The island commonly referred to as Ireland includes the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, under the rule of Britain. The Irish language is Gaelic. Ireland lays claim to having the best grass, craic, and whisky. Craic (crack) in Gaelic means fun and the Gaelic word for whisky means water of life!
History
Early Irish settlers were known as Celts, and came across from mainland Europe. Dublin was first founded by the Vikings in 988 and is the Republic of Ireland's capital. About 30-40 years later, Brian Boru defeated the Vikings and became the High King of Ireland until the 12th century Norman invasion and Ireland came under English rule.
Catholicism is an important part of the Irish culture. However, during the time of King Henry the VIII, the catholic faith was threatened during an era known as the "plantations and penal laws". During this time, many protestant settlers removed from England and were planted in Ireland. The Catholics became lower class citizens and were not able to receive an education or hold important positions or jobs. Catholics lost most of their lands. The Irish decided to rebel.
The United Irishmen were created in an attempt to establish a free Ireland. However, the group consisted mostly of Catholic Irish which were poorly armed, pitchforks and spears against guns. Once the rebellions were quelled, the rebel leaders were either hung, drawn, and quartered or faced a firing squad, publicly. Such acts successfully deterred further rebellions, not to say they didn't happen, just less frequently.
In 1829, Daniel O'Connell successfully reestablished an Irish parliament, and did so through non violence. However, this was overshadowed by the great Irish famine and the rise in immigration from Ireland to the US. It didn't help that trade was still regulated and demanded by the English. Nearly 2 million Irish died or immigrated. The population still has not recovered to its pre-famine numbers, around 8 million.
Ireland sought to regain its freedom from England. Easter Rising, 1916, two groups, the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizens Army combined forces to take control of key areas in Dublin, the castle, the GPO (General Post Office), etc. Battles ensued and the rebels eventually surrendered to save the innocents that were being killed in the cross fire. The British had brought a ship down the river Leffy and aimed and began firing upon Dublin. The leaders, again, were executed publicly. This devastation seemed to turn the tide, in favor of the Irish.
However, instead of meeting the English in battles they knew they'd lose (again, still not so heavily armed), the Irish resorted to guerrilla warfare against the British from 1919 to 1921 when the English requested a meeting to discuss peace talks. Micheal Collins went to England and came back with a treaty declaring 26 of the 32 counties in Ireland as the Republic of Ireland. 6 counties in the north were predominantly protestant and were to remain under British rule, or what is known today as Northern Ireland. Not everyone was satisfied. This caused a civil war among the Irish. However, the pro-treaty side won out.
Tensions still ensued, mainly between the Catholics and Protestants. An era known as the 'Troubles' saw protests and marches. The creation of Peace Walls separated the Catholics and the Protestants. Today, there is still a systematic discrimination between the Catholics and the protestants; however, the Peace Walls are set to come down in 2023.
Dublin
We took the Hop-On/Hop-Off bus around Dublin and visited several sites and got to see quite a bit of the city.
St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's is the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland as well as Ireland's largest cathedral and pilgrimage. Johnathan Swift, known for his literary work, Gulliver's Travels, was dean here.
Teelings Whisky Distillery
Jameson Whisky Distillery is closed until March 2017, but that didn't stop us from enjoying some Irish Whisky. We really enjoyed the tour, about one and a half hour tour, complete with tasting! The guide was great! We had heard about the whisky process from a tour of the English Whisky Co. I do believe the whisky is smoother than the English Whisky, and the cocktail was delicious! I always enjoy the idea of the "Angel's share". You know it's okay to drink (in moderation) when the angels come to take their share. The Angel's share is what the distilleries refer to the evaporation decrease as the whiskies mature. In Ireland (and England) it's about 2-3% per year. Some places in the US can see levels as high as 18%! What does that tell you?!
Jameson Whisky Distillery is closed until March 2017, but that didn't stop us from enjoying some Irish Whisky. We really enjoyed the tour, about one and a half hour tour, complete with tasting! The guide was great! We had heard about the whisky process from a tour of the English Whisky Co. I do believe the whisky is smoother than the English Whisky, and the cocktail was delicious! I always enjoy the idea of the "Angel's share". You know it's okay to drink (in moderation) when the angels come to take their share. The Angel's share is what the distilleries refer to the evaporation decrease as the whiskies mature. In Ireland (and England) it's about 2-3% per year. Some places in the US can see levels as high as 18%! What does that tell you?!
Guinness Storeroom
A trip to Dublin wouldn't be complete without visiting the iconic Guinness Brewery. The brewery was a multi story exhibit that you could explore the history and art of Guinness, get a certification in pouring the perfect brew, and enjoy a pint of Guinness in on top of the world (or at least rather high up)! What was neat, was learning how they built the barrels, the maker did all the curvature of the wood by sight, no measurements! The process that one would have to go through to make a barrel for beer, wine, whisky is impressive! The only part that is measured is the lid!
Dublin Zoo
Since the Jameson Distillery wasn't opened, we decided to relax the rest of the afternoon and check out the zoo. It was a pretty cool zoo. The enclosures are a far more 'realistic', open, and larger than what I've seen in some of zoos in the US. The variety of species is somewhat lacking compared to those in the states, but it has big cats and that's the most important! The Dublin Zoo is the 3rd oldest (or maybe it was largest?) zoo in Europe.
Dublin Castle
Our last day, we went around Dublin Castle and the National History Museum and Archaeology Museum.
We made our way up to Northern Ireland, stopping in Belfast at the Titanic Visitor Experience, one of Belfast's claims to fame, they built the massive, elegant, unsinkable ship. Despite the unfortunate incident, many ship have gone and still go to Belfast to be built or repaired.
Before we explore, our guide told us that in Belfast (and N. Ireland), due to continued tension between the Catholic and the Protestants, different flags are flown. In areas predominately Catholic, the Irish flag is flown to show their favor of a United Ireland while in a more Protestant community, the Union Jack and/or the Ulster flag (white field with red cross) is flown to show support to Britain.
Titanic Visitor Experience
Located in what is now called the Titanic Quarter of Belfast, the Titanic Visitor centre is a remarkable building. We had about 1 hour and 45 min to explore the various levels of the centre. The beginning is a little slow going; however, as it went on, it got better. A ride took you through the building process, one floor showed the living quarters and virtual walk-through of the Titanic, but what I really found interesting was the exhibition of survivors telling their stories or those they knew. At the end of the our, there is a underwater exploration of the Titanic. Note: the real Titanic is not at the exhibition!
Giant's Causeway
After the Titanic Experience, we made our way to the coast and headed for the Giant's Causeway. We did stop for a quick photo opt for any Game of Thrones fans at Dunluce Castle.
The Giant's Causeway is comprised of polygonal columns of basalt that resulted from volcanic activity years ago, we're talking MILLIONS of years ago! However, I prefer the Irish legend that the rock formations were created by a giant, There once were two giants, one in Ireland (Finn McCool) and one 14 miles across the way in Scotland. The two giants were at war, yelling across the way at one another. The Irish giant wanted to get to Scottish giant. He took up stones out of the water and began building a pathway to Scotland (Scotland was the same basalt columns on it's side due to the lava flow). At the end of the day, the Irish returned home to rest for the morrow, he was to defeat the Scot. However, that night, the Scottish giant found the pathway and decided to attack first. The Irish giant's wife disguised the Irish giant as a newborn baby, and when the Scottish giant saw the baby, fled back to Scotland in fear that if the baby was so large, the father would be even larger and perhaps more fierce. The Scottish giant destroyed the bridge so that he wouldn't be followed.
Carrick-a-Rede
Our last stop was to Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. Carrick-a-Rede is translated as the rock in the road. For over 350 years, fishermen have strung a rope bridge to access Carrick Island and gain best access to catch migrating salmon. Now, it draws in tourist who enjoy spectacular views and a thrill! We crossed the bridge with no problem, or wait- there are personnel directing you across, and only 8 at a time can be on bridge. However, despite the signs posted, more that 8 persons were sometimes crossing at the same time. We had a longer wait/line getting back across the island, but with views such as they were, it was worth the wait. While we enjoyed a fantastic day, I'm not sure I'd want to be crossing the rope bridge on a particularly windy day!! Still, the views from the island and walks around are just stunning! I was delightfully surprised that Larrybane Bay was such a pretty blue and clear; although, not a blue or transparent as the Mediterranean or the Caribbean, but it was its own beauty.
Also, a short walk is another Game of Thrones filming location for fans to check out, Larrybane Limestone Quarry.
A trip to Dublin wouldn't be complete without visiting the iconic Guinness Brewery. The brewery was a multi story exhibit that you could explore the history and art of Guinness, get a certification in pouring the perfect brew, and enjoy a pint of Guinness in on top of the world (or at least rather high up)! What was neat, was learning how they built the barrels, the maker did all the curvature of the wood by sight, no measurements! The process that one would have to go through to make a barrel for beer, wine, whisky is impressive! The only part that is measured is the lid!
Dublin Zoo
Since the Jameson Distillery wasn't opened, we decided to relax the rest of the afternoon and check out the zoo. It was a pretty cool zoo. The enclosures are a far more 'realistic', open, and larger than what I've seen in some of zoos in the US. The variety of species is somewhat lacking compared to those in the states, but it has big cats and that's the most important! The Dublin Zoo is the 3rd oldest (or maybe it was largest?) zoo in Europe.
Dublin Castle
Our last day, we went around Dublin Castle and the National History Museum and Archaeology Museum.
We made our way up to Northern Ireland, stopping in Belfast at the Titanic Visitor Experience, one of Belfast's claims to fame, they built the massive, elegant, unsinkable ship. Despite the unfortunate incident, many ship have gone and still go to Belfast to be built or repaired.
Before we explore, our guide told us that in Belfast (and N. Ireland), due to continued tension between the Catholic and the Protestants, different flags are flown. In areas predominately Catholic, the Irish flag is flown to show their favor of a United Ireland while in a more Protestant community, the Union Jack and/or the Ulster flag (white field with red cross) is flown to show support to Britain.
Titanic Visitor Experience
Located in what is now called the Titanic Quarter of Belfast, the Titanic Visitor centre is a remarkable building. We had about 1 hour and 45 min to explore the various levels of the centre. The beginning is a little slow going; however, as it went on, it got better. A ride took you through the building process, one floor showed the living quarters and virtual walk-through of the Titanic, but what I really found interesting was the exhibition of survivors telling their stories or those they knew. At the end of the our, there is a underwater exploration of the Titanic. Note: the real Titanic is not at the exhibition!
Giant's Causeway
After the Titanic Experience, we made our way to the coast and headed for the Giant's Causeway. We did stop for a quick photo opt for any Game of Thrones fans at Dunluce Castle.
The Giant's Causeway is comprised of polygonal columns of basalt that resulted from volcanic activity years ago, we're talking MILLIONS of years ago! However, I prefer the Irish legend that the rock formations were created by a giant, There once were two giants, one in Ireland (Finn McCool) and one 14 miles across the way in Scotland. The two giants were at war, yelling across the way at one another. The Irish giant wanted to get to Scottish giant. He took up stones out of the water and began building a pathway to Scotland (Scotland was the same basalt columns on it's side due to the lava flow). At the end of the day, the Irish returned home to rest for the morrow, he was to defeat the Scot. However, that night, the Scottish giant found the pathway and decided to attack first. The Irish giant's wife disguised the Irish giant as a newborn baby, and when the Scottish giant saw the baby, fled back to Scotland in fear that if the baby was so large, the father would be even larger and perhaps more fierce. The Scottish giant destroyed the bridge so that he wouldn't be followed.
Carrick-a-Rede
Our last stop was to Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. Carrick-a-Rede is translated as the rock in the road. For over 350 years, fishermen have strung a rope bridge to access Carrick Island and gain best access to catch migrating salmon. Now, it draws in tourist who enjoy spectacular views and a thrill! We crossed the bridge with no problem, or wait- there are personnel directing you across, and only 8 at a time can be on bridge. However, despite the signs posted, more that 8 persons were sometimes crossing at the same time. We had a longer wait/line getting back across the island, but with views such as they were, it was worth the wait. While we enjoyed a fantastic day, I'm not sure I'd want to be crossing the rope bridge on a particularly windy day!! Still, the views from the island and walks around are just stunning! I was delightfully surprised that Larrybane Bay was such a pretty blue and clear; although, not a blue or transparent as the Mediterranean or the Caribbean, but it was its own beauty.
Also, a short walk is another Game of Thrones filming location for fans to check out, Larrybane Limestone Quarry.
