Lisbrin and Around

And just like that we were on our way to our last castle of our vacation. So unbelievable. We had five nights booked on the North Atlantic Ocean in a small area of Ballycastle called Lisbrin. This was about a two and half hour drive away from Killybegs. We were all sad to see the end of our time at Driftwood cottage but we were definitely looking forward to our next cottage.

We drove through Sligo and had to make a pit stop at Hertz to deal with a wee issue. It was a bit of a challenge finding the exact location of the Hertz rental store as we were told to head to the airport. The airport was extremely small, far from international. When we went inside, it was deserted of people. Fortunately, there was a number at the Hertz counter to call and we were given directions to head back to town. Once we found that location, Arlyn dealt with the issue and we were back on the road.

We arrived to a beautiful cottage. Two of the walls on the house were floor to ceiling windows. These looked directly over fields and down toward the ocean. The views were breathtaking. Calvin, Abby, and I stayed at the cottage while Arlyn and Kim headed back to Ballina to get groceries for the next 5 days. As Calvin curled up in bed, Abby and I went outside to explore the barn and visited with our neighbours (cattle and horses) and got completely soaked. It was definitely a short exploration. We dried off, Arlyn and Kim returned and we enjoyed our first dinner at our cottage.

View from our cottage.

The wind howled all night long. Sunday, we woke up to more wind and rain. It was a was a very lazy day. We all huddled around our books and curled up on the chairs, couches, or in our beds and read (or watched YouTube if you were under the age of 40)! I continued to read Dragonfly in Amber all morning. I enjoyed some Suits in the afternoon.

Around the dinner hour, we all emerged from our various cocoons and decided it was time to head into the village and have a meal at Mary’s Country Kitchen, a place that had been recommended to us by the cottage owner. Mary’s Country Kitchen is a well known eatery and is situated in a very small and cute old cottage style home. Homemade dinner was the name of the game.

After a lazy Sunday, we were geared up to get back into our touring pace on Monday. First stop was to head west a bit down the road to Ceide Fields. Ceide Fields was discovered in the 1930s by a local man named Patrick Caulfield. Patrick was digging in the bog when he noticed a pile of buried stones. Exploration of the area began 40 years later by Patrick’s son, Seamus. Ceide Fields is considered one of the world’s most extensive Stone Age monuments. Essentially, this area is the remains of a farming community from 5000 years ago. There is a wee museum in the centre that explains how bogs are formed and about the farming community that would have lived here. There is also a 20 minute movie that tells about the land, rock formations, and the discovery of the site.

Rock walls at Ceide Fields

After watching the movie, we geared up for a guided tour of the site. We got to our first stop and the rain started moving in horizontally. It was freezing. One by one, our group of interested tourists lost interest and headed for shelter. I really tried to stay to listen but I was getting soaked and it was just so cold that I had to politely run for cover.

We had a hot tea and a wee snack in the cafe and by the time we were done, so was the rain. For now. So, we headed back outside and walked the site independently. Unfortunately, without the guidance of someone in the know, what we saw was basically piles of stones that we figured used to be fences or the base of walls for buildings.

We left Ceide Fields and started heading east, back toward Lisbrin. Before we even made it back to the Lisbrin area, we stopped and found a standing stone that was in the middle of an old grave yard. The stone was marked with a couple of stylistic crosses.

 Standing stone

The next stop for the day was the Ballina Tourist Centre. Calvin really wanted to find a spot to fish and we were told that the employees would be able to help us out. We did receive some information from the BTC but best yet, across the street was Costa Coffee! Sweet justice. We collected all of the information and sat in Costa and enjoyed our coffees. Arlyn and Kim made a couple of calls regarding fishing and horseback riding. When we were finished with our coffees, and walked down to the River Moy in order to meet Gary at the Tackle shop. Unfortunately, the shop was closed. There was, however, a number on the door to call a tackle shop in a different town. Arlyn did that and the person who answer told Arlyn that Gary had a bad back and sometimes didn’t open the store but we were welcome to visit him in Foxford. We hung about the river for a bit and watched some fly fishers casting and recasting their lines.

Foxford was actually the next stop on our list for the day as we had heard that there was a woolen mill there. This mill/shop did not hold a candle to the shops we had visited in Donegal. We all left with “full” wallets! But the tackle shop came through from Calvin. We were able to set up a time for him to rent a rod the next morning. Luckily, we also got a call in to the horseback riding farm and set up a time for riding the next afternoon. Tuesday was now planned.

Driving home we were looking for stone circles and standing stones that were highlighted on a North Mayo County map. We found a stone circle and visited the remains of Rathfran Abbey. But we discovered that the map we had was rather useless. Even a local walker could not interpret it for us. So the poor map decided for us that it was time to return to Lisbrin, the cottage, and dinner.

 A wee stone circle.

Tuesday was an early rise day. We set off for Foxford to get Calvin set up for his fishing expedition. The drive took about one hour and was very quiet. I think that we were all a bit tired. It was earlier than our usual time of departure and we had been travelling for 5 and a half weeks. I may have even had a wee nap on the way!

One in Foxford, the tackle shop set Calvin up with a rod, tackle, and a very large (hopeful) net. Arlyn and Calvin stayed on the river as Kim, Abby, and I returned to Ballina.

I promptly deposited myself at Costa Coffee, bought a hot coffee, and read for an hour or so! Bliss. Abby and Kim took of for the shops. After the hour, they met me at Costa with shopping bags bursting with new purchases. We picked up some lunch items in order that we could have a picnic lunch between fishing and horseback riding.

We return to Foxford and met Calvin and Arlyn at the river. We spent some time watching Calvin fish. We saw a few salmon jumping in the river but Calvin had not luck, even with all of his inventive fishing stances, and super speedy reeling.

The owner of the tackle shop recommended a great area where we could enjoy our picnic lunch. A short drive away from Foxford was a small beach on Lough Cullin. This was a beautiful location for us to enjoy an outdoor meal.

Lough Cullin

Our next stop was Iceford Stables and horseback riding. Now, I have not been riding since I was a kid. I used to ride just about every weekend when I was in grade 3 and 4. And, I remember loving is so much. Now, as a 40 year old, I can tell you, I was a ball of nerves. I was worried about riding. But I did keep in my mind the thought that I should not be held back by things that I am afraid of. It was time to face this challenge!

Horseback riding

The employees at Iceford Stables were all very professional, supportive, and encouraging. And, they were 12 years old. They assured me that Casper, my ride, would be fine and would provide me with a comfortable and enjoyable ride. With the assistance of a step, I hopped up on Caspar and was ready for our trek. Once all of us were suited up and ready to ride, Liz, the leader, asked our guides to lead us around the barn for a couple of turns. We were instructed on how to lead our horse, how to instruct them to stop and how to instruct them to move faster. After we had completed this, it was off for our outdoor trek. We walked along the road outside of the stables. Moving slowly along the road and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and conversation with our guides. Next it was off to walk in the fields of the stables. In the distance, we were able to see the beautiful Ox Mountains. Everywhere you look, Ireland pleases the eyes. Finally, we returned to the barn and were given the opportunity to trot with our horse. That was fun. After our pictures were take, it was time to dismount. I can’t say that my dismount was elegant but I got down safely. It was truly an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.

Our last stop for the day was on our way home at Downpatrick Head. Downpatrick Head was an area/landform of Ireland that had been described to us in the movie at Ceide Fields. Named after the time that St. Patrick founded a church here, Downpatrick Head is a beautiful, rugged, area of natural beauty. Dún Briste sea stack sits just off shore and is a beautiful feature of this area. Downpatrick Head was also a World War II lookout post. It was super windy at the edge of the cliffs. The views were breathtaking.

 Downpatrick Head

After dinner back at the cottage, Kim, Abby, and I decided it was time to investigate the abandoned house that was located between the cottage and the shoreline. We made a couple of attempts to get to the house but were blocked, first by the shoreline, then by a bull, and then by the electrified fences. We were able to get fairly close to the house but were stopped by the fencing. So our exploration could not occur. One the way back we were walking near bogs. I walked a little too near the bog. Actually, I walked in the bog and my boot got sucked into the bog. The only way to get the boot out was to release my foot from the boot and, while standing on one foot, retrieve it from the sucking mud. Thankfully, no muck actually got into the boot, but it really was covered. Once again, rain forced us back to our cottage and shelter. Another busy day came to a close with some exploration and good laughs.

Wednesday was a day to explore some ancient stone structures. We had a later start to the day. Our first goal was to head to Carrowmore. Carrowmore is the largest Stone Aged cemetery in Ireland. The visitors centre has some information about the cemetery and you can rent a laminated map of the area that helps you to follow a path around the site and read about what you see as you journey. One the site are dolmens and stone circles. There is also a large reconstruction of one cairn that you can enter. Again, we were foiled by rain. Although I was able to read all of the information about the site and the stones, it was definitely a quick tour.

 Dolmen at Carrowmore

We ended up at a roadside pub for lunch that was between Carrowmore and our next site, Carrowkeel. We dried off and warmed up with a cup of tea. And then we were off to Carrowkeel. After parking our car, we hiked up the 1 km, on a path lined with sheep, to the top of the hill. I feel like I keep writing about how the landscape of Ireland is so beautiful and breathtaking, but it really is. It makes me happy to be outdoors in this country. It was a good spot for our last true adventure in Ireland. It was fitting to be hiking the countryside surrounded by sheep, rocks, wind and green. Carrowkeel is located at the top of Bricklieve Mountains. It is an ancient sacred site. Like Carrowmore, Carrowkeel has dolmens and cairns scattered around the site. We all spent time sitting and enjoying the scenery.

 Cairn at Carrowkeel

By the time we got home, the inevitable was staring us in the face. It was time to pack. We spent the evening trying to stuff all of our wool purchases into essentially the same amount of suitcases that we brought with us with varying degrees of success. In the end, we all managed to happily fit all our purchases in our cases. My case was 0.5kg underweight. Yikes!

Our flight was Friday out of Dublin. Kim had booked us a hotel room for Thursday night so we were not rushed on Friday. We had to drive from the west to the east of Ireland in a sub compact car with more luggage than was strictly necessary for 5 people. So, we decided to cut the journey in half by stopping at the Famine Museum in Strokestown. This museum was located on the site of Nicholas Mahon’s manor home. We opted out of touring the mansion and focused only on the Famine Museum which had been set up in the old stables. The museum provided information about the social structure of Ireland in the 1800s, the importance of the potato, the devastation of the Potato Blight of the 1840s. Also of interest was the information about the emigration of the poor and starving to the New World. So unfortunate were their lives in Ireland, the journey to the Americas took place on what became known as coffin ships. The landlord during the potato famine evicted starving peasants and chartered boats for them. A shocking 600 out of the 1000 people  died on the overcrowded ships. The last part of the museum focused on the early fight for Irish freedom and independence.

The last leg of our journey took us to Dublin. We had made a full circle in two week. We checked into our hotel and rested for a bit before we headed out to The Old Schoolhouse pub for our last dinner together in Ireland.

Friday morning we took our final group selfie outside of the hotel with as much success as could be expected for our group. We hugged and said our goodbyes. Kim and I hopped into our taxi. Arlyn, Calvin, and Abby were leaving from a different Terminal so they waited for a second taxi. And that was that. We were off to the airport.

Of course, as soon as we cleared security, we visited the Irish shop in the airport and made some final purchases. Apparently no day in Ireland is complete without some significant spending!

It is rather difficult to sum up. This post is entitled “Lisbrin” and it is about our final cottage stay but it is also the final post for this 6 week wonder trip. How do I sum it all up? Maybe the best thing to do is a top ten list???

Top Ten List

10. Travel. We are a privileged people. We live in an amazing country. But we also have the privileged opportunity to leave home and explore our world. Plane, train, taxi, boat, car, subway, tram, bus, and lots and lots of walking. These were all the means of our travel. But the means of travel are not really as important as the destinations and the experiences. Travel really opens your eyes to the way that people exist around the world. Travel also helps you to reflect on the way you live back home. Travel expands horizons. It opens eyes. Travel makes you see that people are more alike than different. Travel makes me grateful to be able to return to our amazing country, Canada. And finally, after you have returned, travel makes you hungry for more travel!

9. Education. This trip was a true education. I learned so much about World War II from the Eastern European perspective. I learned a lot about the horrific treatment of Poland during this time. I learned about the history of a number of cities. I learned about historic people that I had never heard of before in my life.

8. Food and drink. Of course a big perk of visiting other places is being able to experience some of the food and drink of the area. Perogies. Lody, 99s, Guinness, sausage, fresh fruit, scones with butter and jam, McVities, Sauerkraut, dumplings, beef stew, crepes, soda bread, Pogácsa (cheese biscuits), Galaxy chocolates, chocolate snails, trdelníks, Żywiec beer, McGargles beer, Lech beer, radler, Bailey’s, coffee, tea, and I am sure I have missed so much more. All enjoyable!

7. Differences in cultures. Most places we went in Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary, and Austria we had to pay for the use of the toilets. Sometimes there were attendants (what a job). But Ireland, toilets were free of charge. While in the cities, we were all very aware of the amount of people who still smoke. It was rather astonishing. We learned about tipping practices in different cultures. We experienced customer service in different countries. Sometimes attitudes were rather abrupt. Other times, very friendly.

6. Beautiful, old buildings. If you check out my Instagram account @tdotmcgdot you will see what I mean. Everywhere you look in Europe, you see buildings that have seen thousands of years pass by their doors and windows. It is truly mind boggling to learn that a building has been standing in the location you are visiting for more than 500 years. Sometimes it is difficult to fathom.

5. Wandering. I love wandering. It is one of the best things about travel. When you don’t really make a plan but choose to wander. It is amazing what you find when you travel this way.

4. Ireland. I have visited Ireland a few times before. I love it more and more each time I visit. Maybe my soul knows that my ancestors were from Ireland, there is a connection, it just feels like a coming home. The Irish are truly the friendliest people that I have ever met on all of my travels. They have a quick wit, are always willing to laugh and tell a story. They are helpful and full of life. It is a joy to meet an Irish person.

3. Auschwitz. I feel very privileged to have been able to walk those hallowed grounds. See my blog post for more: here

2. Laughter. Man did we have some good laughs. From Calvin’s shanking with the wee thistle prick at the Dark Hedges to Arlyn’s spread eagle on her horse to the multiple fails of our group selfies to the inventive hashtags, we spent a lot of time laughing.

1. Family. The top experience of this trip is the most obvious to me. It is having the opportunity to spend time with the wonderful Newbery/O’Driscoll clan. This family has welcomed me, with open arms, into their tightly knit family. It is one thing to be included in a family celebration. It is another thing completely to invite someone to travel with their family for six whole weeks. I am eternally grateful that I was invited. I am eternally grateful that I was included and treated like family. I am privileged to know each member of this family. I am lucky to be able to consider them apart of my extended family.

“Traveling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”

~Ibn Battuta

I know that I was left speechless many times over the past 6 weeks. I hope that this blog has been a great storytelling forum and has communicated the experiences in an interesting way to all those who read this.

Killybegs and Around

Wednesday morning we packed up and left Letterkenny. The car was loaded down once again with all of our luggage. We headed to Ardara as Kim had visited there before and knew that there were a number of woolen mills and excellent shopping.

We stopped first at Triona Design. We were greeted by Carmel, who showed us to the looms and explained how cloth was made from the fleece stage to completion. Unfortunately, there were no weavers at work when we visited so we didn’t see the looms at work. As Carmel, was chatting, a beautiful coat caught my eye. It was blue, so no surprise that it did. My goals was to purchase a woolen sweater from Ireland, so although I knew that was what I wanted, Carmel set the coat aside for me as well.

I successfully, and easily, chose the sweater that I wanted. I then hummed and hawed over the coat. I tried it on and really liked it. Then I noticed that the same coat came in green. I tried it on. Loved it. It was a perfect fit. Glancing at the price, I immediately pulled the brakes on even thinking about the coat. Unfortunately (fortunately?) I had a party of people with me who were encouraging me to purchase the coat. The battle was real.

I did purchase the sweater. And a hat. And left it at that.

Kim and Arlyn also purchased sweaters for themselves. We left the shop happy but questioning how we were going to fit all of our purchased in an already overstuffed car and in suitcases that had no room for more.

We continued along the main street of Ardara and stopped in at Nancy’s Pub where I had Guinness Stew and Kim and I had our first Guinness while in Ireland.

Then it was off to more shops. I purchased a linen shirt and my first every Ness purchase, thanks to Kim’s guiding hand and her love of the company. Kim was in her element when she noticed the store that sold Ness products and enjoyed the thrill of selecting her newest Ness purse.

We travelled along to the river and Kim and Arlyn and Abby visited a store that sold locally created items.

By the time we were heading out of town, Kim and Arlyn had decided that they needed to head back to Triona’s and I had decided that I needed that coat! So off we went. I am now a proud owner of that coat. I am also questioning how all of my purchases will fit into my luggage. Good thing I bought a new purse to help me with that.

After our morning of shopping, we headed to our cottage just outside of Killybegs. This cottage was the exact ideal Irish cottage that you would imagine if asked to do so. It was a renovated barn with an addition on the long side of it. The cottage was littered with unique touches. There were a lot of homemade wooden items created by Sean, the owner of the cottage. Fires were burning in the fireplaces to greet us upon our arrival. We were all in heaven.

Kim and I headed out for a walk to the beach at Fintra Bay. About a 10 minute walk from the cottage, we were given instructions to head down the hill, through the holiday homes, past the potholes, climb over a bank and we would be there. Although inventive instructions, they proved to be accurate and we made it to the beach. It was fairly rainy by the time we made it to the beach, so we had a wee look around and then headed back to the cottage.

Kim and I then headed out to get groceries and grab pizza for dinner. After dinner we enjoyed a rousing game of scrabble and some tea. This capped off another great day in Ireland.

Thursday we planned to explore a small part of western Donegal. Kim and I had mapped out at loose route to follow. We started by heading east of Killybegs toward the town of Kilcar. We stopped in at a woolen mill (!) In Kilcar. This time, the gentleman at the front desk invited us to head upstairs to watch weavers at work. We all trudged up the stairs of the mill and into the room where there were a number of looms and three men working away on them. The first thing that you notice is the noise. Using the looms is loud work. It is also rather physical. The first gentleman explained a bit what he was doing on the loom. The second gentleman, left his loom and took us to a couple of different parts of the mill. He showed us the fleece room. Humongous bags of dyed fleece come into the mill ready for carding. He also took us to the part of the mill where a woman was preparing the wool for the men to weave. Huge spools were being organized in groups 10 threads and knotted to keep them in place. Different colours are used and sorted in order of the specific type of pattern on the cloth that the weaver desires to create. The entire process is fascinating. It was wonderful to see cloth being made locally and to see craftsmanship continues to be appreciated.

We continued our drive to the village of Teelin. We headed to the pier there to see if we could book an angling expedition. We were told to look for Paddy. Unfortunately, the pier was rather quiet and Paddy was nowhere to be seen.

So we were off to the big goal of the day: Slieve League. Everyone has heard of the famous Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. Slieve League is higher than Clilffs of Moher, they drop 600 metres into the sea and are the highest in Europe. We drove past the car park and made our way up winding roads to the farthest spot one could drive. The views were spectacular. We spent time admiring the ocean and the views. There are walking paths that lead up the cliffs even further. The paths are also lined with steps made of stone. We continued on a climb farther and farther up. We left Arlyn behind and continued. Then Calvin and I left Kim and Abby at the edge of one cliff and we continued climbing higher. Our views were spectacular and it was exhilerating to climb so high and look out over the expanse of the ocean.

After visiting Slieve League, we headed to the Cultural Centre at the base of the cliffs, which was really just a man who could provide information. We all hopped on wifi as our cottage, lovely as it was, did not have any internet or wifi! We received some information from the cultural leader (who I noticed was also working in the kitchen) and headed out to find the court tomb in the countryside.

The court tomb is a circular stone structure, a chamber tomb. It is megalithic and thought to be used as gallery graves and for rituals. Across the road from the court tomb was yet anther woolen mill. And of course, we had to visit.

Further on, we visited the Folk Village in Glencolumbkille. This village was the brainchild of Father McDyer in 1967. He noticed that the area was lacking in prosperity and wanted to keep people in Ireland and thought of a way to attract visitors. The Folk Village is made up of replicated thatched cottages of the 18th and 19th centuries. They are decked out appropriately for their time periods.  Abby got a hold of the guide book and lead us around the village, reading to us about each of the homes and the daily lives of the inhabitants.

On our way back, we stopped by a farmer’s field which contained some dolmens, which are megalithic tombs. The generally have large flat stones laid across upright stones thought to be used as sites for burials. It is so interesting to see these ancient tombs and structures that are just standing in farmer’s fields with sheep and cattle grazing around them.

At home, we made a dinner and sat in the sitting room and enjoyed Titanic!

Friday morning, Calvin, Arlyn, and I drove down to the pier and Calvin got to do what he had been dreaming about and talking about since we landed in Ireland - go fishing. Calvin had found some fishing rods in our cottage. We all went to the tackle shop and we worked together to wind new line onto his rod. Calvin got some new lures and he enjoyed an hour or so of fishing off the pier. Calvin showed Arlyn and me one of the small fish that he caught. As we were chatting, Calvin told us that he caught about 10 more fish but didn’t bother to show us his haul.

We enjoyed lunch at home and then spent the afternoon at the beach on Fintra Bay. The tide was really far out and we were able to explore a bit in the pools that had been left behind from the last retreating tide. Irish beaches do not encourage a person to wear the same apparel as we do back home. I wore long pants, boots, wool socks, a hoodie, my raincoat, and a wool hat. I sat in a fold out chair and worked a bit on my blog.

Abby began digging and discovering. She found a beautiful wee starfish and then began her discovery of multiple sea urchins. After collecting a number of them, we placed them back in the shallow part of the water and marvelled at them as they slowly dug themselves back into the sand until they disappeared from sight. It was a really fascinating thing to witness.

Abby and Calvin ventured into the ocean a bit but definitely did not swim. It was just way too cold.

Our last evening in Killybegs, we ate out at the local hotel. I enjoyed some locally caught salmon and a beer from St. James’s Gate, Dublin! Once again, we have enjoyed a fantastic few days in this part in Ireland. We were all rather sad to see the end of our time in Killybegs and in our wonderful cottage. We were all, however, looking forward to our next stop, Ballycastle, which would be our last cottage in Ireland and the final stop in our 6 week adventure!

 My new hat.

My new coat. 

 Kim surrounded by Ness love.

Me and Calvin at the top of Slieve                                        League.

 Slieve League

 Thatched roof house at the Folk                                             Village.

 Dolmens

 Dressed for a day at an Irish Beach,                                             Fintra Bay.

Letterkenny and Around

Our goal for Sunday was the Inishowen Peninsula, and specifically Malin Head. Northeast of Letterkenny, Malin Head is the most northerly point of Ireland. This area of Ireland has more sheep than people. The roads, still called roads, are mostly very windy paths overlooking water, fields, and cliffs. Fortunately we did not meet too many other people on our journey to Malin Head as the roads are mainly narrow enough for one car to pass at a time.

We began our day with a stop at Moville, in order to gas up and stock up on scones for our anticipated picnic at Malin Head. We all enjoyed an ice cream at a local store. It was my first 99 since being in Ireland.

We then travelled to Stroove, which boosted a beautiful beach from which we could see Giants Causeway to the east and Scotland to the north-ish. Locals were wading and swimming. We were all wearing winter gear. The sandy beach quickly turned into a rocky shoreline where we climbed and explored. We were visited by two horse that were grazing rather close to the shoreline.

Our GPS didn’t seem to recognize roads where they existed and imagined roads where they did not exist so our journey to Malin Head was more or less following instinct and the minimal amount of road signs that existed. The journey was completely worth the views that we saw when we reached Malin Head. The ocean view was all around us. It was windy, sunny and cloudy at different points during our visit. We walked up to the concrete huts at the top of the hill. They were built during World War II by the Irish Army as lookout posts.  We picked a less windy spot and enjoyed our picnic lunch.

We wandered along the paths at Malin Head enjoying the views and attempting to spot a basking shark. The shark spotting was unsuccessful but Kim managed to see a seal. We follow the path along to Hell’s Hole, the place where the fenced path ended. Hell’s Hole is a chasm where the waters crash and was the location of Kim’s seal spotting. We did continue to walk out past the fenced area as there was still a lot of land to explore. Malin Head is a truly beautiful part of Ireland.

This was a Bank Holiday Weekend for Ireland. We attempted to find a restaurant for dinner on our way home but were denied a number of times as they were all rather busy. We made it close to home and ate at a hotel/restaurant close to Letterkenny.

The days certainly are passing very quickly and before we knew it, our day was over and we were heading home for a rest.

Monday we headed out to the town of Dunfanaghy as we had heard there was a workhouse and we wanted to visit. The workhouse had a wee museum with an audio guide. The guide told the story of the life of wee Hannah. Hannah had a difficult childhood, her mother dying when she was but a wee thing, leading to her father's remarriage. The new wife was very cruel to Hannah. She got a job, at the age of 12, at a local farmers. She was also treated rather poorly there. Hannah ended up, like so many other people, at the workhouse. The workhouse was a strictly run operation. Men, women, boys, girls, and even babies were all separated. Families who were in the workhouse together would rarely see each other. Meals were scheduled. Work was scheduled. In a workhouse, men were not permitted to complete working tasks that would take work away from men who were not in the workhouses. Therefore, jobs like unraveling rope and collecting rocks were allocated to workhouse men. Women were mainly involved with sewing and laundry. Children were taught daily. Hannah had entered the workhouse in her early twenties. As an adult, she spent time homeless. In her later years, community members got together and build her a wee one room home and provided her with the meager necessities of life. She lived until she was in her early 90s.

The museum boasted a really delicious tea house and cafe where we all ordered tea and scones.

Our next journey was through Glenveagh National Park. Once again, we found ourselves driving through beautiful countryside, along winding roads. We also managed to drive by a number of mountains, including Mount Errigal. Mount Errigal is one of Ireland’s highest peaks. It has a roughly pyramid shape to it. We around a large part of the base of the mountain and headed down toward The Poisoned Glen. An English cartographer misunderstood the Gaelic form of the name for the glen which should have been The Heavenly Glen. The Poisoned Glen stuck as its name. We parked in front of the shell of an old church made of white marble. Missing its roof now, the church still provides for some picturesque scenery.

After another big day of driving, we returned to Letterkenny to shop and eat our very late meal at home.

Tuesday was our last full day in Letterkenny and the first things we did is leave and return to Northern Ireland! Our goal was to visit Derry/Londonderry. I had visited Derry when I was in Ireland in 2014 and enjoyed the city quite a bit. We found a walking tour that we wanted to join. Our guide led a very large group of people around the city and on the walls of the city. The walls of Derry are still complete. This city has a very interesting history and our guide detailed the distant and more recent history for us. He pointed out for us the religious divides and the social divides that Derry has experienced. He talked to us about The Troubles. But the overwhelming feeling I got from him was the love he had for his city, Derry, and the optimism he felt for Northern Ireland.

Having done some research, and wanting a bit more detailed information about workshouses, we discovered a workhouse on line that was on the waterside of Derry. Easily found, when we arrived, we discovered that this particular site had closed in 2014 and was not available to explore. So that became the workhouse that wasn’t.

Our last stop of the day was Grianan of Aileach. Grianan is an ancient fort that was erected around the grave of an ancient chieftain. Although at the top of a hill, with spectacular scenery, we were treated to the traditional Irish weather, that is to say, it poured rain. We were standing in the middle of a cloud at some points. Our views were obsured and then the cloud moved on and we were able to see more of the beautiful countryside. The rain was rather cold so it was a quick visit to Grianan.

Soaked and hungry, we decided to head into Letterkenny for our dinner. We ate at a cafe and then heading home to watch a movie, pack and prepare for our next move to Killybegs.

 Malin Head

 Grianan of Aileach

 view from Letterkenny Cottage

 Doe Castle

 sheep

Return to the Emerald Isle - Newcastle to Letterkenny

On Friday, it was time to leave Warsaw. We caught our flight to Dublin!

I have been to Ireland a few times before and it is always exciting and wonderful to return. We picked up our rental car, stuffed all of our luggage into the trunk and tucked securely around our legs and were off to Newcastle in Northern Ireland, south of Belfast. We drove directly to our country B&B, called Tollyrose Country House, which was so beautiful. It was a pretty big travel day and we had made only one plan, which was to visit Tollymore Forest Park. The park is at the base of the Mourne Mountains. It is a completely beautiful park. A river runs through it and we selected to take a 5km hike along the river, following the red arrows. Our walk included an old bridge, a Hermitage, a couple of sites of stepping stones, and Parnell’s Bridge. Within the park, there are a couple of parts where scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed. That was pretty neat to see. But the forest was a beauty to behold. We were fortunate enough to see a few deer cross our walking path! By the end of our walk, it was getting later in the day and we actually saw an owl at the top of a tree.

We drove into town as I wanted to head toward the ocean. We chose to eat dinner at Percy French Restaurant on the Irish Sea. The restaurant had a Game of Thrones door! I enjoyed mussels (and baby shrimp a bit less so) and a wonderful sticky toffee pudding for afters. It was a good first day in Ireland.

Saturday we all enjoyed a full breakfast at our B&B and were out the door by 9. We made our way to the Dark Hedges. The Dark Hedges is a road that is lined with gnarly and twisted beech trees planted in the 18th Century. This was another Game of Thrones setting. All of the photos that I have seen of this sight are truly phenomenal. The trees were spectacular to see in person, however, they would have been even more spectacular if the three loads of tour buses where not there. The people clogged up the view.

Continuing on our northward journey, we headed to Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge. This bridge was originally used by salmon fishermen to catch salmon as they swam past. It has been used for 200 years. The bridge is 20 metres long, 1 metre wide, and 30 metres above the water. We parked in the car park near the water and below the walkway to the bridge. It was a 15 minutes walk to the bridge along the seaside and the views were spectacular. There was a line up to cross the bridge and a sign that said only 8 persons were allowed on the bridge at one time. Arlyn chose not to cross, so Calvin, Kim, Abby, and I walked across the bridge together to Carrick-a-Rede Island. The island is mainly a place to sit back and enjoy all of the wonderful views. You can actually see Scotland from this vantage point. We walked around and enjoyed the fresh sea air and the panoramic views.

The last stop on our trip north was Giants Causeway. Having been here before, I knew what to expect but that did not damper my desire to visit again. This time, the site was obviously much busier than the last time I had visited. However, it took us no time to purchase an entry ticket, enjoy a wee lunch, and line up for the guided tour. Alice, our guide, took us down the long path toward the ocean. As we walked, she provided information about the geology, the history of the site, and some legends. I love visiting here. It is a sight that I will never tire of seeing. We spent time climbing up and down the hexagonal stone columns. I took a lot of pictures but they will never capture the true beauty of Giants Causeway.

Our last stop of the day was our cottage accommodations that we would be sharing for the next few nights. Directs to these cottages are rather vague but with some rerouting and backtracking we made it to Garry’s Cottage.

Entrance to Tollymore Forest Park

The Dark Hedges

 View from Carrick-a-Rede Island

 Carrick-a-Rede Bridge

 Giants Causeway

 View from our Letterkenny cottage

Enjoying McGargles beer