Northern Ireland (and back to Dublin)

We had a Sunday in Derry. Quite appropriately, all the shops were shut which kind of contributed to the atmosphere as we wandered around the Bogside district.


The murals that endeavor not to let passers-by forget the atrocities inflicted by the British armies.




Then we went to the Devil's Causeway - 38 000 hexagonal basalt columns which, they guess, are the result of an underground fissure spewing lava out about 60 million years ago...


Either that, or they were built by Finn Mcool the Giant as steps to the nearby Scottish island of Staffa so he could see his girlfriend giant...


I guess it depends how scientifically minded you are which theory you choose.


then we went to the Carrick-a-Rede Island rope bridge, which sways precariously 25m above crashing waves.




Again, probably not for you Mum!




Beautiful sunsets from the slightly-less-beautiful seaside town of Portstewart (it is rather overpopulated by rather unattractive English chav caravan-ers).


But at least up here in the North they knew how to correctly label a cider!


On to Belfast and we had another drive through the mural districts. this time the catholic murals were on one street, juxtaposed against the protestant ones just a block away.


the only evidence we saw of the fact that Belfast is home to the creation of the Titanic. I guess its not on the top of their list of successes.


...and full circle: back in the Temple Bar district in Dublin for a final pint-and-jig. we ended up at the same restaurant and same three bars as day one!


Trusty lil' Seamus the Skoda who got us through the journey (thanks to Budget. No thanks to Hertz.)