This week was definitely different then the last few weeks. Starting off on Monday we had class in a different location then normal. We met our history professor at the King’s Head Pub. We did a tour of the pub and learned that some of the walls are in fact the original walls since the house was first built. There are two fireplaces in the building as well that both have a marriage seal above them. While I have visited the pub before it was cool to see first hand the rich history that is just sitting in the middle of Galway. The debate was fun to it made class a really fun time. My side won and we got Orange, Green, and White socks!
This week was also our trip to Northern Ireland which was so fun. There was a ton of history and we did a full day of nature sight seeing which was so cool. This trip is also our longest one so far it was five days and we packed a lot into those five days. Our trip started Thursday and we got back to our temporary home the following Monday.
Our first stop was at the Lissadell House. This house was impressive but I found it to be a little unorganized. The family that owns in fact live there and the bottom part of the house you are able to walk through and see the original rooms. What was disappointing is that a lot of the rooms were closed off and things were kind of crowded around the first entry way. The tour guide did a great job of talking about the family that built the house and who originally lived there but in all honesty this wasn’t one of my favorite stops in the trip.
The house was very neat to see and we did get to see quite a bit of it. The servants quarters here I thought was interesting because there was so many rooms. When we were all done with that tour we got back in the bus and we were suppose to go see the gallery which was a self guided tour of the stable area but we didn’t have enough time so we moved on to our next stop.
Our next stop was really cool. We stopped at the Ulster Folk Museum. This was different then really anything we have done this whole trip because it was a reenactment of what life was like for the farming families in Ireland around the potato famine and the journey they had to go on.
You start off walking through the exhibit in the visitor center and when you reach the end you are transported into the older world of Ireland. The first spot is a small one room cottage. Inside was a woman who was sitting in a chair in the corner and she started talking about what kind of living conditions the people living there would have dealt with. There were more stops along the journey and inside some of them there were people and they would talk about what kind of occupation the people who lived in these places would have. In the farm house the woman in there was talking about the farm and as we were leaving she gave a piece of bread that she had made that day. It was really good. Eventually the pathway takes you to a city center that looks like the picture above. Through out this area was different little shops and they were really cool to see. For the rest of the stop you go through the ship where the “captain” was there to talk about what life was like on the boat. At the end you make it to America and get to see how it was for those who landed.
That night we made it to Belfast and stayed there that night. We ate at a restaurant called Brooklyn Square. The food here was so good. I had the beef lasagne and it was amazing. Chips (Fries) also came with it that were garlic and sweet chili. I would definitely eat here again if I ever get the opportunity.
The next morning was an early rising and we headed for the Crumlin Road Gaol. This tour was also different then other ones that we have been on. We started at the Gaol before walking around Belfast and met our tour guide who was once a prisoner there during the time of The Troubles. He was on the loyalist side, British loyalist, and talked about the terrible violence in Belfast where his father was killed by the IRA.
On our walk around Belfast with the guide we went by the Peace Wall that separates the two communities, loyalist and republic. We didn’t get a chance to sign the wall which was sad but it was really cool to walk and see the massive separation. When we reached the gates of the peace wall our guide handed us over to another guide who was a member of the republic side.
While on the second part of the tour we were told about the lives of the people on the republic side and how they suffered as well during this time. We walked past this church that was in fact the big target but the people in the community were able to defend it. Our guide talked about how during this time he also lost his brother and his best friend. He was also in the Goal for being a member of the IRA and participating in the hunger and dirty strikes within the jail.
When we were done with that guide we walked back to the Gaol were we had a tour of the inside of the jail. The first room was reception where the prisoners were stripped and checked into the prison. We then went to the tunnel which a tunnel that goes to the courthouse across the street. This was used to keep the prisoners from being seen by the public. We then went to the Governor’s office (warden’s office). This was connected to the entry way to get to the four wings of cell blocks. When we went into this section there were several cells that had a scene set up in them to see what it was like when the prison was running. There was one cell called the condemned man’s cell because if the prisoner was going to be executed this is where he would go. It was a big cell that had two rooms. The place where the prisoner would sleep and a bathroom next door. The prisoner would have two guards watching making sure that the prisoner wouldn’t cheat the executioner’s noose. The prisoner on their last day would have the chance for their final breakfast and then a priest would come in. Five minutes before eight in the morning the priest would leave and the prisoner knew that their time was up. The prisoner would be turned towards the cell door standing in the doorway of the bathroom. The prisoner would know exactly how many steps it was to cell block D where their life would end. Some thought they could buy themselves time if they made a scene on the way there but none ever got the chance because behind them the bookcase in the bathroom would be moved and there was another room where the execution took place.
I think everyone was shocked when the guide opened this room. There were only seventeen people executed here. While this whole tour was a sad it one it was also packed with information and it really tugged at your heart strings. Our day didn’t really lighten any because our next stop was the Titanic Museum where the Titanic was built.
This museum was also packed with so much information and it was very cool to see where the ship was built. Towards the end of the tour of the museum they had a film of finding the shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean. They looked at a couple of items and talked about them. After the film you walked down some stairs and you could the map of where all the debris is on the ocean floor. Outside of the museum you could go behind and see where the ship would have been docked before it sailed away. An interesting thing about going outback was that you could see where Game of Thrones was filmed. The set from the last scene was still there so you could see the burned Red Keep and they also had a glass stained window with the iron throne on it.
That night we stayed in Belfast again and in the morning we rose early again to go on the Gobbin’s Walk. This was a walk along a cliff side that was originally built in the early 1900s. It was in need of repair and in 2015 they reopened with the re imagined version of the walk. This was probably my favorite thing from the trip because it was just so beautiful. Usually doing something like this isn’t really my thing but I loved it so much.
At one point in the walk we went inside a cave which was in fact below sea level. We walked through a section that our guide called the bathtub because there was water on both sides of you. I had so much fun on this walk.
After the three hour walk we stopped at another Game of Thrones filming location, the Dark Hedges. This was really cool to see. We walked along the long path of the Dark Hedges. It was really pretty to see.
After that we went to Carrick-a-Rede Bridge. This bridge is a rope bridge that lets you walk to a small island. There wasn’t a whole lot to see here but the bridge was fun to go across. It was a little intimidating but a lot of fun.
Our last stop on Saturday was at Gaint’s Causeway. This was another cool outdoor place that we got to visit. I took a lot of pictures and it was cool how the rock were in a hexagon shape.
That night we went stayed at the Sheep Island hostel and the lady who runs the hostel made us dinner. She also made us breakfast in the morning which was so nice. We paid 11 euros each. It was really good. The next morning we were up early again and made our way to Londonderry.
When we got to Derry we went on a walking tour around the wall that was there in the city. Derry was a little like Belfast with having the separation between Protestant and Catholics. The biggest difference however, was the fact that Derry was more peaceful than Belfast was.
After that we went to the Museum of Free Derry. This was all about the troubles and it was filled with personal stories from people in the community. The lady who was showing us around was very invested and shared her personal story about the events that took place on Bloody Sunday. It was a very intense place to be but it was also really interesting at the same time. On the back of the building were two bullet holes where people were killed that day.
After this we got a little free time to wander around and a small group of us walked across the Peace Bridge that was a sign of peace between the communities. The bridge is to look like a hand shake that is making a peace deal.
Our last part of our really long adventure was in Strokestown where we learned about the potato famine. We got a tour of the landlord’s house that was built from the time of the 18th Century. The family lived there until 1981 when the last owner passed away. The man who bought the property restored it and turned it into a museum. This tour was cool, a lot of the rooms were opened and there was so much to see. The tour guide also pointed out a lot of details about the house its self.
After our tour we had class upstairs in the gym going over more details about the famine.
Overall, I had a really great time on the Northern Ireland trip. We did a lot in the five days that we were gone, but it was so cool to see everything and learn more about the troubles that Ireland has had to go through.
Journey To Ireland 2020 