Passport in hand, bags packed, must be time for an adventure. Next stop – Northern Ireland. Sean has a sales meeting in Belfast so I flew in with our friends the Newmon’s for a week of fun and exploration. We have booked a private chauffeured tour through Brendan Vacations. Our itinerary includes Belfast, Londonderry, Galway, and Dublin. What better way to start your vacation than a personal chauffeur meeting you at the airport? Meet Donal….
The flight from Atlanta was smooth we even arrived early, thank you Delta! Unfortunately, sleep was not in the cards. We arrived in Dublin around 10:00am local time and then drove 2 hours to our hotel in Belfast. A quick 30 minute power nap is all there was time for, as we had a city tour scheduled for 2pm.
Our city tour of Belfast was led by the amazing Dee Morgan. She is a walking encyclopedia of the history of Belfast. Her personal stories of her experiences growing up during The Troubles were fascinating. The political and religious history of Northern Ireland are illustrated on murals throughout the city.
We also stopped for a quick bite to eat at The Jailhouse on Joys Entry, a narrow street that dates back to the 17th century. The building was once an actual jail, and believed to have held Henry Joy McCracken, an Irish Republican and founding member of the Society of the United Irishmen. The food was delicious, I recommend the Seafood Chowder and Sean enjoyed the Fish and Chips.
Our tour continued with the Peace Walls, a series of walls or barriers that separated the Protestant neighborhoods (loyalists) from the Catholic neighborhoods (nationalists) to prevent violence. In one area there is a gate between the two neighborhoods that is open during the day but still closes each night. The positive message in much of what we saw is that they have experienced peace now for over 20 years. A popular tourist attraction is to sign one of the peace walls, so of course we had to partake.
I highly recommend doing a guided tour of the city to take full advantage of their knowledge of The Troubles and how it has shaped the city. I think driving the city and seeing the sites without the guide would not be as impactful. Lot of tour options available, including a Black Cab Tour, but of course we would definitely recommend using Dee!
After the tour we ended up back near our hotel and, although jet lag was knocking at the door, it was just too early to turn in. We wondered over to the Crown Bar, a pub that dates back to 1826. The inside is stunning, with etched glass, ornate wall and ceiling decorations and several private booths called snugs. The snugs date back to the Victorian period where certain guests preferred to keep their presence in a saloon private.
Sleep is beginning to win the battle and so it’s time to sign off. Tomorrow is action packed so be sure to check back. Until then, good night!
I wanna go back! Every minute will hold a new memory. We wrote our names on one of the walls and it was sobering.