Spending Our Last Night in a Castle

We left Belfast this morning, heading back toward Dublin where we'll fly home tomorrow morning.  We're spending the night in Cabra Castle.

             

Goodbye to the beautiful Emerald Isle

The Titanic Exhibition and Some Fun Photos

The Titanic Exhibition opened in Belfast in 2012 in commemoration of the ship's maiden voyage.   The Titanic was constructed in Belfast, and the exhibit is a wonderful look into its construction, the lives of the workmen, how the the ship was outfitted for her passengers, and life on board for each level of passenger, from first class to third.  There are many interactive exhibits and lots of ways to get sensory details regarding the construction and passenger experiences.

 

5 star design for the 5 ships in the White Star Line

Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland, 40,000 basalt columns

 

Last stop: Belfast

We spent last night (Tuesday) in Belfast, the capitol of Northern Ireland.

Since the onset of the Troubles in 1971, Nationalist and Loyalist communities throughout Northern Ireland have been divided by Peace Walls. These large stone and steel constructions were designed to protect neighborhoods from sporadic attacks and retain a sense of peace and protection.

Of the city's 17 walls, West Belfast's sections are the most visited. Once in the area it's easy to determine which side of the divide you're on: red, white and blue curbstones, Loyalist murals and Union Jacks indicate you're on the Shankill. If the curbs are green, white and gold, the flag is Irish and the murals are Republican, you're on the Falls.

My dinner last night: steak and Guinness pie ..yum!

Around Belfast

Our hotel, one of the most often bombed buildings during The Troubles

The Border Counties

We were in Londonderry (Derry) Northern Ireland, yesterday (Monday ).  This is the area where scenes are shot for "The Game of Thorns" and where the newest "Star Wars" movie is being filmed.

Here, in the Ulster area, its 9 counties are divided: 6 are in Northern Ireland and 3 are in the Republic of Ireland, and where some of the bloodiest confrontations took place during the "The Troubles " from 1968-1998.

In Londonderry during the 17th century, the British Crown sent Scottish Presbyterians to colonize the area because the resident Catholics were rebelling against the Protestantism of Great Britain.  The two groups have had many difficult times getting along even  into 20th century.  As a matter of fact, the Loyalists call the town Londonderry while the Separatists call it Derry.

"This is the only remaining completely walled city in Ireland and one of the finest examples of Walled Cities in Europe. The Walls were built during the period 1613-1618 by the Irish Society as defences for early seventeenth century settlers from England and Scotland. "

Part of the wall

Looking through a gap in the wall to the other side

Our local Irish/Chinese guide, who happens to be Buddhist, took us on a walking tour of his home city explaining about growing up in the religiously divided atmosphere.

Ronan, our local guide

In a recent endeavor, young people from both sides re-created a part of downtown as it would have been in the 18th century.  This was a quote on one of the buildings.

Peace Bridge erected in 2011

This statue is in the center of Londonderry.  Imagine a rainbow - colored  flag draped over their extended arms. That is the city's tribute to the victims of the recent shootings in Orlando.  We are not so different after all.

A Shrine at the Border

The last stop we made before entering Northern Ireland, Knock Shrine, is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage site and National Shrine in the village of Knock, County Mayo, Ireland.  It's the only Marian site I've been to, and it was very special, particularly because it is in an area which has suffered from religious strife for centuries.

Part of the original wall

   

Depiction of what the witnesses reported

Some Final Facts on Ireland

As we drive into Northern Ireland,  a part of the British Empire,  here are some final facts about the Republic of Ireland:
*unemployment today is 8.6%
*average income is € 30,000/year
*Ireland is one of the most heavily taxed countries in the world
*10 cigarettes cost €15, but we still see a lot of people smoking
*tillable land costs about $ 5, 000/acre.  Most of it remains in families 200-400 years
*the average home costs about € 200,000
*the average age in Ireland is 35
*Ireland was neutral during WWII.

Again, there is so much more we've done and seen in this beautiful country that I  don't have the time or energy to describe, but I hope you've learned a few things and enjoyed the photos from my phone's camera.

Jerry, Marilyn and Mel say, "Here's to Ireland!"

On the Road toward Donegal

Tonight ( Saturday) we are just south of Donegal in the far northwestern part of the country.  We will be passing into Northern Ireland tomorrow and will be back to using pounds.  With the vote deciding that Great Britain will leave the EU, there are a lot of heated conjectures about the fate of the pound, whether Scotland will call for another referendum to separate from Great Britain, and whether there will be another push for the unification of the 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland with the 6 counties in Northern Ireland. We definitely have the sense that we are witnessing an historic event.

Today we visited Kylemore Abbey and the town of Cong where the movie "The Quiet Man" was filmed in 1951 with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.

Reminds me of a Gothic novel setting

Beautiful gardens at the abbey 

 

Statue commemorating the movie 

The Cliffs of Moher and a Visit to Cnoc Suain

The Cliffs of Moher are the top natural attraction in Ireland with nearly one million visitors a year.

The following is a description of a cultural immersion activity we did.

"Surrounded by ancient blanket bogland, overlooking mountains, river, lake, and sea, Cnoc Suain is an award-winning cultural retreat. In this restored 17th century Connemara hill-village, visitors enjoy creative cultural experiences.

Located in the Gaelic-speaking area of Connemara(Gaeltacht), Cnoc Suain offers a unique window into Irish Gaelic culture, past and present."

Our hostess showed us how soda bread would be made and baked in a fireplace and how people survived the Great Famine by eating wild herbs and grasses.  She also recited a poem in Gaelic and sang a song in the ancient language which is said to have originated  with the Indo-Europeans.  Below is a sign in Gaelic and English.

Our host explained how peat was extracted from the acres and acres of bogland.  Once it was dug up and dried, it was used for heating homes. Peat is still used in about 10% of homes in Ireland although modern technology makes the manufacturing process much easier.

Then we heard "trad" (traditional) music played and sung.  Can you tell it was one of my favorite stops?

Correction: 1€ = $1.14

A Plethora of Public Pubs

It has been interesting to observe the number of pubs in any town or city.  Nearly every fourth storefront seems to be a pub or an "off license" store which is a liquor store.  They usually have brightly colored facades and all of the pubs we've been in serve food.  I've been collecting photos of them.  Here are a few.

Sadly, our guide April says the rates for alcoholism and suicides are very high here.

A dairy farm

Thursday  we went to a dairy farm and visited with the owner and his wife, Paddy and Margaret.  We were greeted with homemade scones, Guiness cake and coffee.  The farmer told us about the many generations who had been on the land since the 17th century.  He was "brilliant with the blarney" and even recited a lovely poem. We were invited into the 17th century home in which his son's family still lives comfortably.

April, our tour guide, enjoying some "sweets"

Paddy and Margaret

A sheep farm

Yesterday we visited a working sheep farm. We saw sheep herding and sheep shearing demonstrations .  The owner said that in about 10 years family-owned farms would go the way of the American farms---owned by big conglomerates.   This sheep shearer can shear 60 sheep an hour.  The world record is held in New Zealand--one sheep in 32 seconds!  (Now aren't you glad to know that?)

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After 

             

40 Shades of Green (with apologies to our friends in AZ)

Johnny Cash wrote and sang "40 Shades of Green" after flying over Ireland's quilt - like patchwork of greens.  We can fully attest to his impression!

We've spent the last few days driving along The Wild Atlantic Way.  We started in Cork and are now in Killarney heading towards Galway.  The Ring of Kerry is part of the Wild Atlantic Way and offers incredible ocean views and a rocky coastline along with 40 shades of green.