Author: furrasan@gmail.com

I can’t say enough about the accommodations during this trip. Vienna Woods, despite being actually in the woods and outside the City of Cork proper, is a charming place and the meal last night was at least 4 star. If you wanted to be treated to a treat this tour company is the way to go.

We’re on the bus at our typical hour of 09:00 and off south of Cork to the seaside village of Kinsale. It’s Wednesday and the market is just getting set up and we have an hour or so before our tour guide comes by to walk us about the town.

Kinsale was formerly a walled city but there is very little evidence of the original walls. It has a well protected harbour but there is a very long sail to get out to the open ocean, which in this southern part of Ireland is called the Celtic Sea. In the early days nothing went in or out that wasn’t born by the tide.

The extent of the previous nights festivities are obvious around the front entrance of some of the pubs.

It’s a very colourful town but the notion of colour coordination seems to have passed by this way without stopping.

This fellow has decided to brighten up things on his rather drab wall.

And the new shade of green should go very well with his neighbours version of decoration.

I found the “paupers well” and I suspect that the wee bit of wall behind it is part of the original city wall…it just has that look about it…he said as if he knew what he was talking about.

There is a museum here that appears to be dedicated to the fishing industry but I didn’t have time to explore that in any detail.

There is also a lovely old church, The Church of St Multose, which was built in 1190. When I walked up the hill the church was closed so I had to be content with a walk through the cemetery and enjoy the views as the church sits a bit above the town.

Later on during our guided tour we were told that the church was now open and well worth the visit. I took a look at the climb back up the hill and opted to forgo the interior pleasures.

On the way out of town we stopped at the overview at Charles Fort on the east side of the harbour entrance. A similar defensive fort, the James Fort had been built opposite on the west side, the two effectively blocking any unwanted access to the harbour. The Charles Fort is often called the new fort because it was built in 1682, much later than the James Fort which was built in 1609.

This spot gave us a lovely view looking back toward Kinsale and it’s harbour.

We were on the road again heading to Middleton, home of the Jamieson Distillery, makers of some very fine Irish whisky but before we got to the distillery we stopped briefly in Middleton at this very tiny park with a very odd sculpture.

Here’s the backstory.

In the early 1830’s in the United States, the 5 Civilized Nations, Cherokee, Muscogee, Seminole, Chickasaw and Choctaw were forcibly removed from their traditional lands in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana and relocated to Oklahoma, quite a way further west and north. The move became known as the Trail of Tears and the Choctaw Nation were the first to go in 1831.

Sixteen years later and several thousand miles away the Irish, in 1847, were in the midst of the potato famine and starvation was rampant. The Choctaw Nation heard of this and having just endured their own set of trials, somehow gathered together $170.00 (today’s equivalent would be $5,000) and sent it to the town of Middleton in Ireland. This monument commemorates that incredible gift from an unknown nation friend across miles of land and ocean.

The Irish have never forgotten this amazing gesture. In 2018 an Irish delegation travelled to the Choctaw Nation to announce the establishment of a scholarship for young Choctaw students who wish to study in Ireland. The link between these two peoples remains strong to this day.

The next stop is the Jamieson Distillery and I think a number of my pals have been looking forward to this…especially since we’ve done some previous experimentation with the “water of life”.

Lots of advertising as to be expected, including this duo which gladdened my heart. I’m a big fan of the green spot and the yellow spot but I was very pleased to see that there were two more spots before my eyes.

The grounds are quite extensive and, of course, everything is very old. Including the original iron water wheel.

Our tour guide was quite informative although there was one area where we prohibited from taking photos or touching anything. Not exactly sure what was going on with that equipment although it did look like a warp drive from Star Wars.

As we move through the “caskings” part of the tour I know that we are getting much closer to the important part. I already know how they make the stuff…now please let me have a wee sip.

At the tasting table there was a fine selection including my favourite green spot. Sadly a couple of our pals did not drink and I had to help out with and additional dram (or was that two) of green spot…Oh well.

A couple of other shots to round out the distillery site, then it’s time to leave.

These guys look pretty happy as we head to the bus and a return trip to Vienna Woods. I have a funny feeling that the bar in Vienna Woods will see some additional “whisky nosings” this evening.

Feel free to…stand down.

We’ve left Dingle itself and we’re heading today to Blarney Castle located just west of Cork. Our journey takes us east to the beautiful Inch Beach where we stop for a very quick photo op. From our photo position you could walk along this beach for 5.5 km, and as you can see, there are very few people about enjoying this amazing place.

Before we get to Blarney Castle we have a wee stop in Kenmare, a lovely little village famous for the “Cromwell” bridge, a very weird little thing that has probably been an item of many a “dare” by the local children. I didn’t attempt to cross it but rather headed for the nearest coffee shop for a drink and something to eat.

Wandering around the village was fun as it had some very nice residential options and a nice central parkette.

We’re soon on the road again and the next stop is the place where you’re supposed to kiss a rock. Apparently if you kiss this rock you’ll be blessed with the gift of gab. I know a few people who should go there and un-kiss the rock.

The rock of interest is at the top of that big pile of stones and there is a winding staircase that takes you to the top…puff…puff. The scene at the top is organized chaos as everyone lines up to bend over backwords and kiss this special rock.

I’m sure it’s at this stage that a lot of the people seem to remember that they are no longer as young as they used to be.

The views from the castle were quite nice, primarily because the entire “estate” is surrounded by park like gardens.

It was interesting to see some of the interior rooms on the way down another spiral staircase. There were rooms on several floors although there was no furniture (aka place to sit) just more stone walls and a couple of gloomy alcoves.

Some of my pals were really enjoying themselves.

While others had been misbehaving and were sent to the stocks.

I really think that the nicest part of the whole area was the park-like setting. Lovely walkways and well maintained areas. Lots of old trees surrounded by colour. Quite impressive for this time of year…a bit unexpected.

And then of course there’s the manor house.

And the family filly.

I’ve only provided a few shots of the place…there was a lovely rock garden walk and other spots where you could amble for hours. All that walking exhausted me and it was getting time to find our bus. I found it and the rest of the crew lounging around outside another shop and Peter very kindly agreed to take our group photo.

I’m the surely looking one on the upper left…in case.

That’s it for our rambling by bus. We’re headed to Vienna Woods, a lovely resort type hotel outside of Cork, situated in the woods, and we are all going to sit down to dinner together and tell tall tales about our day “oot and aboot”.

Until next time….stand down.

It’s day #9 which means it should be April 29th. We’re going to roam around the Dingle Peninsula today but we’ll come back to the Benners Hotel for another nights stay. It was apparently quite a rowdy night last night as the Dingle Pub, which is across the street from the Benners, was having a well known Irish Dancer (son of the owner?). Our erstwhile driver, Ray, was convinced that we all should go for a pint and enjoy the dancing.

I did go over for a wee look but the place was packed and I could hardly hear myself think. I must be getting old if I’m about to miss one of the highlights of a backroads tour. Ray seemed to be in pleasant spirits this morning so at least someone had a good time. Some of the others also went across the street and raved about the rave.

We’re off along the coast again in search of the Gallarus Oratory, a unique stone chapel that resembles an upturned boat. But first, a stop along the coast for the obligatory photo shoot. Pat and Fred just had to get in the way.

The countryside is also looking gorgeous and we can see signs of spring attempting to break through.

The Gallarus Oratory is an amazing structure. It is built without mortar and was clearly constructed by someone with some engineering skills. There is no confirmed date of construction but in 1970, archaeologist Peter Harbison argued that the oratory might have been built as late as the 12th century for a number of reasons, mainly because the east window has a rounded top made of two carved stones and not an arch.

Our next stop is the Blasket Centre, which celebrates the history of the beautiful Great Blasket Island. The museum is quite modern and tells the story of the island and the islanders, including those who were last to leave as permanent residents.

From the promontory there are great views looking towards Blasket and the Atlantic Ocean.

We’re heading back to Dingle but along the way we stop for another photo op. The image below shows the spot were an intrepid Irish priest? set out to travel in a boat not much bigger than that one you see. He apparently explored far and wide and that’s about all I recall. No name, no date, no destination, except I do think he made it home to great fame (not) and great fortune (not).

Next stop is the home of Dingle Crystal. This is a family run business and owner Sean Daly was pleased to give us a demonstration of his pattern cutting techniques.

All of the patterns on the various crystal pieces they have created were designed by Sean and reflect the Celtic heritage and landscape that is the Dingle Peninsula.

Off we go back to the Benner and I’ll close this episode with a few images of Dingle itself.

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We’re heading south from Galway into an area called the Burren. This is a very rocky, limestone invested piece of the land that has it’s own strange beauty. But…before we get there we have to stop for a photo op of Dunguaire Castle near Kinvarra.

The scenery along the coast is stunning as we head to our next stop, the Hazel Mountain Chocolate Shop.

We are given a brief overview of how chocolate is made and advised that this is the best chocolate in the world. Not being a chocolate connoisseur I have to take the tour guides word for it. A sample of the 70% though has me longing for a wee single malt to go with it….so early in the morning too???

Limestone, being a sedimentary rock, often has it’s share of fossils. There are so many limestone walls it’s hard not to explore some of the surface rocks to see if there are any fossils of note. This appears to be something but I’m not sure what it might be, although it does appear to be different from the rock itself. They’re yelling at me to get on board so I must forgo the discovery of the century.

As we are travelling along our guide points out “dolmens” scattered across the land. I managed to capture the one below out of the window.

A dolmen or “portal tomb” is a type of single chamber megalithic burial chamber, usually dating from the late neolithic period around 4000–3000 BCE. They are fairly common and it is known that there are over 35,000 of these in Europe alone and there are examples in other parts of the world. They remain a mystery though as it is not clear when, why or who erected them.

Our next stop is another historical site, Caherconnell, where we find a cashel, more commonly called a ringfort. It is not a fort as such but really an enclosed drystone wall farmstead. It is bigger than most ringforts and is dated from the 10th century AD. The size of it implies that it might have been the home of a “royal” family, that is someone who ruled in the area.

The remains of house foundations and a communal fire are clearly identified. Not far from the ringfort is another structure called a doline, a natural sinkhole, which is the site of an early bronze age timber frame house and a another stone structure that may have been a food storage area.

There were two options when visiting this site, one to explore the cashel and the other to learn how sheep dogs herd sheep. I opted for the former but some of my aussie pals opted for the latter.

Our next stop is the word famous “Cliffs of Moher”, clearly recognized from afar by the number of tourist buses parked in the parking lot.

A truly spectacular site but one that has it’s share of danger. A few days after our visit a 20 year old student fell to her death from the top of the cliffs. Such accidents are quite rare as the place is clearly marked and there are substantial walls away from the edge. Getting closer to the edge is not a necessity.

We’re going to spend two nights at the Benner Hotel in Dingle and tomorrow we’ll explore more interesting things in the area.

Stand down.

Well it’s day 7 of my trip around Ireland so we’re halfway. Today we’re going to spend the day wandering about the city of Galway and we’ll stay again this evening at the Dean Hotel. The Dean is really hopping as there seem to be a number of events going on with lots of very young people dressed to the “nines” as me mum would have said.

I think I’ll just add some images to give you a sense of what downtown Galway is like. Very busy would be an understatement, but then it is a Saturday and the weather is fantastic.

The Spanish Arch was a bit of a disappointment as there’s not much left and it was tricky to find. I walked past it at one point without realizing what it was. It should be noted that it was seriously damaged in 1755 when the “Lisbon Earthquake” caused a tsunami which destroyed a great portion of the gate.

The link with the Spanish is quite interesting as it all started when the remnants of the Spanish Armada were wrecked during storms at various points along the west coast of Ireland. In July to August of 1588, the Armada had escaped a pursuing English navy by sailing north along the east coast of Ireland then coming around to come down the west coast and home. Unfortunately bad weather ensued and 24 of the ships were lost. At various points along the Irish coast there is evidence of Spanish sailors who were saved and stayed to find a home in Ireland.

It’s quite interesting to go for a walk through the Dunnes Stores mall and find remnants of the original defensive wall of Galway. The rest of the walls are long gone but it’s nice to see these remnants preserved in such a peaceful environment.

A fitting way to end a wander around Galway is to rest with a book in Eyre Square park.

I’ll post these and other photos to Flickr.

Stand down.

I’m actually in Dublin as I write this and the tour with Blue/Back Roads Tours is over. I’m very far behind in both writing my blog but also processing photos. I’m hoping to have some time to do both while here for the next couple of days and I hope to be able to post some of the final images to my Flickr site. More on that if and when it happens.

From Kilronan Castle we head west toward the coast as we are ultimately heading to Galway to end the day. We head through Westport, apparently a lovely tourist town, then along to Louisburg and south through hills and vales.

At the east end of Lough Inagh, which is a sea Lough, is Aasleagh Falls and we have a chance to stretch legs and take a photo. It’s a pretty little dip in the river but calling it a falls…well…it doesn’t compare to some falls I’ve seen and grown up near.

The views from the south side of the Lough are quite stunning and further along we can see mussel farms in the water. The shot from the bus of the mussel farms as we are whizzing along is quite disappointing but the other scenery makes up for it.

Our next destination, which also involves a bit of a guided tour, is the Connemara Heritage and History Centre where we are going to go up into the hills on a wee train pulled by a tractor to see Dan O’Hara’s cottage.

The views, as everywhere in this lovely country are stunning.

And yes…that is rain falling in the west off the coast.

Our first experience is going to be all about what “peat” is. In Ireland they call it “turf” but it’s the same stuff. It has to be cut first then laid out to dry in the sun. The pieces that seem to be just lying around are actually put there so that they can dry. Later they will be stacked like a pyramid to dry further. The pieces that you see below will eventually dry to a much smaller and a much harder piece of “peat” that is ideal for sustained heating (and making whisky).

Dan O’Hara was a tenant farmer who was relatively well off and quite popular locally. In 1845 he though to modernize his wee cottage by adding glass windows an improvement that was frowned upon by Landlords of the day. These improvements, which, added daylight to the cottage, then came under the “window tax” and it is this tax that is the source of the phrase “daylight robbery”.

Dan could not afford to pay this new tax and so the bailiff and police arrived to evict him from the cottage. I may have mentioned before during the visit to the Famine Village that the cottage dwellers did not own the land, although they did own the cottage, and the landlord could on a whim set fire to the roof, knock walls down and evict the tenants. Dan’s sole recourse after having his family evicted was to head to America.

Dan’s fortunes did not improve in America and he was forced to send his children to an orphanage and earn what he could selling matches. The song “Dan O’Hara” tells the story of the misfortunes of “Dan O’Hara of Connemara”.

Our guide sang the song for us then opened a bottle of “Potcheen” (aka Irish Moonshine) and we all had a toast to Dan O’Hara.

We’ll let the “peat” dry out and we’ll head to Galway and the Dean Hotel where we’ll spend the next two days. More to come.

Stand down.

We’re leaving the Redcastle and heading for more adventures on the North Irish Coast. We’ve come south past Derry and we’re south of Strabane on the outskirts of the Sperrin Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Our first stop is the Ulster American Folk Park which tells the story of 2 million Irish people who sailed away to start a new life in the New World.

Local recreators give full meaning to the various buildings and events.

One of the sites is the original home of Thomas Mellon, who emigrated at the age of 5 with his parents to Pennsylvania. He became a lawyer, judge and the founder of the Mellon Bank, which is apparently still one of the largest in the US.

We follow the trail to the harbour and boats that took people across the Atlantic and we end up in a city in America that has products and food stuff that they could only have imagined back home.

We could have spent much longer here, in fact a full day would not be out of the question. I’ll add it to the list of things I’d like to go back to and explore in more detail.

We’re on the road again to Caldragh Cemetery which has some unusual stone figures. The larger of the figures is the Boa Island bilateral figure. It is regarded as one of the most enigmatic and remarkable stone figures in Ireland. It is called a Janus-figure because it has two faces, reminding some of the Roman two-headed deity Janus, however, it is not a representation of Janus. It is thought to represent a Celtic deity and could represent a Celtic goddess as readily as a god, especially given the name of the island.

We don’t have to far to go to reach Belleek and the world famous Belleek Pottery…never heard of it…me neither, but it claims to be the oldest working fine china pottery in Ireland. We have a tour through the plant and meet some of the people actually working on pieces.

The most impressive works are the baskets that are essentially woven pieces of clay.

There’s a huge variety of these baskets and difficult to figure out which one is the best…or should I say photogenic. Picking at random…here’s a good example of this very fine work.

We’re heading to County Roscommon and Kilronan Castle for dinner and the night… but before we get there though Peter has us down another backroad for a photo op of Castle Classiebawn taken from some distance away.

It’s on private property and this is about the best view you can get. It helps that the rest of the scenery is stunning.

Kilronan Castle is actually a restored castle that is quite stunning. It overlooks Lough Meelagh and is located somewhere southeast of Sligo.

It’s been a busy day and I’m ready for a pint, a dinner and eventually my bed.

Stand down.

The group I’m touring with is called Back Roads Tours except in North America where it’s called Blue Road Tours. Apparently North America already has a Back Road Tours company and this isn’t that one.

The tour company is from Australia, which explains why most of my travel pals are Aussies. There are two other Canadian couples for a total of 5 Canadians and 13 Aussies. Jack is the other lone male traveller and we often get to sit together.

I haven’t got everyone’s name sorted yet but I’m working on it. This is an extremely friendly and intelligent group of people and they make wonderful travelling companions. It also doesn’t hurt that we have been staying at some fabulous hotels and had some amazing meals. I would say all so far have been 5 star.

Our tour guide Peter is a local fella as is our driver Ray. Peter is also a farmer but has been doing this tour bit for years. He adds a ton of information as we travel along and manages to aim us in the right direction for pubs, restaurants and tourist haunts. Ray is also a local fella and seems to know his way around this country. When they call it Back Road Tours they aren’t kidding. We have, so far, been to the back of beyond and then back on many roads that a bigger bus would not even try. He’s also quite adept at missing the occasional sheep that’s parked on the double yellow line.

Another point I should add is that our other tour guides, those who show us around specific locales, have been not only incredibly knowledgeable but quick to make everyone chuckle. I’m sure there will be more to come along those lines.

And…just a word of thanks to Peter and Gayle who put me on to this group. Very much appreciated.

I should get back on the trail as we are about to head to Derry then further up the North Irish Coast. We are going to return to the Redcastle this evening so we don’t need to pack our bags. Time for a bit of washing and quick drying while we’re on the road.

Londonderry or Derry, depending on you persuasion, has it’s original walls in place running completely around the old part of town. It’s the last city in that part of the world to have the complete city walls. It was these walls that held back the English when they tried to capture Derry.

As the story goes the Apprentice Boys ran out and closed the gates when the city was being attacked by a Jacobite force. This was seen as “rebellion” against James II and resulted in the siege of Derry. Today they celebrate that act of rebellion by having the “Shutting of the Gates” parade and the “Relief of Derry Parade”. As with most Irish stories I’ve heard so far, the history of Derry is very complicated and not a story I can recount in full here.

It was suggested that Derry did not suffer as much during the Troubles and I would suspect it was related to the marching and bonfires, that, while occurring in Belfast, did not occur in Derry. Even the “Shutting the Gates” parade is more about city pride that rubbing the citizens face in it.

Of course no trip to Derry would be worth it if we didn’t mention the “Derry Girls”.

Some time ago I watched the series on Netflix but I’ve managed to find it again and I’m re-acquainting myself with the show. It takes on a different tone and I understand a few more things having been to the city itself.

We’re off again on the road, this time heading North and North-west to the coast.

We’re heading for the Isle of Doagh and a visit to the Famine Village. This is an interpretive centre that explains what life was like for poor catholic families prior to and then during the famine. It was not uncommon for families to be evicted from their home because they didn’t own the land. The police would nail wood across the door the batter a wall down or burn the roof or both in order to evict the family

For families with only a small plot of land, the potato became a major part of their diet. When the crop failed in 1845 these families, who also had no money to purchase other available food, either starved to death or left Ireland. It is estimated that about 1 million died while another 1 million left the country.

The village is a major complex based on an actual village. Our guide at the village had actually lived there and the first stop was the house he grew up in. No question at all about the historical accuracy of the place.

Our tour guide Peter, believes that it was the failure of the government to support people that resulted in such a loss of life and massive immigration. There are several examples of food being exported to other countries, at a time when people were literally dying on the street. There we some make work projects, such as building un-needed walls, that gave people some money and when they had money there was no famine. The famine ended in 1852 and simply added another historical incident that did not speak well of the English and fanned the flame of Irish Independence.

Another site well worth the visit for it’s historical significance but it’s time to head back to Redcastle for a wee break.

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I’m not quite sure how to describe our morning tour of Belfast. It was both stunning and disturbing to be walking the streets where so many people hated and feared each other enough to go on a killing spree for 30 years. By the time the peace agreement was signed in 1998 there were 3,532 dead and over 47,500 injured.

For this excursion we had 3 vehicles and 3 drivers, all of whom had lived through “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland and Belfast in particular. We visited some of the primary sites of “action”, Shankill Road, Bombay Street and the gates and walls “of Peace” that dot the city.

I won’t try to explain the history that led to the August 1969 riots, burnings and killings and the beginning of “The Troubles” but, if you do venture to learn more I’d suggest going back much farther in time, because a lot of it starts with the victory of King William III, of Orange, a protestant, over King James II of England, a catholic.

As one of our tour guides said, how would you like it if, after loosing a football match to your dreaded rivals, the winning team held huge marches and bonfires, all over the country for the next 300 years. All just to remind you who the winners and losers were.

There is a lot of graffiti on walls and buildings around the city but this is organized and done by professional artists. Of prominence of late are murals in support of the Palestinians in Gaza, but you can also find all sorts of images supporting all sorts of things.

Over time, walls and gates have sprung up to keep the unionists and the loyalists away from each other and even after the “Good Friday Agreement” of 1998, some of the gates are regularly shut at night. All 3 of our drivers agreed that things were immensely better and continue to get better as time passes. When asked when they thought the longest section of wall would come down, one of the drivers said when a teenager can no longer get good wi-fi reception…that’s about it.

After this most interesting visit to parts of Belfast, we were dropped off at the town centre and allowed to roam around a bit.

It’s a modern “English” city, still using the “pound sterling” after Brexit and looking much like any other English town of the same size. I was amazed at the size of the City Hall, which is probably 3 times bigger than the one at home.

We headed north from Belfast along the Causeway Coastal Route, hugging the shore for miles. We stopped at Carnlough to grab a sandwhich and something to drink. We had a chance to stretch our legs and I discovered this wee stairway into the harbour which was apparently used as one of the settings for Game of Thrones.

We also stopped at the Portaneevy Viewpoint to see the Carrick a Rede rope bridge that connects the wee island to the mainland.

This other shot is looking out from the viewpoint to Rathlin Island and Scotland beyond hidden in the mists.

I tried to capture some of the stunning coastal scenery as we were whizzing along in our bus, but it didn’t always work out. You can see the trees whizzing by in this interpretation.

The trip up to the Giant’s Causeway from Belfast was long but definitely worth it. I’d seen the other end of the causeway on the Isle of Staffa off the west coast of Scotland but this was more impressive, even if more crowded. It was a long walk down from the interpretive centre but even that offered impressive views.

The causeway itself was festooned with people and I didn’t feel comfortable stepping from stone to stone so I just hung back and enjoyed the view.

Heading back up I did take advantage of the shuttle bus that went up and down the cliff-side and that was a “pound” well spent. Our day was winding down as we zipped through Derry and up the west coast of the lough to the Redcastle Inn. It’s not really a castle and it’s not red but it is very fine accommodation and the meal we were treated to was first class.

More about accommodations and my travel pals in the next instalment.

Stand down.

A bit of a correction before we proceed. Cat has advised that the app to find more and/or cheaper flights in the UK is called “Skyscanner”…not whatever I called it. Don’t forget to send your corrections along folks….I need all the help I can get.

Monday, April 22nd, and we’re up and on the road by 08:00 heading from Dublin to the site of the Battle of the Boyne, near Drogheda. I’d read a bit about the battle itself but I didn’t know that much about the reasons for the battle and the implications for English and Irish history. While the battle was successful for the English under William III, the war raged on for some time before James II ran off to France. William, being protestant and James being catholic, this set the stage for clashes between the two religions that still go on.

In the north, celebrating King Billy and the use of “orange” by the protestants, all reflect the impact William’s victory has had on Northern Irish history.

The interpretive centre is quite nice and the laser depiction of the battle is very unique and puts the whole event in perspective. There are also life size displays of uniforms and weapons and rather unique presentation by the tour guide of certain “implements” used to care for the wounded.

There is also a very nice wee café that overlooks the large garden area and we took advantage of that before loading up on the bus and heading to Belfast.

We arrive on the outskirts of Belfast at the dock area, and the actual site where Titanic was built, to see the incredible building that is the Titanic Museum. The four corners of the building are shaped like the prow of the Titanic and are the same height. It’s a stunning first sight.

As you wend your way through the museum you go from the planning and design stages, to the construction of the ship, it’s launching (which was a major event in Dublin and around the world), then on to the voyage, the disaster that happened (including a wall with the name of every survivor and those lost) and finally you end up with the story of the finding of the remains. There is a “ride” that takes you through the shipyards as the ship is being built and exhibits which display what the ship looked like on the inside. Quite a memorable experience and well worth the visit.

We are staying in Dublin for the night at the Malone Hotel. Our ever resource full tour guide, Peter, has offered to show us the way to his favourite Belfast pub, The Crown. It’s a bit of a walk, essentially through the campus of Queen’s University at Belfast, down to the town centre. The Crown is an amazing place, recently refurbished and totally packed with Belfastians. Just as we’re ordering a few pints of Belfast Black, a group exits the “snug” next to us and we all pile in. Not all as we’ve lost a few due to the treck and the possibility of a good nights sleep.

The Belfast Black is a stout and only available in Belfast. It is one of the smoothest drinking pints I’ve ever had and the group of us demolish quite a bit of it. This is actually where the neglect of the blog gets it’s start as, by the time we get back to the Malone, I’m knackered and head to bed.

Perhaps I’ll catch up tomorrow.