Over the weekend, I traveled to Northern Ireland with a few friends. Some may not be aware, that Northern Ireland is a separate country from the Republic of Ireland, and is actually apart of the UK. The division between the country goes back to politics throughout the 19th century, but I won't get into that....
On Friday afternoon we left the Galway bus station at about 6:00, and arrived in the town of Derry at about 11:30 PM. Derry, is one of the most Western cities in Northern Ireland and is on the boarder of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. We spent the night at the Paddy Palace Hostel. It was by far the coolest hostel I have ever been to. The staff were incredible friendly, and the people that we met there were awesome. We met people from Australia, South Africa, London, New Zealand, U.S., Canada, Germany, Poland, and many other countries just to name a few!
On Saturday morning the "Paddy Wagon" picked us up and began our tour for the day. The first stop was in Donegal (the most northern county in the Repuclic of Ireland). We drove up in to the hills, and saw some of the most breathtaking views I have ever witnessed. We got to climb up a stone fort castle that was built by the O'Neil famly, around the time of Christ, and witnessed a panoramic view of the hills of Donegal as well as the inlet.
Afterward, we began heading down the hills and back into Northern Ireland. We drove along the coastline, which was absolutely incredible, to say the least. We drove past a castle that was built in the 13th century, that was literally falling off the cliffs of the coast, and some of it had already fallen into the ocean. I'm kicking myself because I can't remember the name of it!!
Then it was on to the Giants Causeway. The Giants Causeway is known as the "8th wonder of the world".... even though there are only seven. It was formed over 60 million years ago after a volcanic eruption. This is what wikipedia says about it.... "Some 50 to 60 million years ago,[3]Paleogene period, Antrim was subject to intense volcanic activity, when highly fluid molten basalt intruded through chalk beds to form an extensive lava plateau. As the lava cooled rapidly, contraction occurred. While contraction in the vertical direction reduced the flow thickness (without fracturing), horizontal contraction could only be accommodated by cracking throughout the flow. The size of the columns is primarily determined by the speed at which lava from a volcanic eruption cools[4]. The extensive fracture network produced the distinctive columns seen today. The basalts were originally part of a great volcanic plateau called the Thulean Plateau which formed during the Paleogene period.[5] "
We ended up hiking around the Giants Causeway and the national park for a few hours throughout the afternoon. The rock formations were incredible, and it was amazing how they all resembled the same hexagon tower shape. A similar rock formation is seen in Scotland as well.
After we hiked the Causeway, we went to another Ireland National Trust Site called the Carrack-a-Rede Rope Bridge. We hiked out to the Rope Bridge, and were able to cross it to the small island. The bridge was about 6 stories above the water- little scary!!!! Once we reached the island, we were able to hike around it, and we could even see Scotland! (so technically I have "seen" Scotland... well that's one more item off of the bucket list!
After the bridge, it was on to Belfast. We only saw Belfast for a few hours, but the coolest part was this bar that was built in 1851. When the Italians were emigrating to Northern Ireland and building churches, the owner of the bar asked the builders if after work they could come build his bar in return for free alcohol for the rest of their lives, and well... they agreed. The bar has the detail and architecture of beautiful European Church. There is stainglass, and amazing woodwork throughout the entire bar. We only spent a few hours in Belfast, but what I saw of the city, I really enjoyed. That night, we took the city bus back to the city of Derry, which was only about an hour and a half drive.
On Sunday we explored the town of Derry. Derry is known as the "wall city". In the 1600's, they built these extensive walls around the city as a way of defense. The walls are about 6 meters high (a little over 18ft) and still have the cannon holes, original defenses, and are incredibly preserved. I was also able to see the cathedral that inspired John Newton to write the song amazing grace. Later In the afternoon, we were in the city center, and couldn't figure out what all the noise was, and realized they were filming a movie for the BBC channel, so we were able to watch a portion of that as well. We boarded the bus late in the afternoon, and headed back to Galway. This time it was daylight as we drove through County Donegal and County Sligo, and the views made the 5.5 hour drive go incredibly fast! I can easily say that this was my favorite trip so far, although I have sincerely enjoyed all my experiences on this trip.
I have posted pictures below :)
during the
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