Drumcliffe
In the churchyard of Drumcliffe, you will find the grave of W.B. Yeats. Yeats was an Irish poet and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. His grave is marked with his self-penned epitaph, "cast a cold eye on life, on death, horseman, pass by." There is also a monument to Yeats and a high cross that dates from the 9th century.
The memorial features the Yeat's Poem, "Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven"
HAD I the heavens' emroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
The memorial features the Yeat's Poem, "Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven"
HAD I the heavens' emroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
Mountbatten and Mullaghmore
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, was a British statesman and naval officer. He was also a mentor to Prince Charles. In 1979, Mountbatten, his grandson Nicholas, and two others were killed by an IRA bomb planted on their fishing boat in Mullaghmore, which is near Mountbatten's summer home. Prince Charles had visited the sight a few days before we passed through. The pictures below are near the site of the bombing.
Donegal
We stopped in Donegal for lunch. Since we had a little time to look around and eat, Sean and I visited Donegal Castle (it was also raining, so this gave us a place to stay dry).
The Castle was build in the 15th century by O'Donnell chieftain. Additions were added in the 17th century by Sir Basil Brooke. Inside, there was a nice display of the history of the castle and models to show what it looked like in different periods.
The Castle was build in the 15th century by O'Donnell chieftain. Additions were added in the 17th century by Sir Basil Brooke. Inside, there was a nice display of the history of the castle and models to show what it looked like in different periods.
The Troubles
After lunch, we headed across the border to Northern Ireland. Our first stop in Northern Ireland was Derry, one of the major cities affected by The Troubles. On the way to Derry, Declan talked about The Troubles, which was clearly a very difficult talk for him, as he grew up during this time.
The Troubles is the common name for the conflict between Ireland and England that began in the 1960's. The conflict, although primarily political, also had a sectarian dimension. The issue of debate? The constitutional status of Northern Ireland. Unionists or Loyalists, who were predominantly Protestant, wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom. They considered themselves to be British and wished to remain as such. Many of them originally came to Ireland by way of Scotland. On the other side were the Nationalists or Republicans, who were predominantly Catholic. They considered themselves Irish and wished for Northern Ireland to leave the United Kingdom and return to the Republic of Ireland.
Most of the major players in the Troubles were the extremists on both sides: The Provisional IRA (Nationalists) and the British state security forces (Unionists). More than 3500 people were killed during the conflict that left Northern Ireland in a state of turmoil for decades.
Thankfully, Northern Ireland is once again at peace thanks to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. There are still remnants of this time that can be seen throughout Northern Ireland, including political murals. The political ramifications are still felt between the Sinn Fein and Ulster Unionist Party, but thankfully things have remained peaceful.
The Troubles is the common name for the conflict between Ireland and England that began in the 1960's. The conflict, although primarily political, also had a sectarian dimension. The issue of debate? The constitutional status of Northern Ireland. Unionists or Loyalists, who were predominantly Protestant, wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom. They considered themselves to be British and wished to remain as such. Many of them originally came to Ireland by way of Scotland. On the other side were the Nationalists or Republicans, who were predominantly Catholic. They considered themselves Irish and wished for Northern Ireland to leave the United Kingdom and return to the Republic of Ireland.
Most of the major players in the Troubles were the extremists on both sides: The Provisional IRA (Nationalists) and the British state security forces (Unionists). More than 3500 people were killed during the conflict that left Northern Ireland in a state of turmoil for decades.
Thankfully, Northern Ireland is once again at peace thanks to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. There are still remnants of this time that can be seen throughout Northern Ireland, including political murals. The political ramifications are still felt between the Sinn Fein and Ulster Unionist Party, but thankfully things have remained peaceful.
Derry
Unfortunately, the weather in Derry barely cooperated with us. We had to view most of the murals from the bus. We were able to get out a bit and walk the city walls with our local guide, Adrian. He had grown up in Derry during the Troubles and even showed a rubber bullet that he had from his childhood.
|
And Now the Rest of the Derry Story
Arriving in Portrush
Our home for the next two nights was Portrush on the Antrim Coast. This charming little resort town was still quiet while we were there, but had great beach views. We had a group dinner, then Sean and I walked along the coast for a bit - even stepping out onto the beach.
Giant's Causeway
This five-mile-long stretch of coastline is truly a sight to behold. It features hexagonal pillars of basalt sticking up at various heights. It is also a World Heritage Site.
The story of the Giant's Causeway, told fabulously by Declan on the bus ride there, is this:
There was a giant Ulster warrior named Finn MacCool. Finn had heard of a rival giant that lived off the coast of Scotland on the island of Staffa. Finn decided to build a stone bridge from Ulster to Staffa in order to spy on this rival giant. When he arrived, Finn saw how big the other giant was and retreated back to his home. The rival giant spotted Finn and was hot on his trail. Finn rushed home and begged his wife to help him. Of course, being a smart woman, Finn's wife told him to quickly change clothes and hid in the bed and pretend to be asleep. The rival giant soon arrived at the doorstep demanding to see the spy. Finn's wife told him to keep his voice down as to not wake her sleeping baby. The rival giant looked in and saw Finn pretending to be the baby and quickly headed back home wanting nothing to do with the father of such an enormous baby! Finn, lucky to have avoided a confrontation (thanks to his quick-thinking wife), quickly knocked down the bridge leaving just the end at the Giant's Causeway.
The story of the Giant's Causeway, told fabulously by Declan on the bus ride there, is this:
There was a giant Ulster warrior named Finn MacCool. Finn had heard of a rival giant that lived off the coast of Scotland on the island of Staffa. Finn decided to build a stone bridge from Ulster to Staffa in order to spy on this rival giant. When he arrived, Finn saw how big the other giant was and retreated back to his home. The rival giant spotted Finn and was hot on his trail. Finn rushed home and begged his wife to help him. Of course, being a smart woman, Finn's wife told him to quickly change clothes and hid in the bed and pretend to be asleep. The rival giant soon arrived at the doorstep demanding to see the spy. Finn's wife told him to keep his voice down as to not wake her sleeping baby. The rival giant looked in and saw Finn pretending to be the baby and quickly headed back home wanting nothing to do with the father of such an enormous baby! Finn, lucky to have avoided a confrontation (thanks to his quick-thinking wife), quickly knocked down the bridge leaving just the end at the Giant's Causeway.
Bushmill's Distillery
We were taken on a tour of the Distillery (no cameras allowed). The Distillery is still working, so we got to experience the different phases with our eyes, noses, and bodies (it gets warm in there!). After the tour, we were able to try a free sample. There were a selections of whiskeys available to try including Bushmill's Original, Black Bush, and the 12-year Distillery Reserve. You could also try a hot toddy or lemonade for the nondrinkers. Sean and I both tried the 12-year Distillery Reserve and then each got a bottle to bring home. You can only buy it at the Distillery.
Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge
The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge spans a gap that is 65 feet wide. The bridge is 90-feet high and made of rope and boards. Originally, the bridge was used by fisherman to allow access from the mainland to the little island. The bridge used to come down, but is now firmly in place.
We were hit and miss with the rain, but managed to cross in between the rain. We did have 35 mile per hour winds, which made the crossing a bit more interesting. Declan told us that this was the windiest it had ever been in his 100-plus trips across the bridge. |
Dunluce Castle
Dunluce Castle was originally build during the Middle Ages by Richard Og de Bergh, 2nd Earl of Ulster. It is perched at the edge of a rocky headland with amazing views, but one little issue. In 1639, part of the cliff gave way causing half the kitchen and some staff to fall into the sea. The countess of Antrim of the time packed up and moved out of the castle following these events.
Some more of Portrush
We had dinner with a couple of tour mates and then took a stroll through town.