Thursday, April 28, Belfast to Malahide

Belfast was a shipbuilding city, its most infamous, the Titanic. 100 years after the sinking a six story, E 97 million exhibition hall was built on the dry dock of the shipyard where Titanic was built and from where she was launched. The exterior of the hall is covered in aluminum panels and each corner points out like the bow of a ship. 

Inside, the high-tech, interactive experience starts in the 1900’s with an introduction to economic conditions in Belfast, proceeds to depictions of the shipyards and their dangerous and demanding working conditions, on to surround screens that immerse you in the trappings of various decks, displays of staterooms and steerage, (which was said to be more comfortable than the day-to-day living conditions of many travelers), and ultimately the tragic sinking. Interspersed are various artifacts: letters, menus, White Star china and tableware and even the original gates from the Harland & Wolff Shipyard.

Much to see and much to learn.

The Shipyard Ride is Disneyesque. Stepping into a moving tram car we are whisked through a mockup of the innards of the Titanic as it is being built. Signs indicate wait times, most likely for summer crowds. We walk right on.

The final gallery illustrates ongoing research in the Ocean Exploration Center.

Titanic Launch Site

Titanic Lunch

Before leaving Belfast we slip into St Anne’s Church, rumored to have a connection with the Davidson family. The docent inside isn’t interested in chatting about ancestors, he wants us to pay an entrance fee to tour the place.

St Anne's Church

Our loop is complete. We return to Malahide, the lovely resort town just outside Dublin.  Dinner at McGovern’s and one last night in the Pebble Mll B&B.

Tomorrow we fly east and west. All pieces back in the game box ready for the start of the next adventure.


We learned:

Kil means church
Bally means gathering place
Craic means fun
To pay a toll, go online and enter your credit card info up to 48 hours after you've used the road. There are no toll booths.
The Irish are proud of their language and work to preserve it. Road signs are in Gaelic and English.

What Happens in Ireland Stays in Ireland

Wednesday, April 27, Clifden to Belfast

Ardmore House has developed a walking path out to the cliff edge. It’s a good morning wake up walk and Anna does it twice. Once with her mom and Sean before breakfast and again with her grandparents after breakfast. More Spectacular Views.

Clifden Bay

We’ve notice placards protesting against salmon cages and now we see them floating in Clifden Bay, (the cages not the placards). The concern is not with land-based fish farms but these cages in ocean waters where they could be a threat to wild salmon and the coastal waters.

Salmon Cages

Long road trip today. All the way to Belfast, BUT there will be rewards at the end of the trail.

Traveling Companions

The Antrim Coast is as far north as one can go in Ireland. One must pass out of the Republic and into Northern Ireland. We leave the land of the leprechaun and arrive in stodgy old England. Gone are the stone fences along with the friendly people. We can feel the difference.

The picturesque north coast is reminiscent of our Oregon Coast. Sea stacks and rugged inlets. We find three places worthy of our limited time.

We skip the 45-minute tour at Bushmills Distillery, instead do a bit of a walkabout among the old buildings, view the stacks of casks and the copper vats and end up in the gift shop where with a whiskey purchase we are able to personalize a bottle’s label.

Next stop is the reason we hustled through Bushmills. We didn’t want to miss, the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge.  The bridge was put into place in 1755 by fishermen wanting access to the island known as the Rock in the Road (Carrick-a-Rede). Migrating salmon passed by on their way back to the rivers Bann and Bush to spawn. 

The bridge remains but the salmon are few these days.

A lengthy path threads along the cliff tops and we walk in the wind and sunshine to a booth manned by a supportive individual who encourages hesitant bridge crossers with coaxing words. He ensures an even flow of walkers and tries to deal with the uncertainty of many.

It’s a 60-foot rope and plank span stretching 100 feet above the sea. Uncertainty is reasonable. And the wind is blowing.

We are brave crossers and enjoy the views and sense of accomplishment on the other side, even though we recognize we have to cross the bridge once again to return to the mainland.

The Other Side

One more must see: The Giant’s Causeway. Soon after we step out of the car it starts to rain. We pull up our hoods and walk down the ½ mile paved walkway. (Sean jogs the entire way and waits atop a stone column ‘til the rest of us arrive.) When we near the bottom the rain stops and the sun appears. Perfect.

Along the coastline, countless hexagonal shaped basalt columns of various heights are tucked close to one another in a mosaic-like pattern. The whole scene looks manmade and legend has it that a giant is responsible. However, geologists disagree and claim volcanic eruptions are accountable for the display. The columns dominate the shore and then disappear into the sea where we’re told the columns continue underwater.

PS: if you arrive after 6pm the visitor’s center will be closed but you won’t have to pay a cent for parking and you’ll have the place to yourself.

We sleep tonight in Belfast at the unremarkable Holiday Inn Express. Big city, tall buildings. Dinner at Villa Italia. 4 out of 5 diners would recommend this restaurant.