North Coast and Home

On Tuesday morning, we said goodbye to Barb and Peg, who had decided to stay behind in Mullaghbawn to continue family research.

Richard and Sandi headed for the upper parking lot at Slieve Gullion, put on our boots, and started the hike up. Sandi had the idea that the trail was going to be an easy gradual graveled path, not realizing that as we went up, it would change to rocky and steep. Richard gave Sandi a hand at some points. Near the top, the wind became very strong, perhaps 40 to 50 mph. Our jackets were flapping in the wind. At the top, it was hard to stand, and cold. Richard went to find the summit tomb. We saw the lake near the summit, where the legend says that the giant Finn McCool was turned into an old man. A group of three classes of elementary school students had climbed the mountain from the East, continued over the top, and headed down the trail that we had just gone up. We chatted with them when they stopped to brew up a cup of tea.

After our climb, we headed north, past Belfast, to Larne, where we stopped to buy bread and get tourist information from a delightful young lady. We continued north of the coast, right along the ocean. The view was fairly spectacular. We stopped once or twice to walk on the beach, and took a detour to look at a glen of Antrim. The glen looked somewhat different than south Armagh, with larger fields, a bit tidier. By the time we reached Ballycastle, Richard was exhausted. The drive had taken longer than Google had estimated. We checked into the Marine Hotel, which had a promotion that included 20 pounds off dinner at their restaurant. After dinner, we crashed.

Rope bridge 

Wednesday morning, we decided not to take the ferry to Rathlin Island. We headed up the coast, which became more spectacular, if possible. We stopped to see the rope bridge, which was a 1 mile hike each way. We did not cross it, as Sandi thought that it would be too scarey. We could see Scotland in the distance.

Our next stop was at the Giant's Causeway, which Richard had seen many years before. It was relatively undeveloped then. It is now a UNESCO world heritage site; there is a large modern visitor center, and a bus to take you to the causeway. The legend says that Finn McCool built the causeway, to challenge a Scottish giant to a fight. Geologists tell us that the causeway is made of large crystals of basalt.

We continued to Derry, where we checked into Caw Cottage. Jim the owner was very chatty. We walked over the peace bridge and walked along the wall of the walled city. Richard somehow misunderstood the directions to the restaurant, and we ended up at the train station. When we asked a young lady where the restaurant was, Teresa gave us a ride, as the restaurant was some distance from the train station. Quay West (pronounced Key West) was a modern place with good food. We chatted with the bartender at some length; he was surprisingly knowledgeable about US college football. He was working three jobs, as he and his wife just had a baby. We took a taxi back to our B&B. Unfortunately, we discovered that the bed was extremely soft. Richard could not sleep, so at midnight we packed up quietly and left, leaving a note and some money, and checked into the Premier Inn nearby, where we immediately fell asleep. We got up at 9:30 AM, and had breakfast at Tesco, in the shopping center nearby, where we bought packing tape.

We got on the road at noon on Thursday, and arrived at Mullaghbawn as the kids were getting out from school, in time to say goodbye to Patrick. We shipped a box of rocks back to the states, and said goodby to Dermot and Ann. They had been fabulous hosts for us, and continued to be great hosts for Peg and Barb.

Peg and Barb had productive time in Mullaghbawn, and learned a lot about the ancestors. Kevin continued to meet with Peg and Barb, and was very generous with his time.

The drive to the Dublin Airport was uneventful. We checked into another Premier Inn, and Richard turned in the rental car. We had dinner there, as we needed to get up early for the flight home.  In the morning, Peggy and Barb set a record, from bed to the bus in 15 minutes, after Richard knocked on their door.  The trip home was uneventful; the blog is being written from the Delta Club in Atlanta.

Richard had driven about 1100 km during the trip, and concluded the following: Driving on the left is mentally tiring, especially for the driver. Google is optimistic about how long it takes to drive anywhere; figure to add 30% to their time estimates in Ireland. Those two factors mean that the driving distances should be reduced. Richard felt really worn down from driving by the end of the trip.

South Armagh

South County Armagh

On Saturday, we headed north, going most of the distance on the M50 motorway (freeway). Richard felt better about driving on the left side of the road, having gotten in some driving, and also having lighter traffic. We drove on progressively smaller and curvier roads, finally ending up on the Bog Road; in some places the road too narrow for two cars to pass. We found our lodging, Ti Chulainn Cultural Center. We settled into rooms that were comfortable, but not too fancy.

Our wifi hotspot, which had worked very well at Glendalough, quit working when we crossed the border into Northern Ireland, despite the promise from Hertz that it would work north of the border. Ti Chulainn has WIFI, but it is a bit erratic.

After getting unpacked, in late afternoon, we drove to find the relatives, based on their street address, only to get frustrated with roads with unmarked names, and house numbers that did not seem helpful. We returned to Ti Chulainn, where they called the relatives, and Patrick came to lead us to their house. The house was full of relatives, and they had put out a large spread of food. It was quite a larger greeting than we had expected. Dermot and Ann, the parents, have four children, and we met all of them, as well as their spouses or boyfriends/girlfriends. Dermot pulled out an old photo album, and they found a photo of Sandi's family, as stairstep kids in identical outfits. At that point, Dermot realized who we were, and that his mother had been corresponding with Sandi's mother.

Dermot and Ann

We met with a Kevin, a local historian and geneaologist, who was instrumental in building the cultural center. We learned about land records, and transfer of the land from the British landlords to their tenants. We also learned about the area history. The famine was so painful, that most Irish people who stayed did not talk about it. The history of the famine comes from the people who emigrated. The various Irish revolts were largely financed by the people who had emigrated. This meeting was very informative and interesting.

In the evening, they threw a party, which included food, and traditional Irish music, with a banjo, a fiddle, and a button accordion, all played by family members. Peg later joined in with a borrowed guitar. Most of the music was instrumental, but as the evening went on, people began to sing. Generally, one person would sing a song, reading the lyrics off an iPad. The songs were mostly sad ballads, although at least three songs related to the troubles. The music went on until midnight.

IRA monument

South Armagh is a borderland, and they live just a few miles from the Republic of Ireland. The area is heavily Catholic, although it is within Northern Ireland, which is mostly Protestant. The troubles impacted this area heavily. Ti Chulainn even has a monument to the IRA fighters who died fighting the British.

On Sunday, we met at St. Mary's church, where we found the building in excellent condition, and packed with people. We were surprised to see so many people in church; there was a traffic jam in the little town. After mass, Peg played the organ a little; we walked the cemetery, where we found the family plot. The custom here is to bury people in wooden caskets, and let the bodies decay. When the next family member dies, they hand dig the grave, gather up any bones that they find, and put them back, along with the new casket. They often put up a large stone, with plenty of blank spaces to add future names.

After church, we put on rubber boots and walked the family land. The most poignant part of the day was a visit to the house where Dermot lived until he was nine years old, where the family lived for generations.  It is a stone house with a thatched roof and three rooms. The house had a dirt floor, and was their home until 1954, when they took out a mortgage to build a modern house. There were eight people sleeping in one room, with no plumbing, no toilet or outhouse, and a well with a bucket.

This was subsistence farming, largely not in the cash economy, although they sold eggs to make a few dollars to buy shoes. Dermot said that they lived no differently than any of their neighbors. They helped each other with the harvest. They had no horses or vehicles; they had a few acres of land, which kept them alive. This was very moving to all of us. Dermot told the story in a very matter of fact manner. The three brothers who came to the United States in the late 1800s grew up in this house. Today we would call them refugees or perhaps economic migrants, escaping poverty.

Later in the afternoon, Dermot's son Dermot took us on the scenic road on the nearby peak, Slieve Gullion. It is a one way loop road, with views of the Irish Sea and the valley. The weather was coming in, and we were treated to a fabulous rainbow.

We took Dermot and Ann to dinner in Warrenpoint. We said goodbye to Mike and Susan, who were headed north.

Monday morning we decided to head for Armagh city, where we visited St. Patrick's Cathedral, reportedly founded by St. Patrick himself.  Armagh is still the seat of the Cardinal in Ireland.

On the way back, we stopped in Carrickcross, and got a tour of the poorhouse, or workhouse, which provided a last resort during the famine.

Workhouse

In the evening we had a second meeting with Kevin, where we learned more of the history of the area, including the famine.  We had dinner late at the local chips and Chinese restaurant.

Glendalough

Glendalough

On Thursday morning, we took the bus back to the airport, picked up rental cars, and headed south. Richard renewed his left hand driving skills, while Mike and Susan began the learning process. Yes, it is a challenge, especially when you are negotiating roundabouts and busy freeways.

Our Cottage

In Glendalough, we met Sr. Joan at the Hermitage, who said that Glendalough was a chill place, and settled into simple, but well equipped, cottages. Each cottage has a complete kitchen and a fireplace. Mike and Susan decided to stay just one night, in a local B&B.

We headed for the ruins of the monastery, in the national park, where we walked around and took it in. This monastery was founded by the followers of St. Kevin, a hermit from the 6^th century.

Richard and Sandi went to Centering Prayer with the nuns.

We ate lunch and dinner at the Wicklow Heather restaurant, and were treated Thursday night to a complimentary glass of Baily's Irish Cream liqueur.

On Friday, Richard, Sandi, Barb, and Peg went back to the park, took in the film at the visitor center, and hiked to the upper lake, where we saw St. Kevin's Bed, from the other side of the lake. It started to rain as we were walking out. We did a little shopping before and after lunch.

Wicklow Gap

After lunch at the pub, we drove to Wicklow Gap, a pass that looked a great deal like Colorado above treeline, including mining remains. The naturalist told us that the weather and soil dictated where trees did and did not grow. The peat is very acidic, and not conducive to trees. It was cold and very windy.

We went to 7 PM mass. After mass Peg, talked to the lady who was helping the priest, and ended up playing a couple of songs on their organ. The lady hoped that we could stay for Sunday, as they had no regular organist.

Dinner was at the Wicklow Heather restaurant, where we found out that our waiter, Gee, was from Lithuania. We all sat down after dinner and worked on emails, using the wifi hotspot that Hertz rented us.

We agreed that Glendalough was a “chill” place, as Sr. Joan had said.

Dublin, Ireland

Dublin

After the overnight flight from Atlanta, we arrived in Dublin on Tuesday morning. The group included Richard, Sandi, Peg, Barb, Mike, and Susan. 

 We took the Airlink 747 bus into the city, and walked a short distance to our pleasant and modern hotel, the Maldron in Smithfield. Smithfield is an area that has been in the process of gentrification, with a “Fresh” grocery store, and a Third Space cafe, where we had breakfast. The square is relatively large.

Third Space Cafe - note the books

Bicycle commuters

There were and continue to be demonstrators with bullhorns in front of a government office, the children's court, with chants of “labor, labor, labor”, and “drop the charges.” There was a demonstration against water charges; water has been free in Dublin, but the previous government was going to charge for water. The original demonstration included a sit down protest, blocking the car of Joan Burtin, the former Tanaiste, (a government official), for two hours. This resulted in charges of false imprisonment, among other charges.

Bridge over the River Liffey

We had lunch at Third Space cafe, and then we got on the city tour bus. Most people got off in the Temple Bar area, and went to the Brazen Head Pub, looking for live music, but the music started too late, so they left after eating. Richard and Sandi stayed on the bus, and got off at the Collins Barracks, now the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History. This is a huge museum; we only scratched the surface. We visited briefly an exhibit on the 1916 Easter Uprising; it failed, but generated many heroes and martyrs. The Irish negotiated with the British after the war, and obtained their independence in 1922. Richard and Sandi had dinner at Oscar's restaurant, near the hotel.

On Wednesday we had breakfast at Third Space, and agreed to split up. Richard, Sandi, and Peg headed for Trinity College, where we took a tour of the college from a nice young man, a senior from Donegal.

We saw the Book of Kells and the Long Room of the library. 

Peg with Brian Boru's harp

Library Long Room

 We had a snack at the student cafe at the college, and then headed for St. Stephen's Green. We stopped on the way to visit a couple of mobile phone shops, only to find out that there were difficulties in getting a prepay phone that would work in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. At St. Stephen's Green, we split up, and Richard went to the National Archaeological Museum, where he very interested in the metalwork. 

 Sandi and Peg headed to the replica of the coffin ship, which took the famine refugees to America. Unfortunately, there were no tickets left, so they went to the nearby Epic Ireland museum, which was focused on the Irish emigration story. Richard, Sandi, and Peg met at the hotel, and walked in the rain to Darkey Kelly's pub, where we ate comfort food and listened to a singer. 

 Mike, Susan, and Barb walked around during the day, and had dinner at a pub near the hotel. We all met up in the lobby around 9 PM, and made plans for Thursday.

Smithfield Square at night