ADVENTURES IN COUNTY ANTRIM, NORTHERN IRELAND:

In County Antrim we have fond memories and great photos of the Giant's Causeway, Dunluce Castle, Antrim Coast, and the Glenariff Forest Park.

THE JOURNEY

The drive from Westport, County Mayo to Bushmills, County Antrim is 5 1/2 hours of driving time on www.aaroadwatch.ie. We drove via Sligo and Donegal town, and it was an all-day trip.

YEAT'S GRAVE

The famous Irish poet W. B. Yeats is buried in a historic graveyard next to a small church, surrounded by peaceful green countryside. It's in Drumcliff, 6 miles north of Sligo, an easy stop off the main road.

My family found it a bit odd to plan a stop to gawk at a dead poet's tombstone. However, the actual experience transcended our expectations!

This is a fascinating glimpse into history, and a beautiful old Celtic cross sets the mood.
The boneyard is haunted with a peaceful spirit...the spirit of W. B. Yeats and Irish men and women who were laid to rest after loving and yearning and leaving their mark upon the world.

Poem By W. B. Yeats:

Down By the Salley Gardens
by W. B. Yeats
Down by the salley gardens my love and I did meet;
She passed the salley gardens with little snow-white feet.
She bid me take love easy, as the leaves grow on the tree;
But I, being young and foolish, with her would not agree.
In a field by the river my love and I did stand,
And on my leaning shoulder she laid her snow-white hand.
She bid me take life easy, as the grass grows on the weirs;
But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears.

MUTINY IN THE BACK SEAT

Thanks to Michele we wisely didn't deviate far from our main route, Westport to Bushmills via Sligo and Donegal town. The drive became an all-day, hot, aggravating affair. We would have been driving in the dark if we had deviated from the main route!

There was mutiny in the back seat, where my 2 young adult daughters fought over the only cap to keep their long hair from blowing wildly. All the windows were open and it was boiling hot with no air conditioning in an Irish heat wave!

If you have children of any age, remember this equation:
Hindsight:
5 1/2 hour drive = Family Feud!

Next time I wouldn't undertake a drive of longer than 4 hours (according to AA Roadwatch) in Ireland with the family. Air conditioning would have helped.

PROBLEMS DRIVING:

Here are the problems which made our longer drives stressful and NOT any fun:
--No Air conditioning in the car during Irish heat wave
--Compact car and feuding siblings crammed between backpacks in the back seat.
--The curb on the left twice reached out and bit the car
--Too many confusing circles to navigate in Northern Ireland. Why can't they build a nice long straight road?!
--one lost husband driving and 3 back-seat drivers!

THAT is real Ireland!

GETTING UN-LOST

It was aggravating getting lost and confused, but we were never lost for long, thanks to the excellent OSI Complete Road Atlas of Ireland. It includes an index and has town names in Gaelic where appropriate. I ordered it on-line. Alongside this we needed the laminated Berndtson map of Ireland so we could see the whole country on one page. See your local bookstore or www.BERNDTSON.com.

NORTHERN IRELAND

For us, at first, Northern Ireland looked like...San Diego, California! Our first glimpse was of wide streets, well-paved, modern suburbs, very much llike home.

We missed rural southwest and west Ireland with its quaint small villages and cows and sheep in the road.

IRISH ACCENTS

I had been listening carefully to all these musical Irish accents in County Kerry, Clare, and Mayo. At last in Northern Ireland I heard the familiar accents of my beloved Irish grandmother and her sisters. That was exciting for me! (She emigrated from Belfast to America in 1914, on a ship from England. Seven of her siblings and her mother came over one at a time.)

CRAIG PARK B&B, BUSHMILLS, COUNTY ANTRIM

Such wonderful hospitality at Craig Park, a b&b in the countryside near Bushmills, County Antrim! David came right out to the car to greet us and he even carried my bags in.

I was delighted that Jan was willing to do our laundry for a fair price...washed, dried, and neatly folded! Such a convenience!

Very comfortable beds in tidy, charming, spacious rooms at Craig Park. Quiet and peaceful with views of garden, countryside, and a peak of distant ocean.

They have a globe downstairs stuck with pins to show all the places they have travelled to around the world.

Jan and David had 2 guests from Australia who were also doing geneology research on Irish ancestry (as I am doing.) We all talked about the ancestors and Jan and David passed on great info to us.

Have to give Craig Park an A+. Superb.

Don't listen at breakfast if David tells you the story of the wild plane ride he took with the stewardess and the baby flying around inside the plane! Ahhhhh! David is full of stories and it was a pleasure enjoying his company at breakfast.

Tea and coffee are complimentary any time, and for a reasonablel fee we enjoyed wine in the evening and a chat outdoors at sunset with David and Jan and the 2 guests from Australia. Also met David and Jan's son, a true gentleman.

See Michele's book for Craig Park, Bushmills.

GIANT'S CAUSEWAY:

The strange basalt pillars of the Giant's Causeway are an unlikely and exhilarating sight. Everyone was fascinated.

Bring your eye-drops in July as we (and others) developed itchy eyes in the area...might be seasonal allergies. It gets worse if you rub your eyes. Goes away when you leave the area.

It was an Irish heat wave and unfortunately Giant's Causeway requires some walking up-hill. We wished we had saved this site for the cooler July evening between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm. The visitors center is closed by then but you can still take the walk.

Was the Giant's Causeway truly a 3-star site? Yes. Was it worth it to ME to drive this far north just to see it? NO. Personally I would have preferred adding these 2 nights to the Belfast or Antrim coast areas.

By this point in our trip, I was getting rather satiated with scenic coastal wonders. If I sound cranky, I am reflecting the weariness that we all felt by this point in the trip. We were getting on each other's nerves a wee bit at this point! This would have been a good time to settle into one good-sized town for 4 nights and let everyone have some personal space.

I suggest you see the sites you are most excited about at the beginning of your trip, when you are still feeling fresh and eager. Also try to avoid long drives crammed in the car with feuding siblings of any age and make sure you have air conditioning in the car in summer!

A true test of the pacing of our trips: If there is nothing written in my journal, it means we went too fast, and everyone gets cranky. Sure enough, I find nothing written in my journal for the Giant's Causeway!

DUNLUCE CASTLE

I loved Dunluce castle on an early summer evening! We saw these evocative ruins on a clear early evening with views of the sunlight twinkling on the sea.

See the castle on your own first so you can peacefully meditate upon the views. Then join a tour to get the story.

It is said the private chambers and privte kitchen of the lady of the castle fell into the sea during a storm. Thereafter she refused to dwell in the castle and her whole family had to move. If you ask me she sounds awfully picky.

I enjoyed Dunluce Castle more than the Giant's Causeway, but that's a personal reaction.

My husband and 2 daughters found both Dunluce Castle and Giant's Causeway enjoyable. They liked the Cliffs of Moher better, though.

FOOD:
Of all the meals we had in Northern Ireland, our #1 favorite meal of all was Jan's Full Irish Breakfast at Craig Park! No lunches or dinners in the area stand out as much as her breakfast. She served the best mushrooms, tomatoes, bacon & sausage (we like the bacon better), and eggs on special potato bread. Plus fresh fruit in the cold buffet including berries (seasonal) and Irish brown bread which is called wheaten in Northern Ireland. My daughters also liked the excellent cold cereals available in the breakfast bar. (All included in your room price.)

SUNSET WALK AT CARRICK-A-REDE:

-- Edited by Melissa5 at 19:51, 2006-08-01