From Banrty Bay up to Derry Quay
From Galway to Dublin Town
No maid I've seen like the brown colleen
That I met in the County Down
~Star of the County Down
Distance accomplished: 115 miles
As a kid, hearing about Northern Ireland (and Belfast in particular) meant a news story about a local bombing, with counts of the number dead. The people in the area now refer to that turbulent time as "the Troubles," when the "unionists" (Protestants) wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom but the "nationalists"/"republicans" (Catholic) wanted to become part of the Republic of Ireland.
We decided to walk from our hotel on the south side of Belfast to Sandy Row, which had been a unionist area. The various factions had painted political murals on a number walls throughout the city.
The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) memorial remains.
Other murals have been painted over to celebrate more pleasant events.
Statues have been erected to commemorate other notable achievements.
From the political upheaval and violence of the twentieth century, we drove south and further back in historic events.
Castle Roche was a Norman castle not open to tourists, but stopping by the side of the road (quickly so as not to block access along the very narrow lane) provided some great pictures.
Mellifont Abbey was in operation for a few hundred years, until King Henry VIII established the Church of England, appointed himself head, and closed down Catholic institutions.
We ended our sight-seeing tour of Ireland with the ancient megalithic structures at Knowth and Newgrange.
The site at Knowth was created by stone age people, then re-purposed over the centuries by other groups.
The stone carvings of the stone age remain.
That ends our Irish travels! I intend to do a separate post about the food, lodging, etc.
Next stop, Britain!
Great pictures! Enjoy the next stage of your adventure!
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