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We had a very nice stay in Northern Ireland even though the weather wasn’t as kind as it had been throughout the holiday to date. The weather was overcast and drizzly as we drove from Galway to Omagh however the country side looked wonderful and green – perhaps because it rains a lot?
This was our first real drive across rural Ireland and it was quite a contrast to the coastal routes we had been driving along. We deliberately meandered towards Enniskillen and had a glimpse of the lake at Bellanaleck. Obviously, it is an area that the wealthy frequent going by the boats and lakeside apartments.
 We stayed at a B&B which was a working farm in Omagh and once again the fields were lush.
The next day we drove to Derry and spent most of the day in the city. We joined a city walking tour which was largely spent on the Derry Wall and lasted about an hour – this was a big highlight of our entire holiday. 
Once again we grabbed a DVD of the tour to watch on our return to Oz. I photographed the Derry murals on this tour. There are four similar archways which give access to the city proper.
From Derry we drove along the coast road to Bushmills to our next and best B&B (plenty of room, lounge chairs, a desk and Wifi; and individual toasters at breakfast – she wasn’t silly!). It was located on a country road with good valley views. The next day we had an interesting tour of the Bushmills Distillery and I ended up with a nice hip flask and a shot glass. We sampled the brew and had lunch in the Distillery canteen. In 2008 they celebrated 400 years of operation with a special “one-off” 1608 – 10 year single malt whisky – they have one here in Waitrose which I am “eyeing off” – however I am quite partial to a drop of their Black Bush. My little pocket whisky reference tome alludes to a potential loss of character since they were sold to a multi-national – but then I bought the little book in Scotland!
One of the planned highlights of the trip was going to be the Giant’s Causeway – a UNESCO World Heritage site – however when it came time to visit the next day we had the worst weather of the trip.
It was cold, windy and raining horizontally (we shouldn’t complain because across our whole trip we have had less than 4-5 days of rain). So we spent a limited time at the site but nevertheless got a feel for what the fuss is all about – and it’s not Giants!
Even though there is a very good geological explanation for the shape of the basalt rock (solidified lava) the Irish cling to their myths of giants fighting each other and the legend of Finn MacCool. Certainly adds some interest to the whole business.
The next day we headed for Belfast down the Causeway Coastline. The weather was cold and windy with less rain around. I thought the west coast had the potential to be wild but I think this part of Ireland is no less so.
 We came across Balintoy which is small (make that micro) harbour on the coast which only the brave and foolhardy would consider using with the rocks and waves bearing down on any venturous vessel (pictured).
There were some extraordinary landscapes – no less so then this harbour village nestled in amongst the cliffs – what a lifestyle!
Next it was on to Belfast. We met people (going the other way around Ireland) who spoke of Belfast as being a better (read more beautiful city than Dublin – I’m not so sure – I liked Dublin more. No doubt the fact that our hotel seemed to be in the windiest and darkest part of the city influenced my thinking. We did the city on/off tour here as well and this was when I took the mural photos.
The parliament building was impressive, as was the huge dry dock where the Titanic was built. If you look closely at the photo you’ll see a cardboard cut-out of a person at the bottom.
The next day we set off for Dublin and our last night in Ireland. However, we had one more World Heritage Site to visit – the “Bru na Boinne” in County Meath. We took our time driving from Belfast to Dublin and almost missed gaining entry. Luckily we managed to get a tour of the site, even though it was to the less popular of the two available tours. 
We toured the “passage tomb complex” of Knowth (pictured) with settlement before and long after the Neolithic period. As with Stonehenge, it was the amazing ability of the people 5,000 years ago to move/manipulate 2-5 tonne stones/rocks which confounds one’s mind.
 Our final B&B was just outside Skerries and along with our first B&B formed the worst two on the trip. When you look at the harbour front at Skerries you can see how lucky we are in Oz.
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