Irish Blessings

The Irish have a wonderful way to greet people. To say "welcome" is not enough. Instead they say "Céad míle fáilte" which means "a hundred thousand welcomes". That is exactly how we felt in Ireland. Everywhere we went the people were so friendly and kind. 

At King John's Castle in Limerick City

Doug and I were able to spend 3 1/2 days in Ireland and loved every moment. Doug's dad, Bill, shared a little family history with us. Peter McKinley Sr., a farmer from near Belfast, immigrated from Ireland in the late 1700's and eventually settled in Missouri. History and family ties have always inspired me and this was another chance to learn more about our heritage. We have travelled to many different countries over the last 6 months but this was the first place where English was the primary language spoken. We learned that only 3 percent of the people in Ireland speak Irish as their first language. All of the signs were written in Irish first and then in English immediately below. A smile broke out on both of our faces as we read and understood the things going on around us. 

The Liffey River at sunrise in Dublin

We arrived at the Dublin airport, grabbed the Airlink Express Bus and headed to central Dublin 20 minutes away. The Dergvale Hotel, a quaint family-run Bed and Breakfast with 20 rooms, was a short walk away from where the bus dropped us off. As soon as we entered the hotel we were treated like guests of the family. We left our backpacks in our room and walked down O'Connell Street to the Beshoff Restaurant for a traditional dinner of fish and chips. It was a great way to begin our adventure. 

We wanted to see as much of the Ireland countryside as we could so we booked a couple of bus tours. Our first tour left Dublin at 6:30 in the morning for a trip to the Giant's Causeway, about 160 miles to the north. 

The views of through Antrim 

Our tour bus was comfortable; our guide, Bud, knowledgeable and funny. The views out our large window were amazing. I expected the countryside to be green but I was unprepared for the vibrant, intense color of bright green everywhere I looked. We crossed into Northern Ireland without any border patrol even though we were now in part of the United Kingdom. After about 2 hours we went through Belfast knowing we would stop there on our way back to Dublin. The landscape fascinated me and my eyes darted from one gorgeous view to the next. The coastal drive was spectacular as Bud drove past grazing cows and sheep hedged in with short stone walls, through small towns and villages and along the shore of the Irish Sea. Since we were only 5 nautical miles from the coast of Scotland we kept scanning the horizon for a glimpse of it but that was not to be for us. It was slightly overcast and a bit hazy as we looked out over the water. 

We left the coast and traveled through one of the green glens of Antrim. We began at the bottom of the U-shaped valley, rode up the hill on a narrow curvy road, and were rewarded with a panoramic view of the glen and sea below us. 

The coast at Carrick Island

We stopped at the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge near Ballintoy. For over 350 years fishermen have crossed a rope bridge to this tiny island catching the salmon leaving the sea to spawn in the river. Now it is used mostly by tourists catching a view of the coast and surrounding small islands. We walked through the gentle rolling hills for about 20 minutes before we reached the bridge. On one side of us, the sheep and cows nibbled on tuffs of grass. On the other, waves crashed against the shore far below us sending a cold spray of water into the air. Since we only had an hour here I decided I would take pictures on my way back to the bus and we went right to the bridge. 

We waited for a short time since only 8 people were allowed on the suspension bridge at a time. Hanging 100 feet above the sea, a small rope bridge connected Ireland to Carrick Island. 

It's fine, no problem

We held onto the ropes as we walked across on wooden boards. The island composed of volcanic rock jutted up out of the sea just 70 feet away. We felt the gentle sway of the bridge as other footsteps followed us. The mist started to fall and we saw a storm quickly approaching. The wind picked up and we knew our time was limited. On the island we saw the nearby scattering of small islands in the aqua and gray sea, the waves crashing against the rocks, the 100 foot sheer drop to the water, small grasses and moss growing in the volcanic rock. The smell of the salty sea air was so pleasant and brought back pleasant memories of times spent at the ocean. We felt the mist intensify and reluctantly retreated to the bus. This time the suspension bridge swayed a little more as the wind blew stronger. I did take a few pictures on the walk back and was thankful our next stop was lunch.

Ballentoy Harbor

Our lunch stop was in Ballentoy, a small fishing village just 15 minutes down the road. Ballentoy is most known for being the site where the TV series "Game of Thrones" filmed scenes for the fictional medieval town of Lordsport. In the Fullerton Arms restaurant we sat at family style tables and enjoyed learning more about the people on our tour bus. Our waitress took orders from all 60 of us. Then servers came out carrying a dish from the 4 choices on the menu. So you just raised your hand if you ordered what they were carrying and everyone was served in a matter of minutes. By the way, the Irish Stew was delicious, hot and filling. 

The weather had cleared by the time we left the restaurant and we headed to Giant's Causeway. 

Wow, so amazing

According to Irish folklore the formations were formed by giant Finn MacCool in an attempt to fight a Scottish giant, Benandonner. Legend says Finn built the perfect hexagon tubes and stacked them next to each other creating a beautiful walkway all the way to Scotland. When Benandonner came to fight, he was much bigger than Finn thought and so he hid. Finn's wife saved the day with her shrewdness and the pathway was torn apart as Scotland's giant ran back home. 

When Doug and I arrived at the Giant's Causeway we couldn't believe the formations. We had never seen anything like it. They were surreal, spectacular and perfectly spaced like a puzzle fitting together. The waves crashed against the volcanic rock as we sat staring at the Atlantic Ocean. 

Hiking at Giant's Causeway

There was a path that went up the cliff leading back to our bus. We walked up the hill past the "Giant's boot", paused at the "Organ" and then climbed the 162 rock steps called "Shepherd's Path" that led to the green pastures at the top of the formation. The panoramic view from the top of the cliff was worth the climb!

It was time for our tour to head back to Dublin but there was still much to see. We stopped for a view of the medieval Dunluce Castle which was home to the McDonnell Clan for many years. The family lived there in the 1500's but it has been abandoned since 1690. This castle was an inspiration for C.S. Lewis's "Chronicles of Narina" fictional castle Clair Paravel.

Belfast City Hall 

We arrived in Belfast at 5:30 and spent an hour exploring the city. Much of what I knew about Ireland was what I had heard in the news during the 70's and 80's. Bud, our tour guide, talked about the times of the "Great Troubles" referring to the 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland from 1969-1997. There was a lot of fighting between the British unionists and the Ireland nationalists. He told us about a time when he was sitting in a Belfast cafe and noticed a man leave without his backpack. He decided he "could die in the restaurant or die in the street" so he quickly grabbed the backpack, raced out the door, threw the backpack as far away as he could and ducked. The blast occurred seconds later. 

Symbol of Hope, Peace and Reconciliation

Doug and I walked the streets of Belfast for about an hour. We discovered City Hall in Donnegal Square which is a 1 1/2 acre park with many memorials and statues. There was a Titanic memorial there for the victims because this was where the ship was built. We walked to Queen's Square and saw the Albert Memorial clock built in 1869 which leans because it was built on reclaimed marsh land. The Belfast Waterfront and the River Lagan drew our attention where we saw the Queen's Bridge and a sculpture of the "Harmony of Belfast" symbolizing unity,hope, aspiration, peace and reconciliation. Nearby stood a ceramic big blue fish sculpture aptly named "The Big Fish" covered with student's drawings which told the history of Belfast. We grabbed a few souvenirs as we walked through a few shops and headed back to the bus for our return to Dublin. It had been a full day.

Dublin Castle 

After a good night sleep and a traditional Irish breakfast of eggs, ham and bread we headed out to see Dublin. We took a walking tour and enjoyed seeing the sights through the eyes of a Dublin resident. Conor, our tour guide, brought us to his favorite places. We began at the courtyard outside of Dublin City Hall and walked through the justice gate into plaza of the Dublin Castle. Conor shared the history of Ireland from the 1100's to the present time in a matter of 15 minutes. He loved theater and was quite entertaining. We entered the Dubh Linn Gardens and heard how Dublin got its name. These gardens were created not only as a place to rest but also as a helicopter landing pad. Conor expressed his Irish passion as he talked about President Obama's visit and the visit by Queen Elizabeth II. We could hear the national pride and hope in his voice as he expressed how significant it was for the British Queen to step foot on Irish land. 

The streets of Dublin

We walked on the cobblestone streets, past Christ Church Cathedral, to the theater district and then Temple Bar. Conor shared stories about Paul David Hewson, a musician who started in Dublin. Doug recognized the story earlier than I did and knew Conor was talking about Bono. 

We saw the Liffey River and the Dublin Spire marking the location of the Easter Uprising of 1916. The civil war lasted 5 years and ended with a treaty between the U.K. and Ireland. We then walked onto the campus of Trinity College where we learned about the history of the school and book of Kells that is in the library there. 

The people we met in our tour group were fascinating, from all over the world and shared bits of their story with us. We enjoyed conversations with the family from Belfast traveling with two small boys, the family from Texas who had been golfing in Scotland, the businessman from Israel who traveled to Ohio, the husband and wife from France and the group from Italy who were on a holiday trip. 

After a delicious lunch of BBQ at Pitt Bros we headed for a bit of exploring, some shopping an afternoon tea and a walk through Temple Bar in the evening. The music was good, the people watching great. We enjoyed our conversation with a couple from Dublin during dinner before our evening stroll back to the hotel.

We took a second bus tour to the west coast of Ireland to see the Cliffs of Moher. Our bus driver, Liam, told us about the history of Ireland and battles fought as we traveled across the country. Our first stop was in Limerick City. The bloodiest battle ever fought in Ireland happened in this city in 1690 and was won by King John of England. There is a monument at the Shannon River of the Treaty Stone signifying the end of the battle. The treaty was signed on this stone but it wasn't long before it was disregarded. 

That's a lot of rock wall

As we traveled across Ireland we saw stone walls dividing the land into small sections.The walls were about 3-4 feet tall and crisscrossed the fields. Some held sheep or cows, some had crops of hay or straw. The land was filled with large stones which had to be removed before the crops could be planted. It was hard to imagine the amount of work it took to move all those stones. We learned many of the walls were built during the Potato famine of 1845. The Irish people would not take money without working so the landlords had them build these walls all over the countryside and paid them with food. Still many starved or emigrated to other countries during that desperate time. 

The edge of the Cliff

We arrived at the Cliffs of Moher on the western coast of Ireland, 175 miles from Dublin. The Cliffs took our breath away. They were so high from the Atlantic Ocean, so green, so stunning. We laid down and peered over the edge and slowly backed away. The water was 600 feet below us. It was lovely to walk along the edge, look out over the water, and take it all in. The birds were flying below us and nesting in the cliffs. The waves hit against the rocks. We walked for over an hour until it was time to return to the bus.

The Burren landscape

We stopped next at the Burren which was much more barren than the Cliffs of Moher. In fact I didn't think anything could grow here and yet because of its unique climate it has one of the longest growing seasons in Ireland. Many flowers and grasses find a way to grow in the cracks of the limestone in the 100 square miles of the Burren. Goats, cows, sheep all find food among the rocks. People have lived here for centuries. It was all quite intriguing.

We saw the Dunguaire Castle built in the 1500's in the small village of Kinvara. It sits on an outcropping rock high above the water. Since its restoration in 1920 it was been used as a venue for plays and poetry. 

The Abbey

Our last stop was at Corcomroe Abbey, a 13th century abbey in the secluded hills of the Burren. We walked inside the walls, paused at the cemetery and marveled at how the monks sought this solitude, built this abbey from the stone around them and lived off of the land. 

We learned a lot of Ireland's history in these last few days. We could still feel a tension at times but a sense of hope was strong regarding the future of Ireland.

Views from the Cliffs of Moher

It seemed fitting to end with this Irish Blessing. 

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields and,

Until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.