"Peace" wall

Day 33 - Belfast (Northern Ireland) to Swords (Ireland)

We'd booked a 10am walking tour today so we made our way to the City Hall where our guide greeted us. He started with an explanation of the history of Belfast and some background to the Republican vs Unionist conflict and where Belfast is today. 

As the tour progressed the guide pointed out sites of interest and also provided further insights into the political situation. Our guide emphasised repeatedly that the Belfast of today is very different to the Belfast of the past, but we also learnt that there were still parts of the city where a "peace wall" had been erected and where gates at each end of the wall were locked at night. He did stress however that those areas were completely safe to visit ... during the day anyway. 

We finished the tour by the docks at the "Salmon of Knowledge", a fish sculpture that commemorated the return of salmon to the River Lagan after more than 100 years of heavy pollution. 

We headed back through the city and revisited some of the key sights we'd passed, including the grand interior of the City Hall. We had lunch at the Crown Liquor Saloon, a 19th century pub that had been decorated inside and out by Italian workers moonlighting from their day jobs building the cathedral. 

We sat in one of the booths, closed the doors and enjoyed our Irish coffees (well, once the loud Americans in the neighbouring booth departed). 

We took the advice of our guide and drove to West Belfast to visit the closest peace wall, between the areas centred around Falls Road (Republican) and Unionist (Shankill Road). We could see that Shankill Road was strung with UK flags, and as we approached the Falls Road area there were many politically themed murals, many relating to the local conflict and those who had lost their lives, but also referencing other historical and current conflicts around the world, such as Cuba and Palestine. 

We walked to see the wall, also painted with murals, and the double gates that were closed each night, then walked back into the Unionist area where we'd parked our car. There the theme of the murals changed to support for English rule and the English army (Union Jacks, memorials to British soldiers who'd died).  

We left Belfast and drove back into Ireland to our hotel only 10km from Dublin Airport so we could return the car and catch our morning flight to France.  

Sunday sunny Sunday

Day 32 - Derry to Belfast

Blue sky, no wind and 19 degrees, what a lovely day in Northern Ireland.

We started the day by visiting the Free Derry Museum to improve our knowledge of The Troubles and the shocking Bloody Sunday massacre, the museum was small but well worth the visit.

From Derry we it was an hour to the Giants Causeway which features roughly 40,000 interlocking hexagonal columns of volcanic rock. There are similar rock sites all over the world, like the Organ Pipes near Keilor, but nowhere near as extensive.

It was a good walk from the visitor's centre down to where we could walk over the columns that stretched to the sea.

It was also very crowded, possibly the busiest place we've visited in Ireland, but as the site covered a large area it wasn't too bad.

We finished the day by driving to Belfast for the night. We walked to the pub street in Commercial Court, which was quite busy with people enjoying their Sunday, in fact the patrons were so loud we had to move seats a couple of times.

Was that a gun?

Day 31 - Donegal (Ireland) to Derry (Northern Ireland)

It looked like our run of great Irish weather had come to a stop just a couple of days too early as we woke to strong winds and rain. The national highway took us through Barnesmore Gap on the way to the Grianán of Aileach, an old ring fort on the top of Greenan Mountain. There were spectacular views to the west towards Letterkenny.

From there we drove to the most northern top of Ireland, Malin Head, fortunately by now the weather had cleared, the wind was still very blustery and there were light showers but it wasn't very cold. A large "Eire 80" was written in white stones on the point, a restored aerial marker that was used in WWII to signal both Allied and Axis pilots that they were flying over neutral Irish territory. M walked as far north as he could, following the trail down past the Eire 80 sign to the edge of the mainland where there were some great views. After that we stopped in Farren's Bar, the most northerly pub in Ireland, which was crowded with families enjoying a Saturday lunch. 

We drove on to Derry and walked the city walls, some of the best preserved city walls in Europe. The walls were very wide and gave good views of the city.

About halfway around we came down from the wall and crossed the Peace Bridge, then returned and completed the circuit. At one point we heard what we thought were gun shots, but they were just kids playing with fireworks. We wandered down Waterloo Street, which was lined with pubs and already starting to get rowdy, must be Saturday night in Ireland!

A bit slack if you ask me

Day 30 - Westport to Donegal

We drove for an hour or so to reach Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, one of the most significant prehistoric landscapes in Europe. It is the largest and oldest collection of Neolithic tombs in Ireland, with over 30 surviving monuments dating back almost 6,000 years. We were taken on a tour of the stone tombs by a very knowledgeable guide who made the history of the area very interesting. 

Many of the tombs have been destroyed or damaged by farming, while others are underground and there are no plans to excavate. The largest tomb was surrounded by a recently constructed stone cairn, the guide explained that though the tomb may have had stones over it, it would have been nothing like what they had built.

M had hoped that we'd timed our travel to be able to drive across the sand to Coney Island but when we arrived there was a car that appeared to be stuck, and there was water covering the sand, so we decided not to risk it. However, we did watch a small car come back at speed in a wake of water, another car took off for the island, a third started and then turned back.

After a look around Sligo we drove to Gleniff Horseshoe which isn't a horseshoe at all but a gap. On the right was the striking Benbulbin mountain with its sheer sides and imposing lines on the Sligo skyline.

We briefly stopped at an old mill site on our way to Mullaghmore Head, a famous surfing destination with some of the highest waves in Europe. However, today there was no wind so the waves weren't that large, but the lack of wind apparently made it good for another adventure sport -  slacklining. We watched a guy hook himself up to an stretch of rope between the cliffs and make many attempts to stand up. He managed to get up a number of times but he couldn't quite stabilise after that. It was apparent he was getting more tired and it was taking him longer to get enough energy for each new attempt, regardless it was fun to watch and there was quite a group of onlookers by the time he called it quits.

Hello Bubs!

Day 29 - Galway to Westport 

We popped in to the old town of Galway to grab a coffee and we were in luck with our cafe as the barista was a young girl from Queensland who made the best coffee we've had since we left home. It was drizzling as we walked around the quiet cobblestoned tourist streets, taking in the underwhelming Spanish Arch before jumping into the car and continuing on our way.

Cong was a very pretty village on our route, and as we drove through the Connemara region to Clifden we passed lakes and rocky slopes, nice scenery which would have been even better if the sun was out!

As we left Clifden we finally saw a couple of Connemara ponies (K's old horse Bubs was part Connemara) and we took the panoramic Sky Road to see views of the coast. Unfortunately we arrived at the highest view point at the same time as rain and cloud which quickly obscured the vista. However, now being experienced Ireland travellers we knew if we waited long enough it would improve, and after 10 minutes the rain and cloud dissipated and our wait was rewarded with a wonderful view of the Atlantic Ocean and coastal islands.

The road through the Connemara National Park brought us to the grand Kylemore Abbey set on a picturesque lake with large gardens and more bus loads of tourists than we'd seen anywhere in Ireland. We decided to skip the interior of the abbey opting to view it from the outside, after which we visited the large gift shop (selling lots of expensive woollen clothing).

We continued through the national park and arrived in Westport for the night. We took a walk around the town, settling in to a nice quiet local pub for a drink (no Irish troubadours drowned out by singing Americans here) before dinner.

It's black and white

Day 28 - Brandons Creek to Galway

Breakfast was included this morning so M tried the Irish breakfast, which included black and white pudding - the white was better, but neither were that great!

A lot of driving today, and we started by returning to Dingle then heading north. We were well on our way when the GPS told us to take the ferry - it suddenly felt like we were back in Norway as we found ourselves waiting in line to take the 20 minute trip from Tarbert to Killimer. 

On the other side we started seeing a large number of police everywhere. We then worked out that we were only five minutes from Trump's golf course in Doonbeg which he is visiting on Saturday to present the Irish Open trophy. We drove past the parking for the competition which had a very heavy police presence, even though his visit is still 4 days away! 

After a lunch stop in Lahinch we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher with very little wind and the sun out. There were lots of people as it's a popular day trip from Dublin but as it's well spread out it didn't feel too hectic, though it is probably the busiest tourist spot we've seen in Ireland so far. The cliffs were good but after seeing the the Ring of Kerry and Slea Head Drive we were maybe a little undewhelmed.

A few kilometers down the road we stopped at The Burren which was very interesting with its worn and flattened stones. As we drove out of the Burren the hills from there and driving towards Galway were mostly bare grey rock, a bit of a surprise as up to now we've been surrounded by green fields and hills.

A night in the country

Day 27 - Killarney to Brandon Creek

Today we took the other famous Irish ring drive, the Slea Head Drive which starts and finishes in Dingle. All tourist traffic has to travel clockwise with only locals permitted to travel anti-clockwise. 

After an hour's drive to Dingle where we stopped for a coffee we then set off on the drive. First stop was Inch Beach, a beautiful beach which could have easily been found on many Australian coasts. We decided not to stop at the petting zoo and Hold a Baby Lamb corner, enjoying the dramatic Atlantic Way cliffs and rocky outposts.

The view at Dunquin Pier was very striking, overlooking the North Atlantic Ocean and the Blasket Islands. It was blustery but we were lucky to have blue sunny skies and no rain. The pier is a famous, steeply winding concrete pathway to the harbour. We grabbed some sausage rolls at the food stand and sat on the chairs enjoying the magnificent view while the wind blew the flaky pastry back all over us.

We dropped in to a local pottery studio before stopping at Gallarus Oratory, an early Christian dry-stone church shaped like an upturned boat. 

Our luck with the weather ran out as we were walking along Dooneen Pier where the rain drove us back to the car. We encountered very few large buses and the Slea Head road ended up being a much easier drive than the Ring of Kerry, and also had (to our eyes) more beautiful scenery.

We arrived at Brandon Creek, where we stopped for the night at the local (and only) pub. M went for a walk to visit an old stone fort on the slope of Mt Brandon, Cathair na bhFionnúrach which was excavated in the 1990s, before heading back to the pub where our room has a lovely view across the sheep paddocks and the dramatic landscape.

Around the ring

Day 26 -  Killarney

The Ring of Kerry is a very popular 179km scenic drive along the Wild Atlantic Way, starting and finishing in Killarney. Tour buses travel anti- clockwise and most cars travel clockwise. Killarney is packed with tourists and tour buses so we expected a fairly hectic day on narrow roads with frequent pulling over to let each other pass.

We left Killarney just before 9.30am with our first stop at the lookout called Ladies View, named after Queen Victoria who visited the spot in 1861, as it was a favourite place of her ladies-in-waiting. We were surprised that there were plenty of parking spots and not a lot of people, a good start to the morning. 

We skipped Kenmare as we'd visited yesterday, drove through the pretty town of Sneem then took the narrow road to Staigue Stone Fort. The ring fort is one of the largest intact and oldest stone forts in Ireland. It's dated between 300 and 400 BC and built in a circle with a high wall made of stone without any mortar holding it together. On the way back down the track we had some hairy moments with drivers who weren't really keeping up their end of the bargain in pulling over to give sufficient space.

We detoured to Derrynane Beach and went for a short walk along the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. We chose picturesque Waterville for a lunch stop only to find that there weren't many cafes, mainly pubs where the tour buses had got there before us so we drove on, stopping at a lookout along the way with great views of the coast.

We decided to branch off the ring and take the 50km Skellig Ring around the Iveragh Peninsula. We initially thought we'd made a mistake as the narrow roads and heavy rain meant we couldn't see that much. We reached Kerry Cliffs, by that time the rain had stopped so we decided to delay lunch and walk to the cliffs while the weather was good. The cliffs were very striking and definitely worth the detour as they were the highlight of the day. By the time we returned to the car the rain had started again so we we drove on to Carhersiveen for a quick lunch stop.

Cahergall Stone Fort, another prehistoric ring fort, was close by so we drove there, the rain quite steady now. From there we drove back to Killarney, arriving just after 4pm. Somehow we had missed most of the tourist buses and the large groups of tourists we were expecting, and had quite a peaceful day.

We decided we'd had enough of pub food and gambled on a Thai restaurant near the hotel. Although the food wasn't what you'd consider authentic, it was still quite tasty, M was especially happy with the Thai style potatoes, pretty much that restaurant's version of the spice bag, and something that really needs to be introduced back home!

I wish .....

Day 25 - Cobh to Killarney

After checking out of our hotel we walked the loop of the famous Deck of Cards, a steep street in Cobh with identical houses painted in different colours. They say that the houses look like playing cards, and if one fell down they all would.

It rained most of the drive to Kinsale, giving the impression we were not going to be able to see or do much today. However, as we arrived the rain stopped and we were able to walk around the colourful touristy town (along with all of the other tourists, it seems to be getting busier as we go on).

Kinsale is the start of the Wild Atlantic Way and after a quick stop at Charles Fort we drove on to the Old Head of Kinsale, a windswept diamond shaped headland with old ruins.

It rained again all the way to Kenmare but once again it stopped as we arrived. We visited Cromwell's Bridge, Our Lady's Well and the Stone Circle. 

The Stone Circle consists of 15 boulders arranged in an oval with a large round stone in the centre. The circle itself was interesting, but we could have done without the bit of card and the instructions to write a wish on the card and tie it to one of the trees. We did end up writing wishes, though - one was that we didn't have to pay, the other that they didn't ask people to write a wish and tie it on a tree.    

The rain started again as we left for Killarney, but it didn't get too heavy while we drove the first part of the Ring of Kerry, the famous loop that we plan to do completely tomorrow. Doing part of it today means we can skip some of it tomorrow, as we expect it to get very busy and it could be a long day.

We struggled for a car park when we arrived in Killarney, finally managing a spot after about 15 minutes of circling. We wandered into town and were unpleasantly surprised at how many tourists there are around. We had hoped that Ireland in September might be starting to quieten down, but so far it hasn't looked that way.

We found a quiet pub a short walk from the busy area and sat in one of the "snugs" - a small booth that were built so women could drink out of the public eye, before dinner and heading back to the hotel.

Surely that's unhygeinic!

Day 24 - Waterford to Cobh

We had to drive straight to Waterford yesterday so had missed some of our planned itinerary, so today we started by backtracking slightly to visit the Rock of Cashel, an ancient castle and building complex built up on a large rock by the town of Cashel.

We arrived in time for the 11:30am free tour. There was occasional sunshine but it was quite cool up by the exposed ruins, the guide was very knowledgeable and a gave a lot of good (if a little dry) information on the history of the ruins. We visited all of the main buildings, finishing in the chapel.

We stopped for a quick lunch in Cashel (note, sausage rolls seem to be quite popular in Ireland), then drove for an hour or so to Blarney Castle and Gardens, site of the famous Blarney Stone.

It wasn't as busy as we'd expected, visiting major sites during mid to late afternoon seems to be a good way to avoid crowds. We wandered around the gardens and joined the queue to climb the narrow spiral staircase to the top, passing rooms and features marked with explanatory plaques. It took us about 15 minutes to get up there, but the queue can get very long (an hour +) when it's busy. We also didn't realise that you need to lie down and kiss the Blarney Stone upside down, which is why the queue was moving so slowly. Each kisser had to be helped into a specific position (and it also looked like they cleaned the stone between kisses). We skipped the kissing bit ourselves, opting to watch a few people as they kissed the stone while a commemorative photo was taken, which they could buy later for 10 euros.

After wandering around the gardens for a bit longer we left and drove to our overnight stop of Cobh, a major cruise port, and also just happened to have a massive 4000+ passenger cruise ship moored just outside our hotel. Just our luck ......

We checked in and went for a walk into town, the massive ship looming large over everything else, wth hordes of passengers wandering the streets and crowding the bars. We went into one bar hoping for a quiet drink, unfortunately it was full of boomers singing along to the 80's songs played by the band. We legged it out of there and found a quieter hotel, where we had an Irish coffee and tried a local stout, while we watched the misty rain come and go over the ocean.