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Tuesday: Day 1 – Dublin to Carnlough Highlights: Ancient Tomb, Medieval Carlingford Town, Belfast Wall Mural Tour, Harbor Town of Carnlough
Off on tour!!! We meet again Phil & Carol, our drivers/guides and owners of Inroads Ireland.
In Carnlough, "The Londonderry Arms" is tonight's lodging selection. It was once owned by Winston Churchill's great-grandmother. The hotel is located in the very center of the small village (2,000 pop), so it's a good place to begin a walk.
5 Septembar
We met Phil & Carol and set off with 12 others. We didn't follow the map at right exactly, but we did finish in Carnlough at the Londonderry Arms.
As we departed Dublin, Phil held forth on the Battle of the Boyne that took place nearby. Then he chatted about tombs of the ancients, including Newgrange, also nearby. We got off onto a side road that ran up the backside of a golf course to look at two dolmen. One was one where you wonder how they ever got the cap rock on top of the others with only the tools available in 3,000 bc. The other was less spectacular but still showed that the ancients had their ways including spiritualism.
Phil headed up into the hills then, into clouds with no visibility to the top. On the way we startled a few sheep. Then, coming down, the clouds split and we could see things first, then everything. What a great view of the bay on which Carlingford, with its old castle, is located. We stopped there for lunch. D&I wandered the streets until we decided to go into Carlingford Arms. We ate a light lunch, very pleasing, then rejoined the group in the middle of a small shower.
Back in the bus, Phil took us to the City Hall building in Belfast. There, he had lined up two cab drivers and their vehicles to take us on tours of Belfast. Ours oriented his tour toward "The Troubles" and since he lived through that time he spoke with authority. He showed us the Peace Wall, still in place but full of graffiti deploring war in general.
It was a sobering experience, not one I'd do again, but enlightening. It's hard to imagine raising a family in the midst of a street war. I'll have to find an impartial book to go into more detail.
Phil then drove us to Carnlough. On the way we saw Scotland across the waters. We checked into the Londonderry Arms, once owned by Winston Churchill's grandmother. A good room with a skeleton key - hadn't seen one in years.
D & took a walking tour of the town and shot many pictures. It's a nice place on the Irish Sea.
A good day, and looking forward to tomorrow. Our traveling group seems quite nice.
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Wednesday: Day 2 – Carnlough to Culdaff Highlights: Antrim Coastline, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Giant’s Causeway, Country Town of Culdaff
From Carnlough we'll head north and west along the coast where possible and make stops for several scenic attractions.
Ultimately we end the day in the Republic again after the ferry ride across Lough Foyle onto the Inishowen peninsula.
6 September
And that's what happened. We headed north out of Carnlough in sunshine which soon turned to clouds, mist and occasional light rain. We stopped in several places off the beaten track.
We had a coffee break not long after departure so we could look at the coastal shore there. Forgot the name, sorry.
We drove along the coastline around little bays and onto peninsulas while Phil gave some more background. In the early days here, transportation along the coast was hard by land, so the people were forced to use boats. So all the villages and many of the churches were placed close to the shore for access. One such church was old Layd Church, a ruin now but stabilized. Some recent grave markers were found showing people still think of it. There's a stone sticking upright out of the ground with a hole in the top, like a needle sticking into a pincushion. This was used to formalize pledges; one person would put his hand through the hole and the other would grip it, sealing the pact. Of course, we had to do it, as did most of the tribe.
We made a brief stop at Cushendun to look around and to take pictures of the Campbelltown peninsula in Scotland across the way.
But on the beaten track, we stopped at the Rope Bridge mentioned above. The bridge spans the gap between two little islands. Being flexible, it wobbles and sways as people cross it. For this pleasure you get to spend seven pounds. Some of us did, some didn't. D & I huddled in the coffee shop drinking hot chocolate. Then our people returned, saying the bridge is now closed because a girl somehow broke her leg and they would be evacuating her.
Another On-the-Track stop was made at the Giant's Causeway, a geologic wonder where columns of rock in five or six sided cross-section exist side by side for hundreds of yards along the shore. We walked down to the best place and had a ranger take pictures of us. We bused back up to the Visitor Center where D bought some grandson things and another postcard for Jamie, who likes to get mail. The Visitor Center is very modern and well-done. A good stop.
After that, we headed for the barn, namely McGrory's in Culdaff. We did it via the ferry from Mugiligan Point in the UK to Greencastle in the Republic. So now we're back on Euros. We had a nice light dinner in the pub and returned to our nice room to rest and sleep.
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Thursday: Day 3 – Culdaff to Rathmullan
Highlights: Inishowen Peninsula, Malin Head, Glenveagh Castle and Gardens,
Spend the Next Two Nights at an Irish Country Manor House, Historic Town of Rathmullan
Today, we'll wander through little towns and along the shore to a "Castle" in Glenveagh National Park. It's not really a castle but was built in the mid-1800's to look like one while it served as a Victorian retreat for the wealthy.
Eventually we end the day in Rathmullan, a historic site in Irish history. The infamous 1607 Flight of the Earls took place from here, ending any hope for Irish rule here for centuries.
7 September
And so we did. We did what we needed and hopped the bus for Malin Head, the most northern point in Ireland. We got there in time to witness a biking club unloading bikes from their support van to head off for the day. The temperature was around 50f and the wind blowing 20 kts and raining. These people are daft. But we took pictures and went on down the road.
We stopped at a whole bunch of little places where there was something to look at. Every hour or so, Phil would say "it's getting brighter ahead" and the rain would get worse. We took pictures at many overlooks of the surroundings.
We came off the peninsula at Malin and headed west.
We stopped at Nancy's Barn in Ballyfinnan for an early lunch. Nancy's won the world chowder competition in 2017 in Rhode Island. Those who took it declared it wonderful. D & I had hot chocolate, I had a carrot cake.
Phil steered us down to Letterkenny and through Kilmacrenan to Castle Glenveagh, which is a National Park and within it all sorts of trails. But the Castle, built first as a hunting lodge type of second home is also a great attraction, as is the Gardens attached to it. Much conservation effort is now done by the park since it was given to Ireland by Henry McIhenny of Philadelphia, its last private owner.
Please follow the link above to get more information on this outstanding place.
When we left the park we traveled to Rathmullan via Kilmacrenan. Our family's story shows an Alexander Sweeney, his brother and a man named Harkin departing Kilmacrenan to Rathmullan and sailing for Philadelphia from there in 1795. There are still a bunch of Sweeneys in the area. Kilmacrenan was the place where the clan Sweeney chieftains were inaugurated. So Phil stopped long enough for me to get pictures of this tiny crossroads, and then we went on.
Rathmullan House is a large country inn with all the amenities you'd want. Our room is a huge combined sitting room/bedroom area where one can sprawl on the couch and watch TV or read. Very comfortable and well tended. Classic dining room and lounges. Not a long walk to the very small town.
And Rathmullan has a place in Irish history in the Flight of the Earls.
We had pizza and beer from the place in the basement and resolved to do a group dinner in the hotel's dining room tomorrow night.
Off to rest.
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We'll do something including history today. Perhaps a run to Kilmacrenan and a pub stop there to see if anyone's in the mood for craic.
8 September
This was a day of rest in a wonderful hotel with a huge room in which we could sprawl to read or do TV or whatever. We slept in lazily and decided not to chase down to Kilmacrenan. Instead we walked the path into Rathmullan and looked over the town.
We had a light lunch at the Beachcomber in the village and looked at the statues that are part of the Flight of the Earls event that is so much a part of this town's history.
The horses were running on the beach and in the water, people were out dog-walking, just a pleasant day. A little rain, not much sun, but all right.
In the evening we did our Group Dinner for this trip - all of us together for conversation and food.
A good place for a rest day.
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9 September
The Doe Castle is associated with the MacSwaneys, the Swaneys, the Sween(e)ys and so forth. Maybe I can sort out the sub-clan of my ancestor, Alexander Swaney.
We started out with a ride to Fanad Head and its Lighthouse. Set in a terribly bleak place, it was put there to warn shipping, of course. It ran from the 1860s to 1970s as a normal lighthouse, then was automated and the light keepers let go. Took lots of pictures, see attached.
A ship loaded with gold bars (Laurentic) went down offshore after having run into two German mines. All but 22 have been recovered.
Then down the coast to Carrigart for a quick coffee break, going around several bays and other scenic things. Mist, some rain, nearly no sun.
We arrived at Castle Doe, firmly related to the MacSweeney/Sweeney clan from the 1400's to 1600's. The government has put some money into stabilizing the tower castle by re-roofing and new beams, all in hopes it will hold together until money can be found to restore it.
Like any five-story condo with one room on each floor, it's tight. But that's how they lived. And it might have only been a summer home, well fortified. During the presentation it was found there were three Sweeney descendants in the crowd, one from England, one from California and me. So a picture was taken of the three of us who might be 25th cousins.
Finally we went on from there to a place where another Dolmen exists, on the way to Ardara. It was a half-mile out in a boggy field with four donkeys in it. D & I went up the wagon track but couldn't get through the bog, so we used long-distance lens to get pictures.
On the way back, one of the donkeys made friends with Emily, which she thought was really neat.
We got to the Nesbitt Arms in Ardara in due course and settled in. The wifi here is terribly squirrely, requiring each of us to go to the desk so they could log us in on a supervisor net. The passwords they gave us at checkin wouldn't work on the guest network. Totally unsatisfactory, which is a shame because everything else was nice.
Places were recommended to us by Phil and Carol for traditional music tonight, but D is already napping and probably won't make it. I might go out for one.
Later: I did go down to the Corner House and listened to music while sipping a Guiness. Carol and others had me join them. One guy was the vocalist and guitar player, the other was one hell of a fiddler and played an eight-string short-neck thing called a banjolin when he was accompanying the guitar. Many in the room knew the songs and would sing along. I sang along on Dirty Old Town, the only one I knew. They played a song called Black Velvet Band that everyone seemed to know. It was great fun.
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10 September
Scenery today, maybe a short hike. Not a clue what we'll do in the evening.
We rested this morning, finally getting up for breakfast and to look at the Hurricane Irma reports. For Irma, it looks that we will be all right but the west side of the state will take a whacking.
Phil said then to get a bag lunch to take along while we did a scenic tour. He said he wouldn't take us on any hike due to the weather (occasional lashing rain, 50+kph winds with stronger gusts, etc.). Everyone prepared and the bus left at 1230.
We went west onto the peninsula west of Ardara stopping at sea views to Glencolumbkille, a very Gaelic-speaking town. We had a quick coffee break in Carrick and went on. We stopped at several overlooks for pictures and could really feel the wind pushing the coach around.
We stopped for another coffee & biscuit brief session in the Ti Linn Cafe & Crafts near the Slieve League hills. Then we went out to the Slieve League car park and looked at the rugged cliffs and the raging waters below. Many pictures taken here, but the winds were fierce at this point.
Then we got our of there and took the road over Glengesh Pass back to Ardara (pronounced Ardra), arriving about 1700.
Then we settled for the evening.
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This is the last day of the II tour. We'll return to Wynn's Hotel in Dublin for tonight. Off to England tomorrow.
But it was an involved "last day". We got underway a little late, around 0915 and got onto a back road (what else?) to a cemetery with very unusual engraved old stones. On the way we stopped at a cute little place in Lagey called The Flower Pot for coffee.
We spent quite a while speculating what the stones may have been. Nobody knows, of course, since they're ancient.
Onward then to Enniskillen, NI, UK for lunch. Phil gave a number of recommendations and away we all went in different directions. D & I wound up in William Blake's pub above the Merlot Cafe underground. Mr Blake's is a cosy place with seating across from the bar and in a raised-floor room in the rear.
The staff were helpful in getting us going, and in taking our orders. Drinks came quickly from a very friendly barman.
The menu is probably shared with Cafe Merlot underneath. The food was extraordinary. I had the best lunch this week in Ireland, pork & leek sausage on champ. Dolores pronounced her fish and chips perhaps the best she'd ever had.
The ambiance is that of an old bar, with shelves to the very high ceiling (how *do* they get a bottle down from there?). There's usually something cute in a place like this, so look for the small rubber duck sitting on an old jug.
Additionally, there is a door (which leads to the toilets) that is one of the stops on the Game Of Throne passport. One man raced in and took a picture, had his passport stamped and announced he'd completed it. The barman says they get 50 or so players a day entering to "get" the door.
So we left, well filled and enjoyed the rest of our short stop in Enniskillen.
Phil drove us on to the Loughcrew Megalithic Tomb by way of a nice coffee house and gift shop nearby. He stated the walk to it could be hard and somewhat dangerous on the slick wet ground. So some of us stayed at the coffee house and some rode along but remained in the bus while the rest walked up to see it. D & I stayed with the bus since we'd seen this place on a private tour four years ago.
When everyone was rounded up, we hit the road for Dublin. We parked across from Wynn's and hauled out the suitcases. Many hugs around and real thank-you to our companions for the week. They were a good group and easy to get along with. Then we tried to cross the street but a tram started and almost ran into Geoff. The rest of us waited but another tram coming from the other direction forced us back even more. Finally we got across, checked in, and settled.
D & I went to Grand Central next door. It was not raining as we left Wynn's. Ten feet later, the rain pelted us so that we had to run in the side door of GC. We had another drink, then ate. Then back to the room to settle in. Must be up early for the run to Wales.
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