Saturday & Sunday in Northern Ireland

---

Saturday, June 14, 2008
Portrush, Northern Ireland
We knew when we woke that we had cleared the dreaded day. It was no longer the 13th. That was good. We checked out of the no-star hotel and headed west about 9:00am in our new BMW. Jackie set Bonnie to find today’s target, Cairnryan, Scotland. This is where we were booked to catch the ferry to sail over to Larne, Northern Ireland.
The day was beautiful, clear and cool. Bonnie said that we had about seventy miles to our destination. The ship was to sail at 10:45am, so we felt that we had plenty of time.
The drive was really nice. There were many small villages along the way. The only hitch was my need to re-fuel. When they gave me the rental car, it only had a quarter of a tank’s diesel fuel. Right, that’s diesel fuel, the most expensive type. It is selling at record prices around the world, with possibly Scotland having the highest.
I had heard that all fuels were more expensive in Ireland so I was determined to refuel on the way Cairnryan. I finally found a place but it had long lines. After a considerable wait we moved to the front of the line only to find that there was a limit on the amount of diesel fuel that we could purchase. There is a strike of fuel tanker drivers in England which has spooked the country into a run on gasoline and diesel. I could only buy a total of twenty pounds worth, and that’s not a lot of liters.
Anyway, we made it to the ferry right on time and drove the BMW into the belly of the ship. It was big and had restaurants, video room, movie room, and shops. We located a nice sofa large enough to lie on and grabbed it. It wasn’t long before Jackie was asleep. I explored the ship and then took my own nap. The crossing took just short of two hours.
Finally, we were in Ireland. Everyone in the family knows that Ireland was our key targeted country. Our family roots have been traced to Ireland and I was one of the last of my siblings to make the pilgrimage here. Now, only Lamar, keeper of the family tree data, needs to come over.
We rolled down the ramp and into the nearby highway. Right away I spotted a Shell service station and pulled in to fill up. It had a Subway sandwich shop inside so Jackie came in to buy us a nice sandwich for our short drive up to Portrush. I discovered that there was no limit on the amount of fuel that we could purchase and I don’t think the price was any higher.
We then programmed Bonnie to lead us to Portrush so we could find a place to stay for the next two nights. The drive was excellent. We had some wonderful sea views and every town we passed through was interesting.
We have the Rick Steve’s guidebook on Ireland. So, we used it to find a B&B in the area. As we approached the location of the B&B we noticed dozens of small groups of young people all walking towards the beach. It was about 2:30pm when we arrived at the B&B. It was booked for the night but there was another next door that had a vacancy. We checked the room and took it. It is very nice and priced at 55-pounds ($110).
We found out that the crowds that were heading towards the beach were kids going to a huge beach party. There was a concert there and they were expecting about 20,000 to attend.
After settling in at the B&B, we went for a drive. We started our drive headed for the Giant’s Causeway. As we drove there we spotted the Old Bushmills Distillery. It is considered to be the oldest distillery in Ireland. It was granted its license in 1608, four hundred years ago! So, we stopped and did the tour before proceeding to the causeway. The tour was great and we finished with a whiskey tasting. Of course, we purchased a collection of whiskey from the gift shop.
We left the distillery and drove on a few miles to the famous “Giant’s Causeway.” It lived up to its representation. There are thousands of octagon or hexagon stones rising from the ocean along the beach. It is weird. There are different opinions on how they got here. I agree with the Irish. It was part of Finn McCool’s causeway to Scotland that he had built so he could visit his girlfriend there. They had a fight and he left her and destroyed the road on his way back to Ireland. Sounds reasonable to me.
We then returned to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We walked about a half mile to a restaurant that was recommended by our man, RS. The name of the restaurant was “55 North.” It was right on the sea and had large windows providing great views. Just to the right (East) was the large beach party concert. After dinner we walked where we could see the huge TV screen set up for the concert.
We stayed a while but it became colder as we waited to see more of the concert and we left. Soon we were in bed and fast asleep.
That’s it for Saturday.


Sunday, June 15, 2008
Portrush, Northern Ireland
Today is Father’s Day. Congrats to all of the qualified guys reading this blog.
I spent my day on the golf course. But before playing a round we started the day with a great breakfast at the B&B where we staying. Then we visited the Royal Portrush Golf Course to find out when I could play. I was told to return after 2:00pm when the course would be more available.
So, we decided to drive west to see more of Northern Ireland. In fact, our guidebook recommended that we visit County Donegal for a day. So, since I had a few hours to kill, we decided to drive west until we’d seen enough and then return for the golf.
We did not consider visiting Derry (or Londonderry, for you loyal Brits.ists). But as we traveled and Jackie read in our guidebook, we decided to exit the main road and see the notorious town.
For those that don’t know, Derry was considered a hot-spot during the thirty years or so of troubles (IRA bombings, etc.) in Ireland. There are six Irish counties in the north that are not part of the Republic, but indeed are part of the UK since 1923, when the rest of Ireland was granted independence from England. While most native Irish are Catholic, the majority of the residents in the north are English/Protestant. Catholic’s or Republicans, call this town Derry. Those loyal to Briton, call this town Londonderry. Get it?
During the Civil Rights and anti-war movements in the US during the 60s, there were uprisings in Northern Ireland that led to a sort of civil war. The conflict was between people loyal to Briton on one side and those wanting full Irish independence, on the other. The beginning of this war got ignited on Sunday the 30th January, 1972. On that day, the British Army opened fire on young residents in a low-income Derry neighborhood, called Bogside, and killed 14 people. After this many people joined the IRA, the underground army fighting for independence. It set off a war that lasted for nearly 30 years. In 1998 a treaty was signed bringing peace to this area. Only now are people beginning to believe that this time peace will last.
We learned a lot and recommend that others interested in this recent history visit this area. I ended the day in a local pub that endured throughout this entire period.
We returned to Portrush right on schedule. I decided to play without a caddie. It was about 2:30pm when I teed off. I hit a good drive and even better second shot and pared the first hole. I did the same on the second and thought I was headed to a record round. Then on number 3, a long par 3, the course brought me down to earth.
Anyway, I had a good round for me and thought that I would break 90 when I hit my tee shot on 18 to within six feet. I needed a birdie to shoot 89. The pressure got to me and I missed. But I got the par for an even 90.
After golf we went up to the club house. By this time it was about 6:00pm. There were only a few people remaining. While talking to the bar tender and waiter, I confirmed what I had heard the day before. Darren Clarke, the Irish golfer, played on the course the day before with some family members. His late wife was a native here and was buried in the cemetery nearby. The waiter told me that his wife’s sister was his next door neighbor.
After drinks, we went back to the harbor for dinner. We had a wonderful salmon dish. It was another long day and we were both ready for bed.
That’s it for Sunday. Tom

---

Photos

Antrim Coast
The seascape was fabulous.

Dunluce Castle
The ruins are all that is left.

Old Bushmills
This was a great tour and finish

Tom's giving his approval
Irish whiskey has replaced my taste for Scotch.

Giant's Causeway
You have to see this to believe it. There's four miles of it.

Derry Northern Ireland
This street made international history in 1972

Murals on the buildings
There were more than a dozen of these.

Monuments to the fallen
It was a bit spooky here. At least it is safe today.

Irish Repulicans that have lost their lives in the battle
Look for D'Arcy from County Galway.

Bloody Sunday
Fourteen people were killed by the British Army at this event. Six of them were only 17 years old.

In the Bogside Pub
This pub is right in front of where the battles were fought. It never closed then or in the years since.

Royal Portrush Golf
Tom's getting ready.

D'Arcy Restaurant
This is in Portrush. We found it after we had dinner on Sunday night.

Comments

[Pam]

I was wondering if yall had planned to visit the Giant's Causeway. I would love to see that, but unfortunately we didn't get up that far when we visited Ireland last year. It looks like such a amazing site! I'm glad you were able to visit and take photos!! Hey, do you think one of our ancestors owns that D'Arcy Restaurant?? I'm sorry about the car troubles but it sounds like you are not going to let it spoil your trip!! Have fun in Ireland!!