Day of Redemption: A Second Chance at Northern Ireland

 

Day of Redemption: A Second Chance at Northern Ireland

Luke's Paddywagon tour was booked and his alarm was set for the ripe hour of 5:30. He even went to bed early in anticipation of the event. Yet somehow, due to extenuating circumstances, he overslept. Luckily, the 60 euro ticket did not go to waste. The kind man at the Paddywagon Tour Company took pity on Luke and allowed him to use his ticket for the following Sunday. So, a week later, Luke and Sarah successfully awoke at the formidable hour and arrived in Dublin city center before the city itself was even awake. At 7:30, they boarded the tour bus and set off for their journey to Northern Ireland. 

Stop 1: Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

After an almost 4 hour drive through the Irish countryside, we arrived at the famous Carrick-a-Rede bridge. This rope bridge is 20m long and sits 30m over the water below. It was once used by salmon fisherman, who trekked across to reach the tiny island of Carrickarede, an ideal location for launching their boats. In its original form, there was only one handrail, but it has since been reconstructed with some added safety features. This was lucky for Sarah, who nearly fell off in an unfortunate demonstration of clumsiness.

Stop 2: Giant's Causeway

Legend has it that Irish giant Finn MacCool was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Fionn accepted the challenge and built the causeway across the North Channel so that the two giants could meet. Fionn realized his foe was much bigger than himself, and ran home to hide from Benandonner. Fionn's wife, Úna, disguised Fionn as a baby and tucked him in a cradle. When Benandonner saw the size of the 'baby', he reckoned that its father, Fionn, must be a giant among giants. He fled back to Scotland in fright, destroying the causeway behind him so that Fionn could not follow.

While perhaps not scientifically accurate, this is one of the many explanations for the incredible, hexagonal stones that make up the Giant's Causeway. A matching set exist across the waters on Scotland's coast. Some less interesting explanations credit volcanic activity for the phenomena, but I think we can all agree that sounds a bit ridiculous.

During our visit, we were lucky enough to run into a fellow UCD student, Silken. We also got to enjoy the authentic Irish weather: gusty with torrential rain. It was an.... authentic experience. 

     

                                

An aerial view of the Causeway

Find Luke

Loungin' on the Causeway

Stop 3: Belfast

Though not yet dry from our previous encounter with the Irish climate, we made our third and final stop in the city of Belfast. Since Northern Ireland is part of the UK, we discovered our euros were not welcome in the coffee shop. The city of Belfast has some interesting claims to fame:

1. It was the site of the infamous Titanic's design and construction
2. It's the filming location for the beloved t.v. show, Game of Thrones.  
3. It is home to the Europa Hotel, which has been given the title of "most bombed hotel in Europe" due to the 28 attacks it endured during the Troubles.

It seemed to us that the city was a shell of its once thriving self. The shipyards that drove Belfast's economy were gone, and a tentative peace with the Republic of Ireland had only recently been established. What remains is a strange, slightly eerie city, with landmarks that serve as a reminder of what had once been.

City Hall was built to be extravagant at a time when Belfast was thriving.

We came across some stores that "specialized" in American Candy. Hello, pretzel M&M's!

 After a very packed day, we embarked on the 3 hour ride home. We arrived back at Dublin city center just before 8:00, clocking in our tour at about 12 hours long. A long day, but a successful one. Luke even managed to finish his film scene analysis along the way.