NORTHERN IRELAND

Well here I sit in the dining room of our flat in Copenhagen. The small Prison Museum that I had hoped to visit today was closed and we do not know if it will be open while we are still here. That is a disappointment as I wanted to learn more about life in prison in the late 1800's since my great grandmother was incarcerated here in that time.

But I now have some more time to work on this blog. Today is 22 October and time has flown by. Our life has been filled with so many amazing experiences  there has not been opportunity  to write and post. 

We were in Ireland and Northern Ireland from 30 August until 11 September 2019. This will be the last post from that beautiful place. Our daughter, Jessica, designed our trip and made our reservations at the various B&Bs. She directed us to many things we would not have otherwise seen. We just hoped to see a bit of Ireland since Steve had ancestors in the Dublin area - the Dungans- way back in the 1600s. Our trip morphed into a marathon 12 day sight seeing tour. And what a tour it was!

Leaving Ireland and going to Northern Ireland we continued to see so many amazing sights. So many beautiful homes, well kept farms and much natural beauty. We headed towards Omagh with a stop in Enniskillen to check out a lace museum I had read about. It was an interesting place with many absolutely "drop dead" gorgeous dresses and other items in Irish lace. There was a castle in Enniskillen which looked interesting although we did not take time to tour it.

Omagh and our B&B, Tattykeel House, was our destination that first night. We also spent our Sunday there and were able to find a chapel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints so we could attend services. It was so nice to find lovely people and to find the same familiar comforting spirit that we always find when we attend our church services. 

One of the ladies there was talking about some missionaries who had visited her home many years ago. She said they walked 10 miles each way on a hot summer's day and were only let in to get a drink of water before they were sent on their way. But they left a Book of Mormon with the family. Back in those days there was a lot of superstition surrounding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [the Mormons]; so the parents were afraid to throw the book away and instead wrapped it in blankets and hid it in the bottom of a trunk telling their children that they MUST NOT TOUCH THAT BOOK. Well the lady told us that of course when something like that was forbidden the children will defy their parents and look anyway. So, when the parents were out one child would stand guard and the other two would unwrap and look at the book. It had interesting pictures in it and they liked the appeal of touching something which had been forbidden them. It was many years later after she was married and a mother before she again found the Church and became a member.

Our hosts, the Wards, were very kind and provided us with a lovely soup lunch to decrease our Sunday commerce. The soup was delicious and she graciously shared her recipe with me to try after we get home. Hugh took us to see the heritage center which portrayed the migration of Irish families to American during the potato famine which was very interesting. The potato famine had such long reaching consequences.

Then it was on to Coleraine where we would stay a couple of nights in Dromore House. It was a beautiful country home and our hostess was a great cook. One evening when I was so exhausted that I did not want to venture out to find dinner she fed us some  wonderful soup that we could smell as she prepared it.

We saw the Giants Causeway which had  been on my bucket list ever since I saw a photo of it years ago, Dunluce Castle and Dark Hedges. Then it was time to move along, squeezing in a little more beauty as we drove. 

In only 12 days Ireland carved a place in our hearts. We met lovely kind people with whom we had REAL conversations about life, politics and religion. 

One young man [34] expressed his sense of hopelessness as he considered the idea of finding a wife and of raising children because he felt there were no opportunities in northern Ireland and that the children would have to leave. It was so sad  to hear him. We have not hidden the fact that we are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have talked openly and freely about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and left a message of hope in our conversation. This young man was given my very last 'pass along' card which I still had from our mission. I hope he looked up the website and found the source of hope.

We have been greatly blessed and enriched by all the information we learned that was new to us. We are armed with recommendations of  books to read for when we are home and we are forever changed because of our experiences.

Standing in front of a small part of Giants Causeway where I had wanted to visit  for many years.

Enniskillen Castle.

Lace dresses

This one was particularly beautiful! We were told that sometimes Hollywood comes knocking to get items with lace for movie costumes.

Tattykeel House. It has such a beautiful yard with flowers and shrubs beautifully laid out. This space is sometimes rented as a place for wedding photography and has been featured in garden magazines.

The sunset view from our bedroom window.

The heritage center had examples of how life was lived in Ireland prior to the famine. Peat was a common method of heating. I have been interested in peat since it was a factor in the life of my great grandmother Petrine Amalie Jacobsen when she tried to warm her home in  the cold winter of 1886.

A cache of peat.

The beginnings of fall had begun to show. We have been traveling through spring and summer and now into fall.

This was part of the exhibit portraying farms of Irish settlers in America.

Steve with the  Wards

Just us in front of Tattykeel House.

On the road again.

Love the old buildings although this is not how things are now.

Dromore House.

View from Dromore House

This was  our room in Dromore House 

Giants Causeway! These rock formations are so amazing.

So  many rocks!

I was just fascinated by these shapes.

I suppose the constant wear from thousands of tourists have worn the stones a bit.

Although I did not walk over to that cliff many more rock formations were visible.

The formation in the hillside was called the 'Organ Pipes' for obvious reasons.

Out at the end of the rocks I took a photo for a man who was  on his own and he returned the favor.

Just a closer look.

Just another view of the rocks. It seems the grass and weeds have found place to call home.

Steve sat and waited for me to finish taking photos. It was a cold windy day  This was also the place where the bus dropped us off and picked us up to go back up the lengthy hill to the visitors center.

A path between the formations. There are so many photos posted and so many more  I did not use. This was such an amazing place to visit! And I was glad to check it off my bucket list.

These are hay bales seen as we left Giant's Causeway. I appreciate the farmer's sense of humor.

Next was a quick stop at Dunluce Castle. What an isolated place to live. I can't even imagine being happy living there even though I am sure it was very beautiful back in its heyday.

Can you even imagine how it must have looked?  

View from the castle area

The castle sits right at the water's edge.

Interesting stone work in the court yard.

Seaside view from the castle. a little misty on a rainy day.

I had seen a picture of Dark Hedges and apparently it is featured in the TV series Games of Thrones. The trees are magnificent but the view was marred by tourists.

There were signs which said the road was closed but I guess that was  meant for other people. It just kind of spoils it for the rest of us.

A large manor house near by.

An interesting path near the Dark Hedges.

After walking all over Giant's Causeway and then Dark Hedges I was exhausted when we got back and had a nap. I woke to the tantalizing smell of good food. It was just too much to consider trying to find something other than a Burger King near by for dinner. So, Steve went and asked our host if she had enough for us as well. She very kindly set up the drawing room for our light supper and then served us the most delicious soup! What a treat. We learned that she was Cordon Bleu trained and her Eggs Benedict the next morning were certainly a delight!

On the road again. Our time here was drawing to a close.

We had been looking for flags. It seemed they were not often displayed. But here you you can see the flag of North Ireland which features a clenched fist in side the red cross. And the Union Jack flies right next to it.

The church and cemetery photo taken for our friend.

Why can I say. We will miss the Irish country side!

And another rock wall. Just look at the spaces in between the rocks!

Isn't this gorgeous? And the sunshine makes everything look so much more beautiful.

the little town of Carnlough were we stopped to grab some lunch.

The harbor right by where we ate lunch. It was beautiful but too cold to eat outside.

On our way to the ferry in Larne.

The ferry dock in Larne 

We boarded the ferry and left this little piece of paradise.

And then we waited for our new adventures in Scotland. There are so many beautiful places in this beautiful world and we have been so blessed to see some of them.