer uses a whistle instead of his mouth.
The stillness of the dog was something to watch
You can just hear the lamb crying "baaaa"!
The highlight of this stop was being able to actually hold the lambs that were just days old. Martin told us to be careful because they could relieve themselves on us.
He didn't have to tell me twice!
M was a lot bolder. She and a guy in our group were very tempted to sneak them onto the van.
Still in the shadows of Benbulben lies the final resting place of W. B. Yeats, Ireland's most beloved poet. He died while he was in France and was buried there. He requested that he be buried in Sligo; however, this had to wait due to the outbreak of WWII. It took 9 years, but his body was finally laid to rest in the cemetery of the church where his great-grandfather was the minister at one time, and where he spent his summers.
Yeats' grave with lines from his poem "Under Benbulben" on the tombstone
Yeats' grave with Benbulben in the background
The one-of-a-kind mural, from 1895, is the result of the Church of Ireland's reluctance to have crosses in the churches
The organ loft in St. Columba's
St. Columba's in Drumcliffe, County Sligo, was built in 1809.
The high crosses are remnants of a 6th-century monastery. Across the road, behind the high cross, is what remains of a round tower which the monks would have used as a bell tower.
We boarded the van and drove to Slieve League. We had the option to take a boat ride, or at least we thought we did. The weather was what some would call "typical Irish weather": rainy, windy, and cool/cold, so the boats weren't running. Tomás told us later that the road to Slieve League closed not long after we left. As we headed up the mountain, we drove through what we thought was a spot of rain. When we reached the top and got out of the van, Tomás pointed out what was causing the "rain" just in that one spot:This is called a "Devil's Spout". The wind was blowing so hard that it was blowing the water back up the mountain. It was an incredible phenomenon.
The Devil's Spout with a Napoleonic Tower on the hill
The Napoleonic Towers were in use in Ireland between 1804-1806 and were used as signal towers. They were built in response to a potential French invasion. As I read about these towers, I realized that we saw one during the previous tour, at Old Head.
Old Head Napoleonic Tower
M & I laughed practically the whole time we were at Slieve League; the wind was just crazy! It was hard to hold my phone and the wind kept pushing me around. The scenery was very dramatic:
Now this is a wind-blown picture!
As we made our way back down the mountain, Tomás was kind enough to stop so I could take a picture of "Éire" (Ireland) spelled out in rocks. During WWII, the rocks were put in place so that pilots would know they were crossing Ireland and not to let their bombs go.
On the way to Donegal, we passed Ireland's largest fishing port, Killybegs.
Once in Donegal, we searched out Hanna Hats. One of my sisters saw it on a show and suggested we go by there. They custom make hats, designed for each individual's head. I don't know how long it takes to have one made. We finally found it, but had trouble finding the entrance. This lady came out and looked very perturbed at us, so M refused to go in. I went in, looked around for about a minute, and bought some wool socks. When I told the lady that my sister saw the shop on a show in the US, she was all smiles.
This was NOT the main entrance!
Our hotel was right in the center of town, so it was extremely convenient. Construction was happening right in the center of the town square, so it was hard to imagine it without the scaffolding.
Donegal was a lovely town, one I would definitely put on my list to return. We ended the night listening to "trad music" at The Reel. There were only 3 people: a guitar, an accordion, and a lady with some kind of rhythm instrument that we couldn't hear. The guy on the accordion was an elderly gentleman; we had no idea what he was saying. I don't know if the guy on the guitar could see our faces as we strained to understand the elderly man, but he encouraged all of us to smile and nod. So we did.
Around Donegal:
You can see the scaffolding in the middle of the town square. The kegs suspended in the air caught my eye.
The Abbey Cemetery can be seen in this picture.
Olde Castle: We liked it so much we ate lunch and supper here!
I read that this restaurant may have been the stalls/barn for the castle
Abbey Cemetery
Statue of Red Hugh O'Donnell, chieftan
We saw so much in just the first 2 days of the tour, and we weren't even in Northern Ireland yet! Stick around; there's a lot more coming in the next 2 posts.
Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at From This Side of the Pond.
1. It's been said January is 'the month of opportunity, inspiration, and change." Which of the three do you need most right now? Elaborate.
Definitely inspiration. I need to be inspired to keep the house clean, to cook so I'll eat like I should instead of just snacks, and to continue with my routine.
2. Do you consider opportunity as something that comes to you or something you create for yourself?
Merriam-Webster defines opportunity as a "favorable juncture of circumstances". Since circumstances are out of your control, I'd say it comes to you. But, what you do with it is your choice.
3. The British Museum opened on this date (January 15th) back in 1759. Do you like visiting museums? Do you have a favorite?
It depends on what kind of museum. When CH & I visited London, we went to several. My least favorite were the military museums but I trudged on because that was his interest.
My favorite museum so far is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. It was just fascinating, and the story behind it is as well. This was the site of the world's single largest art heist; the thieves were in the museum for 84 minutes! The art has not been recovered (the heist happened in 1990) and the men who are believed to have stolen the 13 pieces are now deceased. I could have stayed in the building all day long; there's so much to see. I'm amazed that 1 person could accumulate so much artwork. She even outbid The Louvre for one piece.
4. It's National Oatmeal Month (yes, apparently it gets a whole month as opposed to a single day). Do you like oatmeal? How often do you eat a bowl of oatmeal? How do you like yours? What about an oatmeal cookie? Is that a sweet treat you enjoy?
I like a good bowl of oatmeal, mostly in the winter. My favorite oatmeal is Irish oatmeal...in Ireland. (I know...broken record!) The best bowl I ever had was in Ballygally, Northern Ireland.
I had no idea this was a thing! I'm tucking that away for the next trip!
I do like a good oatmeal cookie, but prefer chocolate chips in them to raisins.
5. What's something useful you learned in high school?
I'm not sure but I can definitely tell you it wasn't Algebra! I learned a lot about myself, especially my last year. I'm just going to leave it at that.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Last Friday, we had quite a bit of snow. At 6:00 pm, there was around 3 inches but then it snowed again that night, so my guess is 5. I didn't measure it, but judging by the rate of the snow, that's my guess. As I write this on Tuesday, there's still snow on the ground, so according to the old wives' tale, we should get hit with more snow soon. As long as I can stay warm, I'm good with snow. I live on a main road and the Small Town does an excellent job of keeping the roads clear. As long as I can get out of my driveway, I'm good.
My sad little Christmas Tree came down on Sunday, the Feast of Jesus' Baptism
MS & company did an excellent job with this snowman
Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at From This Side of the Pond.
1. At the end of every year (or at least since the mid-1970's) Lake Superior State University posts a list of words they think should be banished from the Queen's English for misuse, overuse, and/or general uselessness. You can read more about the decision making processhere, but this year's list includes- Which of these words/phrases do you use regularly or even just every now and then? How many did you have to look up? Which of these words would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word/phrase not on the list you'd like to add? If so do share, then tell us why.
cringe, game changer, era, dropped, IFKYK (If you know you know),
sorry not sorry, skibidi, 100%, utilize, and period.
I use 'cringe' and 'game changer' often, but not on a daily basis. I had to look up skibidi. Is that really what it is??? I must be getting old because I had no idea! People use that every day? It needs to leave the planet!
2. Your favorite soup? Do you make this one yourself or is it from a can?
I have a potato soup that I make in the slow cooker that is absolutely wonderful. And, it's gluten-free (for those who need that option) and can be vegetarian with some changes. The first time I made it I wasn't sure about it. I like my potato soup creamy and I wasn't disappointed at all. The creaminess happens just before serving.
3. How do you feel about winter? What's one winter activity you look forward to?
I can take it or leave it. Before I retired I loved winter...for snow days! I'm a Southern girl and can't take a lot of cold weather. I stay inside and read or watch movies.
4. The Pantone color of the year for 2025 is mocha mousse (sample pictured here). What say you? The website describes it as 'a warming, brown hue imbued with richness. It nourishes us with its suggestion of the delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee, answering our desire for comfort'. Is this a color I might find in your home or wardrobe? Is it one you might add in some big or small way in the year ahead? In a similar, but not really vein...if I were to offer you a choice right now of either a cup of mocha or a cup of mousse which would you say yes to?
It is a pretty color, but it's kind of dark. I could see that color in a wardrobe but I'm not sure about a wall. Maybe an accent wall?
I'll take the mousse, please!
5. Which of the following winter related idioms can best be applied to your life in some way right now? Choose one, then tell us why you chose it.
snowed under, on thin ice, tip of the iceberg, chill out, break the ice, snowball effect, not a snowball's chance in hell, get cold feet, the cold shoulder
Chill out. I worked 2 interims last semester and decided I'm forever done. There are too many other things I want to be doing and I don't want to schedule activities around work. So, I'm chilling out this winter!
6. Insert your own random thought here.
Recently, I found a perfect birdfeeder. And it truly is squirrel-proof! When I first put it out I watched at the window and a squirrel was quickly deterred. I haven't seen them try again. They'll sit under the feeder & root around on the ground but have made no attempt to get into the feed. I now have 3 of them, with a smaller one (but same concept) as well. The perches will hold the birds' weight but will collapse if something too heavy tries to put weight on it. I saw a squirrel attempt to go from the top of the feeder down to the opening, but it was too slick and he fell off. If you're looking for a birdfeeder that will feed the birds and not the squirrels, I would highly recommend one of these.
