Well, we are no longer in Northern
Ireland. We crossed the border about 8:30 this morning at a crossing where
there used to be a huge British military camp. This was to prevent anyone who
had no legal need from entering into Northern Ireland during The Troubles. At
that time, the British presence was a fact of life. Thankfully, the British and
the Irish have come to a point ten years ago where they have started to live
more peacefully. They still have more work to do to sort out issues, but they
are doing well, given the circumstances.
Our first stop this morning was at
Donegal Castle. This castle was built approximately 1,000 years ago and, for
approximately 300 years, sat empty and became run down. Part of it has been
restored and they did an excellent job of it. Hopefully, more of the
restoration will happen in the future.
We then walked around the corner to
visit a shop where they weave their own tweed. We were greeted with Irish
coffee of which I did not partake as I do not drink coffee. This was followed
by a demonstration of the types of tweed that they make there and the process
that is involved. It was interesting to watch the tweed being woven. They do
produce some very nice tweed but I had no interest in purchasing any.
Back on the bus, we then travelled
to Drumcliffe to visit the cemetery where W.B. Yeats is buried. We were given a
short biography on the bus and we had the opportunity of finding the grave as
well as visiting the church that is there. This particular cemetery has a long
history as some of the graves have headstones made with the celtic cross. I
would have liked to spend more time, but we were running a bit lake.
Lunch was at a restaurant named The
Helm which is situated on Clew Bay. Because it was mid afternoon, we were not
expecting a big meal. We were wrong. However, the food was delicious.
After lunch, we were taken over to
Westport House. It is another site that has a long history. We heard about
Grace O’Malley and her descendants. We were given a tour of the first floor and
then left to explore the rest for ourselves. I found the dungeon and enjoyed
the bit of fun that it provided.
We are now at our hotel and will
shortly be going for dinner. Tomorrow, we have some more touring to do, but we
will not be changing hotels.
No comments:
Post a Comment