Ireland - Day 6 (Monday)

Monday was a last, full day to enjoy Ireland therefore we decided to take a day trip to Northern Ireland or as some call it North of Ireland. We loaded up on a much smaller bus with Paddywagon tours bright and early for our long drive to Northern Ireland. The tour included a visit to Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, views of Rathlin Island, Dunluce Castle, Derry and Giants Causeway. A reminder that Northern Ireland currency is pounds so make a stop at the bank before heading north.

The bus made a brief stop in Belfast which allowed us a little time to wander around the area with a brief visit at the Queen's University Belfast.

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom with a population of 1.5 million. Northern Ireland consists of six of the nine counties of the Irish province of Ulster. It was created as a distinct division of the United Kingdom in 1921 under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, though the constitutional roots lie in the 1800 Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland. For many years, Northern Ireland has been the site of a violent and bitter conflict caused by divisions between nationalists, who are predominantly Roman Catholic and unionists, who are predominantly Protestant. The unionists want Northern Iowa to remain as a part of the United Kingdom, while nationalists wish for it to be politically reunited with the rest of Ireland, independent of British rule. If you enjoy history I'd highly recommend the trip as the tour guides are not only entertaining but will provide you a history lesson which is quite rich.

The first stop was at Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, a rope suspension bridge that links the mainland to the tiny Carrick Island. The bridge spans twenty metres and is thirty metres above the rocks below. There is an admission fee to cross the bridge but is quite steep considering how short the bridge is. You would be better off enjoying the views from the well-maintained walking path.

The main attraction of the trip was a visit to Giants Causeway. Our lunch stop was at Causeway Hotel, founded in 1836 is a well known establishment as it's situated next to the famous Giant's Causeway. The Giants Causeway is an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disapper under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest is about 39 feet high and the solidified lava in the cliffs is roughly 93 feet think in places.

The story is that the Irish warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill or Finn McCool spent many days and nights trying to create a bridge to Scotland because he was challenged by another giant. A fellow boatsman told him that the opponent was much larger than he. Finn told his wife and she came up with the plan to dress Finn like a baby. When the opponent came to Finn's house; Finn's wife told him that Finn was out woodcutting and the opponent would have to wait for his return.  Finn's wife showed the opponent her baby and when the opponent saw him he was terrified at the thought of how huge Finn would be. He ran back to Scotland and threw random stones from the causeway into the waters below.

Historical Boot of Finn!

The next stop was Dunluce Castle, a now ruined medieval castle accessible via a bridge connecting it to the mainland. The castle is surrounded by extremely steep drops on either side.

Our final stop of the trip was to Derry, the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland. The legal name of the city is Londonderry. The name "Derry" is preferred by nationalists and is broadly used throughout Northern Ireland's Catholic community, as well as the Republic of Ireland, whereas many unionists prefer "Londonderry", however in everyday conversation Derry is used by most Protestant residents of the city.

Derry is the only remaining completely intact walled city in Ireland. The walls constitute the last walled city to be built in Europe and stands as the most complete and spectacular. The walls were built during 1613-1619 and are approximately 1 mile in circumfernce and vary in height and width between 12 and 35 feet, are completely intact and form a walkway around the inner city. The four original gates to the Walled City are Bishop's Gate, Ferryquay Gate, Butcher Gate and Shipquay Gate. It is one of the few cities in Europe that was never breached, withstanding several sieges including one in 1689 which lasted 105 days.

Although the trip is a long day it is well-worth the time and energy to make the visit to Northern Ireland as the views are breathtaking and the history rich.

Upon our arrival back into Dublin we knew it was our last night in Dublin so we had to finish it out strong!

Our evening including dinner and drinks at Dandelion, a popular night club next to our hotel. If you are looking for an fun-filled evening of dancing this is the place to be.

There were a few pubs we wanted to try before our trip to Ireland ended including Peter's Pub and Bruxelle's.  Peter's Pub is small corner pub with plenty of seating around the bar along with tables and chairs.

Bruxelle's is across the street from McDaids the first pub we visited upon our arrival. Bruxelle has very ornate tiled walls with different Irish themes. If you are looking for a busy, cosmo pub this is the place to go. Cheers to another fun-filled day!