To the North and Back

I arrived in Northern Ireland last week after finding a cheap Easyjet flight from Glasgow to Belfast. I stayed with my friend Richard’s parents in Antrim for a few days. On my second night, they took me for a coastal drive along the famed Antrim coast through the Glens of Antrim all the way to Portrush. On a clear day you can see across to Scotland, but unfortunately the night we went couldn’t have been any foggier. In fact, on the supposedly most spectacular part of the drive we were actually driving through a cloud and could barely see three feet ahead, let alone miles across to Scotland. I enjoyed the drive regardless and sat taking in the scenic greenery of Northern Ireland.

I spent the next day touring Belfast city. I decided to take one of those big, red sightseeing buses. In every city I visit I always want to take one but they are usually expensive so I opt to walk around myself finding the sights. Everyone recommended that I take a black taxi tour of Belfast but when I contacted the different companies I was told that it would cost 25pounds for one person. I asked to join another group if possible but I was denied. I figured the big red bus would be the next best thing so I bought a ticket,
sat back, and listened to the driver comment on the sights and the history of Belfast. We passed the murals in West Dublin, where most of the troubles of the past culminated, and it was fascinating to see the opposing sides. Though Belfast is in a time of peace at the moment and the troubles are, for the most part over, there is still tension between the two sides and it is most apparent in West Dublin where the Catholic and Protestant areas are divided by 50 foot fences in some places. It’s crazy to think that a westernized country like Northern Ireland isn’t exempt from hostilities
stemming from religion and country loyalties.

The next day I took a bus down to Dublin where I met up with Anthony. Since he was extremely jet-lagged after having flown direct from Australia, I set out on the streets of Dublin on my own for a bit and ventured down the main thoroughfare, O’Connell Street, to take in some city sights. The next day Anthony and I went to the Guinness Storehouse. The storehouse was huge and full of information on everything Guinness but was a little expensive at 14euro. It did, however, include a free pint and I had my first proper pint of Guinness. It’s not my favorite beer in the world and is a bit on the heavy side, but I did enjoy it. We met up with his friend, Paddy, later that day and stayed with him for another night in Dublin before heading north to County Cavan, where Anthony is from.

I spent a few days in Cavan and saw my first Gaelic football match. I’d only ever heard the term Gaelic football but had no idea what it entailed. It seemed to me to be a little bit of every sport thrown together. It’s like rugby, soccer, and American football all rolled into one. I also saw the Shannon Pot, which is where the Shannon River, Ireland’s longest river, rises from the ground. I decided though to rename it the Shannon “Kelly” in honor of one of my dearest friends.

We decided to rent a car for the next few days and head up north. Traveling Ireland by car is by far the most convenient way to see the country but since Anthony doesn’t have a driver’s license, I had to drive. I didn’t mind until I found out that the car rental company didn’t have any automatics. Now I know how to drive manual – it’s what I learned on – but I hadn’t driven a manual in almost six years and not only did I have to drive a manual, but it was on the opposite side of the road. At first I was nervous, but I practiced on his mom’s car to get used to it. The rental company gave us a brand new Toyota Yaris and off we went. It was a little awkward at first but I got the hang of it and drove around Northern Ireland and the north of the Republic for the next three days. It took a little getting used to the serious amount of roundabouts but I was virtually a pro by the time we dropped the car off.

The Giant’s Causeway was our first destination. We made it to Portstewart, where we were staying, in good time and then set out for the natural wonder that is the Giant’s Causeway. Basically, it’s a series of honeycomb-shaped rocks formed through volcanic activity. It looked to me like a rock version of Superman’s home in the original Superman series. It was interesting to see and was an absolutely beautiful day so we spent some time there before heading to the Bushmill’s Distillery. I’m not big on whiskey but it was interesting to learn how it’s made and matured. Like the Guinness tour, this one also came with a free drink but I decided to go for a hot tottie, a delicious blend of whiskey, sugar, and hot water, instead of straight whiskey.

We left Portstewart the next day and headed southwest to County Donegal. We checked into our hostel in Letterkenny and headed out for a drive to see the beautiful countryside that Donegal is known for. We drove for a few hours up to high point overlooking the water and mountains, and then made our way down to a nearby beach and set up camp for a few hours. It was an extremely peaceful afternoon barring the two women, their children and dogs that decided to set up near us. The children screamed the whole time and the dogs ran all over the beach, jumping on me and Anthony a few times. The women finally leashed the dogs to the bumper of their cars after their wet dogs jumped on us for the fourth time and we jumped up yelling.

Since our three-day lease was almost up, we went back down to Sligo to stay with Anthony’s aunt for a night before dropping off the car the next day. We went out to Strandhill, a really picturesque beachfront area, and decided to get impromptu seaweed baths. I’d never had a seaweed bath before but they are supposed to be good for the skin and circulation. I started with a steam and then took the bath. I could barely take the steam room – it was way too hot for me, and my face looked like a tomato when I exited. I was supposed to stay in there for five minutes but I barely lasted four. I think if someone wanted to torture me, all they’d have to do is throw me in a steam room. I’d give up any information they wanted. The bath was too hot for me at first but once I got used to it, it was extremely relaxing and enjoyable. We met up with Anthony’s aunt after our baths, and went out for dinner on the water to soak up the last rays of the day. I have to say that the weather in Ireland has been brilliant. I even had beautiful weather in the UK. Everyone complains about how gray and rainy it is, but luckily I’ve had a different experience.

Anthony and I headed to Galway the next day. We were supposed to meet up with Shane, Anthony’s friend, in the early afternoon but Shane got held up at work so Anthony and I dropped our things off in front of his flat and laid towels on the grass to sunbathe. We had no way of getting into the apartment so we chilled on the lawn for a few hours waiting for Shane. The weather was so nice though that I didn’t mind one bit. Eventually Shane arrived and we all went out for dinner and a fantastic night on the town sampling the best of Galway pubs.