Derry and Inishowen Peninsula

What a good day to have my turn at the front of the bus! We went on the most spectacular excursion this afternoon around the Inishowen Peninsula. But more about that later...

The day started at a respectable hour - 8.45am which in touring terms is a sleep-in! We started off by picking up our guide Ronan McNamara who took us around the city of Derry, first in the bus, then we all hopped out and did a walking tour along the walls of the city.



He was a fantastic tour guide, and gave a very balanced overview of "The Troubles" and how they have been a part of the history of Northern Ireland for over 800 years. He took us through the history of the various English kings and how they each had their own impact on the way things happen even now. As he took us along the top of the wall, he pointed out the parts of Derry that belonged to the various communities - eg the Bogside was where all the Catholics lived.



He showed us a lot of the art work that illustrates the frustration that was felt about the conditions they found themselves in. For exeample he talked about how the only people who had a vote was the house/land owners. But Catholics were largely unemployed, as it was very segregated at the time, so Catholics virtually had no vote as they owned no property, and so were powerless. It was fascinating to hear, yet also very sad to imagine, the pain that many of these people felt as they experienced this conflict.

We were given free time then to wander around the town, and I must admit I liked Derry much more than Belfast. To me, Belfast seemed colourless and empty, whereas Derry has life and a bit of spirit.
This is the Church of St Augustine which is supposed to date back to the time of St Patrick. The word "Derry" means in Irish oak trees and this site is full of oak trees.


Then this afternoon we had an optional extra to go for a drive to the uppermost North West corner of Ireland - back in County Donegal (so back to the Euros for a little while!). It was just magnificent. The views were just out of this world. I've put some photos in, but they really didn't do justice to the fantastic scenery that just followed us all afternoon.

We started by going to the Inishowen Peninsula, and in particular to Marlin Head - the most north-westerly point of Ireland, and a place that for many who were emigrating, would have been their last glimpse of Ireland. After raining on and off all morning, the weather just cleared up amazingly and even the guide was surprised when the sun came out. He told us that often you can't see a thing because it's all covered in cloud. We were just very lucky! It was a bit windy though, as you might notice in the pics below.


Next we went to a place called Grianan Aillagh which was a very ancient place, over 2000 years old, marked by a circular fort. It was set right on top of the highest mountain, and we could see at least 4 Counties from there. Again the view was just out of this world. The whole day, the scenery was simply stunning. It's probably the best day I've had on this Irish tour so far. (Although I did enjoy the Giant's Causeway yesterday!)






I'm going out for dinner soon so I have to upload this before I go, as my Internet access will run out. I've had some trouble with the Internet, so I went up to the desk and they gave me a free 24 hour access, which is great. - even though we move on in the morning!

So to sign out today "Go neiri an Bothaue leat" - means may the road rise up to meet you!


Look for the sheep!