NORTHERN
IRELAND
otherwise known as Ulster
This
is a land of blue mountains and forest
parks, mazy lakes and windswept moors, white
Atlantic sands, an inland sea. The towers
and steeples of parish churches mark the
high ground beyond trimmed hedgerows. The
country's turbulent past, which still
resonates today, has also helped shape the
landscape. Driving in Northern Ireland is to
recapture motoring's glad confident morning.
The roads are excellent and you are never
much more than half an hour from the sea.
The only traffic jams are flocks of sheep or
cattle changing fields. In the summer you
may have to pull over occasionally to let
the music-makers pass, with their pipes and
brilliant banners, marching to a festival in
town. Because Northern Ireland is only 5,500
square miles in area - about the size of
Connecticut - you can see most of the main
attractions in a week without clocking up
more than 500 miles. A short-list might
be: The three historic cities of
Belfast, Derry and Armagh. The Mountains of
Mourne and the sea lough of Strangford. The
Causeway Coast and the Glens of Antrim. The
heritage of Northern Ireland is largely
rural. Ulster people are outdoor people.
They spend their leisure time pottering
around the coast or going on family
expeditions to the mountains at weekends.
There are 50 miles of cruising waters on
Lough Erne, sailing on Lough Neagh - the
biggest lake in the British Isles - sea
fishing off Strangford and the Antrim coast,
and many other Water sports. You can go
cycling and pony trekking along the
seashore. Whatever it may be, allow us to
do all the hard work for you.
"Hello, Pan American Airlines?" said
Big Mick Lonergan. "Could ye be tellin' me
how long it takes to fly from Boston to
Dublin?" The voice on the telephone said
"I'll see sir, just a minute." "Ahh, 'tis
fast. Thank ye," Mick said as he hung up.
A sample four day self drive tour of
Northern Ireland
The Causeway Coastal
Route offers the kind of jaw-dropping
scenery that fulfils even the fussiest
tourist. Apart from the UNESCO World
Heritage site of the Giant's
Causeway,
the area boasts nine glens, each with their
own legends, award-winning golf courses,
family parks, castles and the world's first
legal whiskey distillery. THIS FOUR DAY TRIP
CAN BE TAKEN ON ITS OWN OR AS A PART OF A
LARGER TOUR. IT CAN ALSO BE TAKEN AS A PART
OF A SCOTTISH TRIP.
Come and meet the ancestors!
DAY ONE: FROM BELFAST:
The first stop on our tour is
Carrickfergus, a charming town which is
home to Northern Ireland's best-preserved
Norman castle, built in the 12th century to
beat off marauders, carry on up the coast
past Larne, the gateway to the Causeway
Coast and Glens, to Glenarm, the seat
of the ancient, feudal landowners, the Earls
of Antrim. We follow the coastal road to
Ballycastle for
your overnight stop. Enjoy a superb meal
and drink - your first in the north?
DAY
TWO:
- make a dash for the Carrick-A-Rede
rope bridge. The rope
bridge spans an 80ft chasm linking a
tiny island with the mainland. The
scenery on either side of the bridge
- smugglers' caves are dotted
underneath cliffs sprouting white
and purple wild flowers. Then the
short distance to the Giant's
Causeway. The 40,000 mainly
hexagonal basalt columns poke
spookily from the sea. Legend has
it that the Fionn mac Cumhail or
Finn MacCool (to give him his
Anglicised name) built the causeway
to walk to Scotland to fight his
Scottish equivalent Benandonner.
All that walking makes you thirsty,
so head to Bushmills, home to
the world's oldest licensed whiskey
distillery. Established in 1608.
Your final destination is the
spectacular Downhill Estate and
Mussenden Temple near Castlerock.
The eccentric Frederick Hervey, an
Earl and the Bishop of Derry, built
the Roman-style Mussenden Temple on
the edge of a cliff as his library
in the 18th century. Beneath the
temple, the bishop built a room for
Catholic priests to say Mass.
Overnight in
either Coleraine or on the coast
near Portstewart. |
DAY THREE:
– driving in Co Londonderry,
your first stop is a beautiful 18th
Century folly, originally inspired
by the Tivoli Temple of Vesta. It is
a much photographed landmark built
close to the extensive gardens,
grounds and forest of the ruined
Downhill Castle. Superb views along
the northern coastline from here
will make your morning! Then follow
the road along the coast of Lough
Foyle to
Limavady.
Archaeologists
tell us that the first settlers
arrived in Ireland around 8000 BC.
The standing stones and small stone
circles that dot the Limavady area
landscape are remnants of the
Neolithic period from about 4000 BC.
No one knows for sure just how old
the original settlement of Limavady
is. The Celts arrived in Ireland
about 350 BC and settlements in the
Banagher area of the Limavady
Borough date from before the 5th
century AD. |
 
DAY FOUR:
The
story
of Derry
is a long and tumultuous one. Set on
a hill on the banks of the Foyle
estuary, strategically close to the
open sea, it came under siege and
attack for over a thousand years.
St Columb came out
of Donegal to escape the plague
1,400 years ago and founded his
first monastery in the oak grove (Doire
in Gaelic), a gift from his cousin,
Prince of Aileach. The saint said
that 'the angels of God sang in the
glades of Derry and every leaf held
its angel.' You can walk along the
great 17th-century walls, about a
mile round and 18 feet thick, which
withstood several sieges and even
today are unbroken and complete,
with old cannon still pointing their
black noses over the ramparts. The
great siege lasted for 105 days.
Historic buildings within the walls
include the famous 1633 Gothic
cathedral of St Columb. Overnight
in DERRY. Tour ends |
|
