Sligo, Ireland

Today was a fairly long but interesting day on the road. We left Belfast at 0800 and headed north toward the coast. There were some very foggy areas but it seemed to burn off as we travelled. Our first stop was at a stunning viewpoint above a rope bridge leading to a home on an island near Ballintoy. 

Our next stop was at the Giant’s Causeway. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. According to legend, the columns are the remains of a causeway built by a giant. The story goes that the Irish giant Finn MacCool, was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Finn accepted the challenge and built the causeway across the North Channel so that the two giants could meet. Finn's wife, Oonagh, disguised Finn as a baby and tucked him in a cradle. When Benandonner saw the size of the 'baby', he reckoned that its father, Finn, must be a giant among giants. He fled back to Scotland in fright, destroying the causeway behind him so that Finn would be unable to chase him down. Or you can go with the volcanic formation theory: the Giant's Causeway is a series of step-like geologic formations formed from interlocking volcanic basalt columns leading into the ocean. Whichever story you prefer it was a very interesting stop.

Giant's Causeway

Basatic columns

Finn MacCool's shoe

We then proceeded to Derry/Londonderry (be careful which name you use when talking to the locals, or simply refer to it as “stroke city” as one radio personality does). This, as you may recall was another hotbed of violence during “the Troubles”. One side of the river had the Catholics, the other the Protestants. They are now linked by the Peace Bridge (see pic.). There is also a statue of two men reaching but not quite making it to connect hands to depict the efforts to join the sides.  Like Belfast, Doug did not really feel comfortable there. In fact one of the tour group actually asked if it was safe. We had lunch in a traditional Irish pub (built in the 1600s) complete with “snugs” (curtained cubicals for ladies to have a drink).

Peace Bridge - Derry/Londonderry

Bar with "snugs"

Our ride took us within vision of the castle/palace of Lord Mountbatten and the history lesson from our tour guide Bob included the story of how Mountbatten and family members were bombed in their small lobster boat one morning as he was out fishing. Lots of history in this country, not all good.

Very soon after we switched countries: back into the Republic of Ireland. No more pounds – euros now. After a short stop at Donegal we proceeded to a graveyard which contained the simple grave of W.B. Yeats, Irish Poet Laureate and Nobel Prize winner in Literature (1923). Besides his grave there were graveyard mushrooms which interested Doug!

When you are old and grey and full of sleep, And nodding by the fire, take down this book, And slowly read, and dream of the soft look, Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep. . . W.B. Yeats

Tonight we are in Sligo, City of Shells, on the Atlantic Coast. Dinner was a group affair at the hotel.