Thursday Oct 22

Dublin. It is hard to think that we have been away for almost 5 weeks, and that tomorrow we will be heading home, back to friends and family, and of course Maggie and Lilli! To those of you who have helped by keeping an eye on our house and looking after M&L, even going to visit  them, a huge THANK YOU, we couldn't have done this without you.

Deb elected to spend her time at the NLI (National Library of Ireland) today to further her investigation and research into her family history. Jon hopped on the local bus (double decker) and headed off to tour the Guinness Storehouse. Both had a great day.  Deb had a very full and productive day with her research and Jon had a great day at the Brewery. 

Halls of National Library in Dublin

The Guinness tour is very complete and well done. This brewery was started by Arthur Guinness back in the mid 1700's at the St. James Gate site, and has remained there all through the years. Impressive! The tour encompasses all aspects of the family, the brew components, water, hops, barley, process, barrel making, advertising, shipping (then and now) and the introduction of new and different variations. It concludes with a pint, complete with shamrock profiled in the head. The view from the Gravity Bar at the top of the Storehouse is great.....but I still think the rural views and scenery that we have experienced as we have travelled through England, Scotland and Ireland have far surpassed this.

Guinness with a shamrock

Then it was out for an early dinner near our hotel. Then back to the hotel and try to get everything into our bags.....and then zipper them up. Awesome...we did it....check our flight times....figure out when we have to leave, keeping in mind that tomorrow will be a work day here and goodness knows what the early morning traffic may be like. Then to bed .....and lie awake thinking of what we have missed in our planning!

Wednesday October 21

Today started out rather overcast with an Irish mist hanging in the air. (A little further to the east, they call it a Scottish mist!) Sitting at breakfast, we were treated to the site of Molly out for her morning walk and inspection of the grounds around the castle. The couple at the next table to us had, along with their 2 children, met Molly the previous afternoon, and had pictures of her with their children. Irish wolfhounds, even the name sounds a little intimidating, they are not small dogs at all, but there didn't seem to be any fear shown by Molly or the children to each other. Deb and I took a walk in the woods around the castle and encountered Molly on our way back. She definitely is used to having people around her but was not overly friendly, perhaps a little watchful, not allowing us to pet her.

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Pack up and onto our next stop...Dublin for two nights before flying home. 

But before Dublin, we wandered the back lane ways to Newgrange, the 6000 year old Neolithic site that is older than the pyramids, and Stonehenge. Although its use has been speculated upon with no real conclusions drawn, it is described as a passage grave. It is an earthen mound approximately 25 metres tall, constructed of large corbeled stones which were then covered with earth to create this large dome shape. There is a passage approximately 25 metres long that penetrates the mound to an inner chamber, and once a year, at the winter solstice, the rising sun's rays penetrate this passageway all the way to the chamber. This was constructed prior to ferrous metals/tools were in use, so it would all have been done using very primitive means. We joined a tour that actually took a small group of about a dozen or so people back into the inner chamber, and to describe this as amazing does not do it justice. The other intriguing element is the art work, etched into the stones, that decorates the site, again, all done about 6000 years ago! We found this to be much more interesting than Stonehenge, and really leaves one with a profound respect for these ancient (really ancient) cultures!

View from distance, that is a person in white jacket on right side

Jon at entrance

Close up of side

From Newgrange, it was off to Dublin and the Davenport Hotel for two nights. Dublin is a very busy city! (That was an understatement!) Thank goodness for GPS and a little footwork to find the hotel.

Davenport Hotel in downtown Dublin

Once we found the hotel, and got the car parked (another story!), we set off for the Brazen Head Pub on Bridge Street for a night of traditional Irish storytelling, song, food and drink. We were very careful to look up the location, and decided that by the time we got the car out of its hidey-hole garage and navigated our way to the pub, and found another parking spot, we were actually better off to walk the mile or so....and so we did. A wee problem however....there are several Bridge streets in Dublin, or streets with 'Bridge' in them, and we got it wrong. When we inquired, we found out that we weren't even close, so it was 'hale a cab time'.

Irish Stew & Guinness for dinner

The Brazen Head is reputed to be Ireland's oldest pub, tracing its roots back to about 1200. Our evening was not a disappointment at all. Johnny, our host, introduced the group to the history of storytelling, and how it is becoming a lost art form, and the importance of believing in fairies to help explain things or events that couldn't be explained in any other way. This was embellished with stories and song, and of course food and drink! We each had an Irish stew, Deb the traditional Irish stew, and Jon, the beef and Guinness stew. (Can't say that we haven't eaten well on this trip!) Our evening concluded with a cab ride back to our hotel, shared with an American in Ireland for work, who kindly picked up our fare. To him we say 'thanks'.

Singers at Brazen Head Pub

October 20

Goodbye Belfast. There were a lot of guests, a few bus loads, at the Malone where we were staying, and the same lot were up quite early to venture off to wherever. Not much chance to sleep in. In an heritage building one can hear everything, I heard the lady in the room next to us lamenting the fact that there was no hair blower. I almost called out to tell her to look in the desk drawer, but restrained myself!

After breakfast and packing up, it was off to the linen museum in Lisburn. It was also market day in town and quite busy. We spent a good bit of time at the museum, free by the way,  following the history of the flax/linen industry through the past several hundred years and saw some quite extraordinary examples of linens through the ages. Back in the 1920's, a reknown architect was commissioned by Queen Mary, consort of King George V to build the most famous doll's house in the world. This was 1:12 scale, and was built by craftsmen and artisans of the time over a 2 to 3 year period, complete with electric lighting and running water. The linens on the beds, the table clothes, etc were made by weavers in Lisburn, complete with royal monograms, etc, all to scale! The doll house is actually on display at Windsor Castle, but there were examples of the linens at the Lisburn Museum, quite fascinating to see such intricate, detailed and delicate work.

Live flax spinning demonstration

After Lisburn, it was off to Cabra Castle at Kingscourt, in County Cavan. It is hard to describe the opulence of an estate such as this. I'm glad I don't have to pay the heating bills here. Our room was in the converted stables, out back. I know it sounds rather second class to describe it in that manner, but believe me when I say it was anything but! Supper tonight was in the pub...I think we feel a little more comfortable in the relaxed relaxed atmosphere of the pub rather than the more formal dining room.

Must have been a wedding at Cabra Castle

Deb near part of Cabra Castle

Our suite

Dining Room

View of our 'room' in the 'stables' & our rental car

Interesting to note that when you came into the lobby area through the front entrance, there was a  big dog bed there. This is Molly's. Elsewhere in the castle on a wall covered with pictures is a portrait of Molly or her ancestor, and this is the only picture that has a light to illuminate it. Molly is the resident Irish wolfhound.

Molly the Irish Wolfhound

After supper, Jonathan went off for an hour to explore a walking trail lose to the castle. The weather was somewhat damp, drizzly and cool, not unlike home, and the autumn smells of fallen leaves were just the same.

Until tomorrow.....

October 18 & 19

Today we went to jail. Okay, perhaps that needs a little more explanation. Today we visited the old Crumlin Road Gaol, now an historic tourist attraction. The Crum, as it is affectionately known, is an old Victorian era prison, built in 1845 and taken out of service in 1996. It was the site of hangings, and part of the tour we took was spent in the area where a condemned man spent his last days, and the actual chamber where it occurred. It is definitely an unsettling, eerie experience, explained in detail and with all the assorted 'equipment' that was used. This time of year they also have a 'haunted' 'tour and the guide Bobby said that many people over the years have seen one ghost in particular, but I can't recall his name. In its day, this prison has housed men, women, and children, the guide explained one record for a child that was sentenced for a very petty crime, like stealing an apple and they were housed with all the other hardened criminals. This jail also factored into the more recent conflicts within Ireland during the 70/80's. 

Crumlin Gaol

Recreation of a cell

The afternoon was spent trying to locate grave sites in the Belfast City Cemetery. We had the burial sites for Deb's relatives, but even with a map of the section where the sites should have been, we could not find them, as there were numerous toppled, unmarked and some with thorny vines covering them completely, we were out of luck. Our call to the cometary office went unanswered..

Belfast City Cemetery

We also drove around some Belfast streets checking out the addresses of long ago relatives, some we found and others were fields or office buildings. Saw the neighbourhoods, some still very upscale by the University, some near the Opera House and others now looking tired and well lived in.

Well, tomorrow has arrived, and off we go to challenge our driving skills, keeping in mind that it is now Monday, a work day, and still pretty early in the morning! We found a relatively quiet side street to park on near the newspaper archive office, part of the Belfast Library and while Deb went a-searching.  I went and visited a local barber so I can look presentable when I return home. When the barber discovered I was Canadian and not American, she was most apologetic...several times, and like most barbers, was quite chatty about Belfast, etc, etc.

Lobby of Belfast library

Deb then moved from the newspaper archives into the main part of Belfast library....a productive day for her while I explored the downtown area, the University and surrounding area on foot. Of all the shops I went by, the most interesting was definitely the pastry shop.....but I was good and just looked! How's that for restraint!

We ended the day off on another short road trip to Cultra, where Deb's Cooper family used to vacation. We had the picture of the large home and the view from it, probably taken in late 1890's, but despite asking a few locals, it became apparent that it too had been torn down to make way for newer large upscale homes. Had a good walk along the sea though...

View from Cultra

October 16 & 17

Yesterday we departed Cushendall, and our friends, Anne, Jack and Jess. The drive to Belfast took us cross country, driving through a few of the villages where Deb's research had shown there to be a 'Todd' (family) connection, but no revelations worthy of note, just beautiful, rolling, Irish scenery, and again, flawless weather!

Finally, we find the area!

Ancestral Lands

More Irish countryside of the Todd's

Saintfield Church where William & Agnes married

Inside Saintfield Presbyterian Church

Our stay in Belfast is at the Malone Lodge Hotel, close to Queens University and the home of an ancestor Walter Todd who lived on University Rd.

Malone Lodge part of old townhomes

Nice size bedroom looking out on Eglantine St

Bathroom of Malone

Today we ventured out, Deb going to the PRONI (Public Records Organization of Northern Ireland) to research family history, while I walked around the corner and spent the day at the Titanic Centre. This is a very comprehensive display of the history of ship building here in Dublin, the design and building of the Titanic, the labour and skills involved, the sourcing of materials required, the outfitting of the boat, sea trials, passenger information, and of course, the tragic sinking and inquiries, etc that followed from that. It was a day-long event, and could have been longer and all tremendously interesting.

Deb's day at PRONI was a steep learning curve but she managed to secure a copy of a marriage certificate that she wanted and learned about all their archives and how to see the original documents. In particular was able to see the church records of ancestors.

In the late afternoon, Jonathan ventured out for a walk down to the River Lagan for an hour or so, just to explore the local environs. One street was named 'Chlorine Gardens'....there has to be a story behind a name like that!

Saturday's breakfast was a bowl of porridge, quite different texture from what I am accustomed to. Deb had one of her stand-by favourites...Eggs Benedict. Then it was off to visit towns and villages south of Belfast, searching for familiar names, grave sites, etc  that Deb has documented in her genealogy searches.  Towns like Ballynahinch and The Spa near Ballynahinch, with lots of photos to show family at home. Then in Saintfield I was able to enter the church where my ancestors were married.  The town even had a Todd's Hill, Todd being our ancestors,  then we were off to search for the Coopers which were found as suspected by Deb, in a small cemetery in Rademon. Two family gravestones with a lot of Cooper family names, and a Cooper mausoleum.

Saintfield Church ( William Cooper & Agnes Todd married)

Inside Saintfield Church

William Cooper Sr. family headstone

Cooper Mausoleum at Rademon Church

'The Spa' previously owned by Coopers for 70 yrs

The last part of the afternoon was spent back in Belfast walking into the town centre and back to the hotel. The objective was to try to find a store that sold Irish linen, something of a specialty item. We were not successful, but we did pass a few interesting sights along the way.

Lounging & writing the blog in lobby

Wednesday October 14

I think we have missed a day or two, but when you're on holiday, who cares! 

Last Sunday (11th) was our last day in Edinburgh....another day to ourselves. Our main activity Sunday morning was a tour of Mary King's Close. To appreciate this, one has to understand that in Edinburgh, you are either going up a hill or down one. In days gone by (1500's and 1600's), narrow 'streets', or closes were where the poorer folk lived. Their homes, for want of a better word, were one, or sometimes two rooms, and stacked, 3, 4, or 5 stories high. These closes were usually about 6 to 8 feet wide, so didn't allow for the passage of very much, just people, livestock, small carts, etc, and on market day, the vendors set up their stalls in this space as well. It doesn't take much to imagine the cramped conditions. And then with this in mind, add in the perpetual dampness, the lack of light due to the high walls, the smoke from peat fires, the unsanitary conditions, disease, rats.....well you get the picture.

'Close' behind Jonathan

Streets of Edinburgh

 A visit to Edinburgh for any dog lover is not complete without a visit to see Greyfriars Bobby's statue/memorial, and so that was on today's route. It is a touching tale, and having said that, will leave it to the reader to find out more. This was followed by mucho walking through areas away from the beaten path, including a walk through the Prince's Park where to our surprise, Oktoberfest celebrations were in full swing. I guess if you're from KW, there is just no getting from our Bavarian traditions no matter where you go! Now I was wondering what the Chicken Dance or Roll Out the Barrel would sound like played on the bagpipes.......just curious?!?

Greyfriars Bobby

Statue of Bobby 

Monday was pack up early and catch the 'AirLink' bus to the airport. This is a bus service that is run by the local 'Lothian' transit authority from the train terminal to the airport with minimal stops along the way. There was a pickup point almost at the end of the street our hotel was on, so it was easy. Speaking of public transit, there are lots of buses going everywhere, and a lot of folk using them. Mind you, how all these buses navigate the narrow, packed streets is a bit of a mystery, but they do. 

Our flight to Ireland was on a turbo-prop airplane with the flight lasting a little over an hour. Uneventful, but Scotland from the air is a pretty sight, and the weather has continued to amaze us...it remains sunny, clear and mild. Once in Ireland, we picked up a rental car once again and with Deb as navigator, headed off for what can only be described as pure luxury. We stayed overnight Monday at Castle Leslie in County Monaghan ( where Deb's ancestors came from, but NOT from a castle). We had a valet to take the suitcases up to our room, three floors up a grand staircase. Our room was the 'Nursery', with more down-filled mattress covers, duvets, pillows, etc than anyone could hope to imagine.....VERY comfortable! (I think that was an understatement), voted the best bed so far. The ensuite in the Nursery was an interesting feature. One side of the room was built like a child's playhouse with 3 entrances;  one opened up to the sink, one to a mini bath/shower and one to the antique toilet, or WC, as they often refer to them here. Lesley Estate is located on a thousand acres, with ponds, lakes, walking trails, horse paths, stables, meadows,  cattle, etc. and needless to say, some of the trails got walked by us. A wonderful experience for us, and dining to match.

Welcoming tea in our room

Breakfast Room

Part of Breakfast Room

 Bathroom!

Reading Room

Front of Castle Leslie

View of Castle Leslie across the lake

From the castle, it was off to Cushendall, a small village in Northern Ireland right on the coast. We are in a B&B here for 2 nights run by a lady who runs an outdoor education/team building/adventure company that has won numerous tourism awards. Anne has been nationally recognized for her work in this field, and her passions are almost anything to do with the outdoors....hiking, climbing, biking, horses, trekking, water sports, kayaking, and the list goes on. Needless to say, most of the people who stay with her are like minded. She and her 2 dogs, Jack and Jess, 2 cats and two horses. She was a delightful host and great company. Anyone traveling to Northern Ireland would enjoy staying at 'Sundial House' and would like this very warm, easy-going lady. 

The green lands of Ireland

Anne outside with Jessie

Jack & Jessie in front of fire in sitting room

Early the next morning I took a walk up the coastal foot path a few kilometres to the 'Old Layrd' church ruins, nestled in a small valley up against a fast flowing stream. This church was abandoned in the late1700's, but the ruins are maintained by volunteers and the National Trust. Very peaceful and quiet at that time of day, and remote enough that it sees relatively few visitors.

From our digs in Cushendall,  we drove up the most scenic coastal road to the north east tip of Northern Ireland and were presented with spectacular vistas as we went. Lots of cows and sheep, but sheep not as prevalent as Scotland. Our goal was to visit the World Heritage Site at the Giants Causeway....awesome! The day was clear enough that we could see the Isle of Islay in the distance, the running swells of the sea were huge, and the basalt hexagonal columns that are the Giants Causeway did not disappoint. 

Coastal Route view

Jon on the Causeway

Back to Anne's and she made a fire with peat and coal to warm us up in the sitting room, how relaxing after a day of driving about. Anne gave us a tour of her house which is truly an Irish family home, her family grew up there and she has since expanded it to be a guest house.