Sobering

 Derry has so much “recent” history and we spent most of today learning about it.

Walking through The Bogside looking at all the murals, each telling their story was sobering.

Standing in front of the Hungerstrike Memorial was sobering.

Spending time in the Free Derry museum was sobering.

Understanding what occurred on 30 January 1972, Bloody Sunday, was sobering.

We have been “lucky” enough to have visited Auschwitz concentration camp which made one wonder and be saddened by how humans could treat other humans so badly and what occurred in Derry through the 60s & 70s had us wondering the same thing.

Photos from The Bogside are better than words

Peace mural - outline of a white dove and the Derry Oak

Mothers and Sisters - family of the hunger striker Patsy O’Hara

Tribute to John Hume - an Irish civil rights champion depicted with other civil rights advocates all of whom were awarded the Nobel Peace prize

Rememberance sign for the Hungerstrikers who gave their lives

Civil Rights - showing a group advocating for equal employment opportunities and voting for Catholic citizens 

The Rioter - a man holding a brick and facing a British Army vehicle

Operation Motorman - depicts a British soldier breaking down a door 

The Runner - showing a crowd running from clouds of CS gas deployed by the soldiers

Bloody Sunday - those killed on that fateful day

The Petrol Bomber - protestor holding a petrol bomb made from a milk bottle

Bernadette - the female activist Bernadette Devlin

Bloody Sunday - A Catholic Priest and others helping Jackie Duddy who was killed on that day

Palestine has not been forgotten as they fight for their rights just like the  Catholics did in Derry

A landmark at the intersection of Lecky Rd and Rossville and Fagans Streets erected on 5 January 1969 basically to tell the British this area is ours

A memorial to all who lost their lives during the Troubles

List of strikers who died

The Hungerstrike memorial 

The Peace Bridge

And on a lighter note

Within the walls

 Packed up and left Donegal in drizzling rain to relocate to Derry, Northern Ireland and en route we diverted slightly to Burt a rural area around 3km from the Ireland/Northern Ireland border and 8kms from Derry.

The purpose of our diversion was to see the Grianan of Aileach a stone cashel originally dating from the late 8th or early 9th century but restored in the 1870s

As we arrived so did the mist hiding the view of Lough Swilly, Lough Foyle and Inch Island but as we left the mist disappeared and we had a lovely view to the north

Arrived in Derry middayish and were lucky enough to have early access to the accommodation which is an upstairs apartment located in the Craft Village.

Found an overnight carpark for the Sportage but when I accessed the parking machine it would only take coins which I didn’t have so I went across the road to a superette and asked to use my debit card in exchange for some coins. They shop assistant was quite happy to do so but charged me 10% for the privilege

While I was away a lady parked beside our car, Sherry was standing beside it and she asked if she could help - Sherry explained that I was away getting coins and the lady said if any problem come and see her in the nearby bar where she worked. I was only away 3-4 minutes and as well as the lady a guy who  was walking to his vehicle saw the lady walking away from Sherry and thinking that they were together asked Sherry whether she was going to get coins for the machine and when Sherry told him what was going on he offered his still valid parking ticket to Sherry but even if she had accepted it it would not have covered the time we needed - friendly and helpful people the Irish!

During the afternoon we walked the 1.6km 400 year old city walls. The walls stand up to 8 metres in height and are the most complete circuit of historic walls of any town or city in Ireland and were constructed to protect the English and Scottish settlers of the new town that was established as part of the “Plantation of Ulster”.

From the walls there were views out over the city surrounds particularly of the Bogside the focus point for many of the troubles in 1969 and also in 1972 when a protest march turned into the bloodbath which became known as Bloody Sunday.

We will see what else Derry has to offer tomorrow 

The Grianan of Aikeach

From the walls

The Bogside

A mural in the Bogside 

Stained Glass in a Pub - Elvis, Beatles & Bob Marley

Hillary and Tenzing

 The day dawned almost fine so we set off to view the cliffs at Sliabh Liag approximately 50kms west of Donegal along the Wild Atlantic Way.

We hoped to stop for morning tea at Killybegs, the largest fishing port in all of Ireland, north and south and while we stopped and saw some of the sizeable fishing vessels we couldn’t find any open cafe so it was quickly back into the car to get out of the cold breeze/wind and we moved around the coast and stopped at The Blue Haven Hotel and had a coffee in their restaurant which overlooked Donegal Bay.

We continued on finally parking in the carpark at the base of a 2km trek up into the hills at Bunglas to a viewing point overlooking the cliffs. It wasn’t for the faint hearted as the initial .25 kms were, shall we say steep, and furthermore it was blowing a blustery gale into our faces.

Again when I say blowing a gale I mean blowing a f…g gale so much so at it’s worst it would almost blow you backwards unless you were anchored - I was Sherry’s anchor as she gripped me with both hands to try and stay upright.

After about 30 minutes of struggle we reached the platform and enjoyed the fabulous views of what at 600metres in height are reputed to be the highest cliffs in Europe, my watch indicating that we had climbed the equivalent of 33 floors.

Needless to say with the gale up one’s date the trip down was decidedly quicker!

Back in Donegal the bars were heaving as folk had congregated to watch the All Ireland Gaelic Football final between Mayo & Kerry and it was obvious that the majority support was for Mayo.

At dinner we started chatting with the front of house lady and I asked her why was there so much support for Mayo and the reason she gave was it was hoped they would break their curse.

Allegedly when Mayo last won the All Ireland 75 years ago they returned to County Mayo and at that time there was a funeral in progress and the players celebrations were deemed not respectful of the mourners so the Priest put a curse on the team that they wouldn’t win the All Ireland again until every member of the team had died.

The last member died two years ago and today the curse was broken as Mayo won.

Perhaps the more likely reason to support Mayo is because Kerry have won it 39 times previously, the most recent last year and Mayo had won it previously 3 times so they were underdogs.

To end the day we listened to a couple of young ladies entertaining the bar with some traditional Irish tunes - they had the bar singing with them creating a lovely atmosphere.

Tomorrow we return to the UK.

At Killybegs

Even if it rained those umbrellas had no chance of being raised 

It had to happen!

 Awoke this morning to a drizzly, overcast and cold day which didn’t make for easy driving from Sligo to Donegal.

We stopped at Bundoran which is a seaside holiday spot but even with umbrellas it wasn’t worth spending too much time out in the open so we continued on stopping again at Ballyshannon, said to be Ireland’s Oldest Town, but it was not open for business it would seem so we continued on to Donegal.

Donegal (in County Donegal so that is now 15) is a bustling environment hampered by a lot of traffic passing through the town but following our initial walk around we both thought it had a nice vibe - we hope for improved weather to see it in an even better light.

Found our accommodation and it was not ready for us, even though the booking from time had passed, something we have not encountered before and the hosts excuses fell on very deaf ears.

It was still drizzling as we left town for “home” following a very salty meal even though we were advised that it was fine and “everybody has different tastes”!

A short drive today and a short post as well.

I failed to mention yesterday that a shop assistant in Sligo picked up on our accents and introduced herself as a fellow kiwi from Geraldine who married an Irishman and moved here 4 years ago. We had a chat about life in Ireland for her - 3 kids, tried dairy farming in Tipperary “but that didn’t work out for us” so moved to Tubbercurry just outside Sligo. It was good to chat.

Photos from Ballyshannon

which was home to Rory Gallagher who was regarded as Ireland’s first rock star

and from Donegal

Inflation…

 .. ran rife in Ireland overnight if our experience is anything to go by.

Yesterday we passed a laundromat and enquired if they provided a quick dry cleaning service for travellers, was assured they did and was quoted a price for 5kg by weight that being the minimum.

Confirmed we would be back in the morning to drop our kit off with pickup in the afternoon. Before dropping the washing off we weighed it on our travelling scales and found it was approximately 3.5kg so with thar knowledge we handed it over, she weighed it and proceeded to charge us 14% more than quoted yesterday - no point in arguing as we need our kit cleaned but you do have to chuckle.

The morning, which was on the cold side of warm, was spent following a walking trail around some of the streets of Sligo however we didn’t find anything spectacular though did have an exchange with a passing motorist in the vicinity of the old Sligo gaol. He stopped his car and told us to go on inside as it was worthwhile to which I responded “if we go in there you might not let us out” - he chuckled and drove off.

Whenever we are walking at home we always try to make contact with others walking the street - usually it’s just a hello - and we might get a response in return 30% of the time however over here the locals tend to be the ones that initiate the contact before we have had the chance to do so - it’s very refreshing.

Also if you are standing on the footpath looking like you are waiting for a break in the traffic to cross invariably a car will stop and wave you across.

After lunch we drove out to Rosses Point, the peninsula visible from our front door.

It is part of the Wild Atlantic Way and is another delightful location that we have been lucky enough to visit particularly now that the day had warmed up with the arrival of the sun to counter a stiffish breeze.

In the Bay are two islands Oyster and Coney - fun fact, an Irishman named the island of the same name in New York because it was plentiful with rabbits just like the island in Sligo Bay.

At the end of the peninsula is the County Sligo Golf Course, a true windswept but well manicured 71 par links course where Harrington, McIlroy and Lowry won events in their amateur days. Also Tom Watson declared the par 4 14th to be one of his favourite holes.

I watched a foursome tee off the 1st and with out of bounds being on the right of a reasonably wide fairway and the wind blowing left to right 3 of them went left of the left bunker on the edge of the fairway into the “heather” the wind not playing its part while the 4th golfer hit his down the middle but by the time it had stopped moving in the wind and rolling over the undulating fairway he played his second from just inside the out of bounds marker! Visually it looked a brute of a course on days when there is wind off the Bay.

Another enjoyable day in the European Ireland 

Driving into Galway the other day a street sign highlighted that there you are liable for a €1900 fine if caught littering ($NZD3800)

And seen in Claremorris a €150 fine for dropping gum

Photos from today

Sligo Abbey

Sligo Gaol

A cluttered front yard

The Glasshouse Hotel

A quaint street

The river

From Rosses Point

The clubhouse 

On the 1st tee

By the 1st tee

Feet up mid afternoon