Farewell Ireland, Hello Duty-Free Whiskey!

Newgrange Burial Site...



Nouth Burial Site...



Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge...



Carrick-a-Rede...



Causeway Coast...



Giant's Causeway...

Bundoran… sounds like an interesting place. Yeah, well it’s not. Decked out with tacky arcades and icecream parlours, this resort town didn't offer much for us intrepid adventurers. Still, to the town's credit, we managed to find one very nice restaurant and had a well earned delicious meal. This was only a rest stop before heading further north to Letterkenny. Again, another fairly ordinary town, but a good base for exploring the area at large. We drove around the loughs (lakes), and the mountains for a day. I even rolled up my sleeves and rowed dear Nanny over to a fairytale castle ruin on a tiny island- with dangerous currents and swells I might add!

Heading into Northern Ireland was interesting. We didn't even know we had crossed the border until we got to a petrol station and everything was in pounds! We visited the town with two names Derry/Londonderry which is pretty much smack bang on the border with the Republic (don't mention the war!) which was actually a lovely town with gorgeous little streets and a beautiful river running through it.

We ventured on to Cushendall on the east coast of Northern Ireland and explored the nine Glens of Antrim- home to the fairies! And when you are there, is quite easy to see where all the myths and legends came from. In fact, ask any local if they believe in fairies and not one of them will be game enough to say no. Not surprising, given the amount of Guinness these people drink. Speaking of which, did you know that only 8% of the Guinness manufactured is actually exported? Guess who consumes the other 92%!!! No wonder they are seeing leprechauns and fairies.

Our visit to Giant's Causeway and the Causeway Coast was both wet (torrentially so!) and wonderful. The scenery was spectacular- check out the photos.

On our second last night in Ireland, we moved down to Navan, a delightful town about an hour north of Dublin. We had a wild night out at the local pub with some distant family relatives of sorts- Elsie and Deidre. As they say, it was good craic, and a good end to the trip through Ireland.

At the airport, Nanny and I hugged each other goodbye and went our separate ways. Nanny to Scotland, and me to Spain. But not before stocking up on as much Irish Whiskey as my bag could hold! Must be the Irish blood in me!

Farewell Ireland- I will be back one day.