Day 11
This morning we packed up the coach and bid farewell to Westport. Westport was our only "one night stand" and I didn't really feel like I caught the "pulse" of the town. I'll just put it on the itinerary for my next trip to Ireland and that will give me a chance to really explore.
At some point today we will cross the border, leave the Republic of Ireland (temporarily) and enter Northern Ireland. We will spend the next two nights in Portrush, Northern Ireland.
Pat O. at Yeat's grave
Our first stop was in the village of Drumcliffe, County Sligo. Drumcliffe is where the Irish author William Butler Yeats is buried. Yeats was one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. Sir James parked the Golden Steed at St. Columba's Church of Ireland and we headed for the cemetery. Yeats died in 1939 and was buried in France, near the border with Monaco. In 1948 his body was returned to Ireland and interred in the cemetery at Drumcliffe as per his request. The village is also known for it's 10th or 11th century round tower. Conveniently, this is located right across the street from the church so we had a fine view of it also.
Also in the churchyard is a Celtic High Cross which is from approximately the same period as the round tower. Both the tower and cross survive from the monastery that was originally built here. The cross is carved in decorative motifs like celtic knots and also contains biblical scenes such as Adam and Eve.
Pat O. at Donegal Castle
Following Drumcliffe, Pat O. took us to "Donegal Town". On the trip I discovered that when there is a town with the same name as the county that it's in, it's common to add "town" after the name so as not to get confused with the county. Donegal translates from the Irish as "stronghold of the foreigners" meaning the Vikings. We were on our own for lunch, so Robin and I stopped for a quick bite and then wandered around the town, taking pictures and window shopping. The elections were coming up soon and the town square was blasted by political propaganda coming from a car with loudspeakers on top.
In our wanderings we came across Pat O. shooting pictures of Donegal Castle. The castle was built in 1474 by Sir Hugh O'Donnell, head of the O'Donnell clan. The clan remained in the castle until 1607 when they fled Ireland. In modern times the castle lay in ruins but now is almost completely restored.
Our "orders" were to meet the coach in the town square. It was another warm, sunny day and as we all met back up, it was apparent that ice cream cones were a popular choice.
Than the happiest day of your past.
Ice Cream in Donegal
After leaving Donegal Town we arrived at the border. The border was obvious to us because we had to cross the River Foyle. Pat O. had alerted us that the only way to tell when you've crossed into Northern Ireland (other than a river) is that the stripes on the road change and the speed limit signs show miles per hour instead of kilometers. Pat O. explained to us that crossing the border is just a daily occurrence for many locals. Gas is cheaper in the Republic of Ireland so it's common for the Northern Irish to cross the border to fill their tanks. The reverse is true of groceries. Irish that are looking for cheaper food prices head into Northern Ireland.
Martin, our local guide
Since I spent what seems like most of my life reading about the unrest in Northern Ireland, I was anxious to see what it looked like in more peaceful times. I didn't have long to wait for that. We stopped in Derry/Londonderry (citizens in favor of making Northern Ireland part of Ireland call it Derry and those who want it to remain part of the United Kingdom refer to it as Londonderry). We hooked up with Martin McCrossan who would be our local guide while we were there. Martin was one of the best local guides I've ever had on a Rick Steves' tour and there have been some great ones! If you are ever in Derry please make sure to book Martin for a tour. He's insightful, he's entertaining and he's even inexpensive. He was able to distill Northern Ireland's "Troubles" into a format even I could understand. Our walk included viewing some of the political murals still in place. Derry/Londonderry is Ireland's last remaining walled city and Martin took us up on the wall for part of the tour. Martin referred to the wall as "Noose to Necklace".....what was once at the center of the uprising is now one of it's jewels.
It was now time for another chapter of "what a small world". While we were on the wall, another local guide, Rory O'hara stopped and asked where we were from. When I told him Southern California he asked if I knew of "O'Hennessey's" in Seal Beach. When I said I did he said "tell them Rory says hi!" Unbelievable!
Mercury Rising - the lead story
We finished the day in Portrush and upon checking into the hotel I noticed a newspaper. The headline was "Mercury Rising". The article said that temperatures had hit 30° Celsius which is about 86 ° Fahrenheit. The pictures showed smiling Irish frolicing in the surf, with their friends and even their horses. Our California magic was still holding! OK, OK....maybe it's Florida weather too! Who is going to believe I came to Ireland and got a sunburn?
We were given a room with an incredible ocean view. Our bathroom had one of those heated towel racks and we discovered that it worked great for drying the clothes we hand washed. Dinner that night was a group affair at the "55 North" restaurant. The location was right on the bluff overlooking the ocean and the seaside glass wall of the restaurant gave us a fantastic view. Our food was as good as the view and it was a wonderful end to the day.
