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Goodbye Ireland

6/29/2016

Group Photo

We spent our final night in the regal Cabra Castle outside Kingscourt. We arrived mid afternoon and had the opportunity to enjoy the grounds and facilities before our farewell dinner. We've had lovely hotel accommodations the entire trip, but this place tops them all!

Cobra Castle

The golf course isn't championship quality, but that didn't stop Lee, Dick and Fred from playing a few holes.

Some final facts about Irelqand from friend and fellow traveler Lyn Whaley

*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.

We head for home in the morning. We look forward to sharing photos and memories of this trip as well as traveling together again!

We've loved our Ireland experience... great itinerary, new friends, and wonderful memories.

It's a long flight home and we're looking forward to sleeping in our own beds.

Belfast

6/29/2016

Into Belfast, capital of Northern Ireland. This city was one of the industrial poorhouses of the last century with the largest linen, rope and shipbuilding facilities in the world. The Titanic was built here so it's home to the Titanic Experience, Northern Ireland’s most visited attraction. This is more than a museum, it is a beautiful building and a real EXPERIENCE

Jan and Phil enjoy breakfast

The Titanic Experience

During our guided tour we heard of the struggles in this great city’s history as you pass through the different neighborhoods. Even though there's a peace agreement and cease fire, the animosity between the Catholics and Protestants is still apparent in the wall murals that appear throughout the working class neighborhoods.

In contrast to the working class neighborhoods, the central city is bustling and affluent.

City Hall - A showplace built during the industrial halcyon era

The Dome

The Europa - our hotel was often bombed during The Troubles

Interesting pubs...

Kelly's Corner - the oldest bar in Belfast

The Crown Bar - the most famous bar in Belfast was across the street from our hotel

The Queen is Coming, the Queen is Coming!

6/27/2016

Change of plans - we were to visit Bushmills and the Giant Causeway tomorrow, but the Queen will be visiting both places then. This is the UK, so she does take precedence. No problem, we were getting a bit "bus weary" anyway, so adjusted our schedule.

We skipped the Inishowen Peninsula and Malin Head and headed to Bushmills and the Giant Causeway today. Here are some photos from Bushmills...

Karen and Dick welcome us

Sally, Sue and Pat

Paula, Terry and Sue

Tobie, Mary and Jeri

Dick and Janet

Late this afternoon we'll have a T'nT surprise when our group gathers to enjoy a complementary drink of Bushmills before heading into Deery for dinner at a local “farm to table” restaurant featuring locally sourced and seasonal ingredients. I'll post photos of that as well as the Giants Causeway later...

Recipe for a Hot Toddy

T'nT Dynamite Surprise

6/27/2016

Giant's Causeway

Yesterday started with a visit to Bushmills, followed by the Giant's Causeway, a basalt feature and the only World Heritage site in Northern Ireland. Formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago, the causeway resembles a cobbled road leading into the sea.

1 km walk down to the shoreline

Penny

Randall and Terri - yes it's raining again!

Basalt features as viewed from above

A feature of our trips is the occasional T'nT Dynamite Surprise. Last night Terry J and I treated the group to a Bushmill's cocktail party before dinner. Great fun with a great group of travelers!

Terry and Terri serve Bushmills

Mary and Marie enjoy a cocktail

Jeri and Tobie

Carter, Dick and Lee

Statue near our dinner location in Deery - a Protestant and a Catholic reaching to one another in friendship.

Northern Ireland

6/26/2016

Sunday we left Westport, the charming seaside village where we enjoyed fabulous seafood meals and evenings of Trad (traditional music). We stopped in Knock where in 1879 fifteen villagers saw the apparition of Our Lady, St. Joseph and St. John with an alter, lamb and angels on the church wall. Today the church is a major pilgrimage site.

Description of the apparition.

The original wall with a depiction of the image the villagers saw.

We soon we crossed into Northern Ireland. Though a different country the border crossing is "invisible" today. We wonder when the passport checks will reappear with Northern Ireland's inclusion in the Brexit.

On to the city of Derry (or Londonderry if you're a Protestant). Derry is famous for its turbulent political history, particularly The Troubles (1968-1998) - open street warfare between the Catholic nationalists and the Protestant Unionists. Ronan, our local guide led us on a walk through Derry’s old city. This amazing Buddhist, half-Chinese, half-Irish scholar spoke from personal experience of growing up in a city in strife, now at peace. He gave us hope with a reminder that today's 18 year-olds can vote and they never experienced "the troubles", having been born after the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.

Ronan

Mural at the entry to the Bogside, historically a Catholic neighborhood.

A Brief History (in a nutshell)

There have always been ill feelings between the Catholics and Protestants in Ireland and after 2 weeks here I think I'm finally beginning to understand why. It all started with English rule in Ireland beginning in 1171. After years of struggles with the rebellious Irish, England decided it would be easier and cheaper to colonize Ireland rather than continue battles. They implemented a policy of plantations, introducing English settlers to Ireland, confiscating Irish land, prohibiting Irish from owning land, obtaining education, practicing their culture or faith. Though effective everywhere, the British loyalists became a majority in six fertile northern counties in Ulster. So, when Ireland gained it's independence in 1921 only 26 of the 32 Irish counties became The Republic of Ireland. The remaining six (all in Ulster) remained part of Britain. Today the island of Ireland has two nations - The Republic of Ireland (independent and a member of the EU) and Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom and currently part of the EU, however that will change with BREXIT.)

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Goodbye Ireland

Belfast

The Queen is Coming, the Queen is Coming!

T'nT Dynamite Surprise

Northern Ireland

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