Spent the week of June 7-14 near the village of Dunfanaghy in County Donegal which, as you can see from the map below, is in the far northwestern corner of Ireland. It's one of the "Gaeltacht" regions in the Republic - areas where Irish is the primary language spoken. It's not unusual to hear the locals speaking it to each other in normal conversation. After the language nearly died out during English rule, the government initiated a program to reemphasize the language and it's gradually coming back into common usage again...especially in the north and west of the country.
As usual we found several pretty day hikes to keep us occupied when the weather cooperated. This was Glenveigh National Park - located in a remote valley and along a scenic lough. The English Lord who built the place was roundly hated by the local people after he directed the last of the great land evictions in 1861 - in one day he booted about 25 families from their homes in the surrounding area.
The hike paralleled the lough for 3 or 4 miles and then followed the river to the head of the glen...really a scenic place. Supposed to be a resident herd of red deer in the area but we never saw any.
One fun side trip was to the Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh in Northern Ireland. The park is really well done - telling the story of the first Irish emigration to America in the early 1700's - something of particular interest to me since I'm about 99% sure that our earliest Mullins ancestor was a Scots-Irish Presbyterian who was swept up in that...probably as an indentured servant in around 1718.
It's an outdoor park spread out among 30 or 40 acres of land and includes period buildings, including one small village, from the era before and after the great migrations. This thatched cabin could be the twin of the one we stayed in earlier on this trip.
Found a neat little off-the-beaten path place called the Ards Friary - a Franciscan monastery not far from us - which bordered a pleasant forest park with lots of trails back through the woods, around a scenic headland, and along this gorgeous stretch of sandy beach. The water was crystal clear, and the whole scene reminded us of some of the pretty beaches in New Zealand or Hawaii.
Next up was Derry (or Londonderry to the Brits) a midieval walled city with a ton of history. It was here that the "Plantation" of Scottish and English settlers began back in the late 1500's - displacing the native Irish and eventually setting the stage for the "Troubles".
We had just arrived in the city and were about to start a walking tour when we were interrupted by this march of uniformed "Apprentice Boys". The original apprentice boys were the ones who closed the city gates to the Catholic king James I in 1688...beginning a siege that lasted for over 3 months until relief arrived from England. The war that was begun here eventually ended a couple of years later when William of Orange was victorious at the Battle of the Boyne...an event that still resonates after over 300 years. It was an Apprentice Boys commemorative march in 1969 that resulted in 3 days of riots and, ultimately, to 36 years of civil war in Northern Ireland, with Derry being at ground zero.
As a result of the sectarian violence that scarred the city from 1969 until 2006, most of the Protestant population moved across the river Foyle. This little enclave is all that remains...located just outside the city walls. "No Surrender" was the battle cry of the defenders of 1688 and, as you can see, it still resonates today.
Looking down in the other direction from the walls at the "Bogside" - the Catholic neighborhood that was the epicenter of the upheaval that wracked the city for over 30 years.
The Bogsiders have long memories too...and know how to hold a grudge. Standing on this spot 15 years ago would have gotten us shot. There's only been peace here since about 2006 and the city has started to rebuild with a vengeance. What once looked like something from "Apocalypse Now" is today one of the prettiest cities we've seen. Tourists are starting to discover the place and the economy is really starting to take off. We enjoyed it here very much.
After dodging rain showers and generally blustery weather for several weeks we finally got lucky with some sustained sunshine and fair weather. Took advantage of it one day to drive out to the "Causeway Coast". Along the way we stopped off at Dunluce Castle, which hangs on the edge of this cliff near the town of Portrush. Built in the 1600's, the story goes that one night the local Lord and his Lady were hosting a dinner for some distinguished visitors when the kitchen (and the kitchen staff) fell into the sea. Must have delayed brandy and cigars...
The end point of the drive was The Giant's Causeway, an ancient volcanic anomaly that features thousands of these octagonal columns stretched out along the coastline - and apparently into the sea all the way across the channel to Scotland where a similar formation exists. Made for a pleasant walk on a sunny day. We even got lucky and timed it to miss most of the tourist hordes.
Didn't expect to enjoy Derry and the surrounding area as much as we did, and now we're off to Belfast for 4 nights. Hoping the sun sticks around for a while..
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