Speeding Around Northern Ireland

14 May 2012

532

R. Linda:

The day was not a soft one (as predicted), but gloriously sunny -- an Irish rarity. We set off to the Antrim coast once again to see what Tonya wanted to see the most (the Giants Causeway) and Dunluce castle ruins (what me mam wanted most to see since she and me da got married there, yes among the ruins, so for her it would be a trip down memory lane it would).

We stood outside awaiting our driver inhaling the Belfast air we did. I noticed the dark circles under the Dragon's baggy eyes.

"Not sleep well?" I inquired of her.

"Oh no I didn't. I had a dream I was in our speeding van and the more I shouted to Speedy to slow down, the more he sped up and I couldn't get out. Woke me straight up and then I couldn't go back to sleep for my heart pounding at the thought."

Poor Dragon! Just then the Mercedes came speeding up the drive and I couldn't resist, I announced to all within hearing, "Are we ready for Mr. Toad's wild ride?"

Once settled and seatbelted tightly in we started to speed off. We got out onto the main road when we stopped to let this go passed us. Actually, these pictures are self-explanatory.

Don't be fooled WE are at a standstill the blur be from the speed of these two

And then this came speeding after them.

YUP

I tell ya, speeding vans never get pulled over but two on a bike, is a different story.

So anyway, we made it over ground we had already traversed to arrive at the Giants Causeway and it was as blurry getting there the second time as it had been the first. A wee story for you on this particular site. There be an ancient Irish fable about the giant Finn McCool (Fionn mac Cumhaill), who stood 52' 6" tall (I hear ya, almost as tall as me!), and how he and his rival from Scotland the giant Benandonner, would shout across the water at each other challenges of strength. One day when this daily shouting match was going on, Finn picked up a scoop of earth and hurled it at Benandonner but it fell into the sea and created what today be the Isle of Man. Don't look at me that way it's TRUE! Finally, they found a way to meet as the Irish Sea separated the two and it is said that Finn built the Giants Causeway allowing this meeting of brawn to finally come to fruition. This causeway building exhausted Finn and he fell into a deep sleep afterward. When Oonagh, Finn's giantess wife found him asleep she was distressed. She could hear Benandonner coming for the challenge. Try as she may, she could not wake him and seeing Benandonner in the distance she realised he was much bigger than Finn and her husband would be no match for him. Thinking quickly, she covered Finn in a nightdress and bonnet and cradled him like a baby as Benandonner approached.

"Where be McCool?" The giant demanded.

"Hush you'll wake his bairn," Oonagh said looking up at the massive giant.

Seeing how big the 'baby' was Benandonner took flight thinking if McCool's bairn was THAT big how big was the giant father? In his rush to get back across the Irish Sea to Scotland, he destroyed the causeway.

Wonderfully clever story I heard as a child many times over. What the causeway really be are basalt columns that may have formed 42 million years ago from a volcanic eruption. They are readily seen from the Irish coast and then form under the sea and come up on the Scottish coast. A true gem of Northern Ireland. Here are a few pictures for you so you can see what they look like and get a sense of their size.

                                                                                  

Giants Causeway Irish Sea

Basalt Columns

                                                                              
                                                                                    

Columns and formations on the water

                                                                                  
A few people have got too close to the sea by walking on the columns and the tides have swept some out. There be no ropes or fencing to keep one from them. This be one of the lovely perks of Ireland, you can actually walk to things and see them up close. Most visitors do not vandalise like reports of such in England, especially Stonehenge where the great stones are roped off.

And one more for MY added pleasure, LOL, the Dragons butt at the Causeway.

                                                                                   

Ee-yeh and there be Big Tony and Tonya but you can figure out who be who

Upon trekking down the long (and I do mean a 15-minute vigorous walk down to the causeway), Ton and I decided to take the shuttle bus back up. Upon arrival at the visitors centre, we saw an even bigger Paddywagon. I tell ya! We stood there laughing like idiots from the sheer craziness of it all. Maybe we found it funny because we were in the fresh sea air and out of the speeding van (lucky to be alive).

 

Loading up the bus full of Paddys

We had a nice wait while the older folks figured out there was a shuttle they could take for a few pounds so they didn't have to work off a few of their own pounds. Tonya and I meandered into the gift shop which turned out to be a glorified convenience store as they say back in the States. While we were waiting for the old folks, some fella started flirting with the wife, yes he did. I was standing in line for two bottles of water and she was not far away. 

"Where in Canada are you from?" Asked his Irish self.

"New Hampshire," says she without blinking.

His brow folded over itself for a second and then he said, "I don't think I've ever heard of it."

"It is in the southeast corner," says herself without losing a beat. 

I paid for the water and made me way over.

"Hello," says I, "you've met me wife have you?"

"Oh yes, yes, just killing time," says himself.

After a few awkward seconds, he left us. 

"New Hampshire? Southeast corner of Canada?" I said laughing.

"Yup," said she. "I don't understand why people think we are from Canada?"

"I think because we don't dress like Americans," I said and before anyone goes nutters on me -- just standing there we could pick every one of them out. The big hair streaked like skunk backs (you know the big chunks of light hair on darker chunks, Tonya says they are called 'skunk chunks'), the colourful clothes, the designer handbags, the designer jackets, the loud talk, the boisterous laughter, the bold penchant for asking people where they are from and what they do for a living, and how much money they make, I tell ya. Chatty, chatty, chatty! They'll talk to anyone and ask all about a person's personal business without blinking an eyelid.

Our driver came wandering over shortly after and just as he did, so did the older folks having discovered the shuttle. And of course, Dragon had to go to the gift shop. I warned her it wasn't a gift shop but a place to buy snacks, but did she listen? No, and she did find something to buy -- a cookbook! Oi the woman, never happy unless she has shopped. Mam was a wee bit tiffed the Dragon would 'buy' a cookbook when there she was, a walking Irish cookbook herself. Gees!

We left the Causeway for a place to have lunch and did not come across anything, so we stopped at a petrol station and got soda and candy, then it was on to Dunluce Castle. Of course with the candy and soda, we were all pretty wired and the speed we were travelling the emerald isle, ceased to be a concern. We were getting freaking used to it! Now this place, Dunluce, be very pretty. Ruins or not, it be one of the most magical spots in all of Erin. You've seen the pictures on telly ads the Irish Tourist Board runs in the States. 

A little background: It was built by Richard Og de Burgh, the second Earl of Ulster and in time it was added to by another family until those pesky warlike clan MacDonalds came over from Scotland and basically shored the place up and made it quite a fortress. They became known as McDonnells which if what I was told in school be correct, factored into tribe O'Donnell the Scots-Irish warlords of Ulster. Anyway you put it, they were a warrior group and fitted the place out extremely well, for a lot of years. UNTIL Sorely Boy MacDonnell or O'Donnell decided he'd like the whole place to himself and so he took it over and further fortified it in the Scottish style he did. And as was his luck, when one of the ships from the Spanish Armada wrecked on the rocks below the castle, well those smarty-arse O'Donnells dragged the ship's canons into the castle and installed them! Yes, they did. They weren't fooling around, no, no. They even took the cargo out of the hold, sold it and improved the castle MORE! Were they frustrated interior decorators or what? Anyway, the castle was the seat of the Earl of Antrim until 1690 when the O'Donnells found themselves poor (spent too much on adding to the place I guess) and then the whole of it fell into decay and be as it is seen today.

Here be some pictures, I think you will recognise it.

                                                                                 

Dunluce from the roadside

                                                                                      

Sea view

                                                                                   

Another view facing toward Scotland

And, it turned out to be a special day for me parents. Not only did they marry there but we came across a bridal party coming across the drawbridge. The wind was up and to say it was a blustery wind would be an understatement, and if you happen to be a bride wearing a bell-shaped dress it could be a day to become a human balloon. Yes, indeed. She was looking fetching in her pretty white dress as she was coming towards us, and as she came out of the shelter of the castle walls the wind decided to play a trick and took her veil right off her head. The groom and groomsmen went scurrying before it floated off over the bridge and down into the gorge below. Luckily the groom caught it just in the nick. But upon turning around he heard her saying, "Oooh, oooh, oooh . . ." as now the wind had picked up under the bell-shaped dress and was starting to lift her. They ran back and grabbed her until the wind swept itself away and it was safe for them to proceed over the bridge.

The bride and groom were walking hand and hand and Mam (with tears of joy and memory in her eyes), whispered for me to quick take a picture it was such a sweet scene, but as soon as I aimed the camera, HE let go of her and was walking ahead. SHE seemed not too happy about that turn of events, but anyway, here's the shot I got of her hurrying after.

                                                                                          

Shortly thereafter we headed back at 160mph to our Scottish hotel for the last night in Belfast. We hadn't had lunch so we were famished. I be happy to say the complaining foursome were not at dinner that night and we all ate in peace.

Gabe
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(All photos are the property of © 2012 Irish Memories)