Dublin is a very lively city. Heck with all that Guinness Beer flowing freely (or at least cheaper than a soda) throughout the city it's kind of like the New Orleans of Ireland. Aside from the pubs it's full of parks and pedestrian only streets and alleyways that make it a fun place to explore. Our hotel location made getting around the city center very easy. One of our favorite places was a place we had enjoyed on a previous visit called St. Stephens Green Park.
http://ststephensgreenpark.ie/
We read a great story while we were in the park about the Easter Rising in 1916. This event was in protest of British rule in Ireland. A group of Irish revolutionary soldiers took over the park and several other key locations around the city of Dublin. The park has a large pond with ducks and swans that were fed daily by the park superintendent. During the siege there was a cease fire everyday at a designated time to allow the superintendent to come in and feed them. The takeover only lasted six days but can you imagine stopping the conflict everyday because it was duck and swan feeding time? In the early 1920's Ireland gained it's independence from the British and they are a very proud nation.
On our last full day in Dublin we did a rail trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland and then a bus tour of the North Ireland coast and the Giants Causeway. Northern Ireland remains a part of the United Kingdom and the largest city in the country is Belfast. There has been a long running feud in the Belfast area, that as is often the case, centers around differences in religious beliefs. In this case the struggle was between Protestants and Catholics. It is commonly referred to as "the troubles" and was quite violent at times. While the violence has for the most part gone away, neighborhoods and schools are still somewhat segregated which is pretty sad. Progress is being made but it's slow and there was a noticeable difference between Dublin and Belfast. By 6:00 PM downtown Belfast was shutting down while in Dublin the pubs, cafes and shops are going strong late into the evenings.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/troubles
Despite the differences Northern Ireland has some amazingly beautiful areas with the northern coast line and the Giants Causeway being beyond description. Legend has it that the Giants Causeway is the remains of a bridge that two feuding giants, one from Scotland and one from Ireland built so they could settle their feud in a battle. Now whoever came up with that story had probably spent a little too much time in a pub staring into a pint of Guinness but it did take some imagination. The two giants even had names, Finn Mac Cool from Ireland and Benandonner from Scotland. If I had to pick a favorite based on the names I'd have to go with Finn Mac Cool!
The scientists explanation of how these unusual rock formations came about involves millions of years, volcanos and an ice age. Either way it left behind a very unusual collection of rock columns that has made the area a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's not the easiest place to get to but it was well worth it!
http://www.giantscausewayofficialguide.com/
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| Giants Causeway |
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| There are over 40,000 of these rock columns! |
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| Wall Mural in Downtown Belfast in a Protestant Area |
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| Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge-90 yards down to the water! |
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| St. Stephens Green Park-Dublin |
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| Temple Bar Area-Dublin |
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| Temple Bar Area-Dublin |
