Ireland 2023 Part 1

Hello Ireland, it’s been a while.
Well, two years to be exact. This time though, it’s different I’m in my motorhome and looking forward to spending the next 12 days touring most if not all of the counties of Ulster.

Ireland as well as being divided into counties is also divided into 4 provinces, Connaught, Leinster, Munster, and Ulster. Ulster covers the 6 counties of Northern Ireland and counties Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland.

The ferry route between Scotland and Ireland I took was the Cairnryan to Larne in Co Antrim so it was all aboard the European Highlander Ferry for the 2 hour trip.

Once in Larne I headed north up the coastal road to the village of Cushendall and to a lovely campsite by the sea which is owned by the local council. AS you might expect from a seaside village a lot of activities took place either in the sea or by the sea. Everything from fishing to windsurfing and sailing and it seemed to involve young people which was good to see.

The next day I set off heading north. I had a ‘pit stop’ at the newly opened Portaneevy Viewpoint which gave excellent views of the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge which allows brave souls who are not afraid of heights, the bridge sits 100 feet above the sea and links the small island to the main land. It was first setup in 1755 by local fishermen.

After a much needed coffee and bacon roll it was time to hit the road again this time heading to the Giants Causeway. I was unaware that disappointment would soon makes its presence felt as when I got to the causeway I found the approach road was jampacked with cars and buses full of people with the same idea. So as I had visited the causeway before I decided to give it a miss and head onwards toward Portrush.

Portrush is a holiday resort which attracts visitors from allover Ireland. The town is known for it three lovely beaches, the East Strand, the West Strand and White Rocks and also for its golf course, Royal Portrush Golf Club, which hosted the 2019 Open Championship. The town also has the largest amusement park in Northern Island.

After spending a good few hours in the town it was time to head off and find our site for the night which turned out to be a site in the rear of the Blazing Saddle Saloon which is near the town of Limavady.
Which is a cowboy/country & western themed pub and certainly was an eye opener.

The next stop on the tour was Derry a city I have visited a few times before. I have always found the people to be really friendly and very chatty.
I was parked up in St Columb’s Park which meant crossing the Peace Bridge to get to the city centre. Once over the bridge I stopped at the Peace Flame which burns 24/7 and is in a small but lovely garden. On leaving the garden it was off to the Bogside. This is the traditional Catholic area of the city and was where the civil rights march of the 30th of January 1972 turned into a massacre when the British Army killed 26 unarmed civilians.

The Bogside is also the area famous for it’s murals. One of the first murals you see is of a youth, brick in his hand and facing up to an armored car. While looking at this mural I remember thinking to myself I know the name of that young guy but I couldn’t remember who he is or how I know his name. Strangely, I would find out more about this person in a couple of days time.

Since my last visit to The Bogside at least two new murals have been painted, one with former politician, John Hume, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela. The other one has images of those people shot on the day.