Our second full day in Ireland was a long one, in multiple ways. We met our tour bus at 6.30am, necessitating a 6.10am start from our apartment, and returned at 8.00pm. From Dublin we were driven to the Giant’s Causeway, Carrick Rope Bridge and Belfast. It saved an immense amount of time driving, the time at each destination was generous, and in the case of Belfast, over-generous. We were also entertained by our tour guide, who gave unstintingly of her knowledge of Ireland’s past from the stone-age to present, with a focus upon ‘The Troubles’ as we travelled through Northern Ireland. I’m only hearing the Irish story on this trip, and it’s a very different story to the news of Irish terrorism which filtered through my younger years. It’s a story of loss and faith, courage and hope through adversity and persecution. The identity of the Irish was tied to their Catholicism, but this is now changing, with a separating of culture and religion. There’s still conflict in the North (flags of both unionists and nationalists fly from opposite sides of the motorway), but apparently the crime rate is right down, and Dublin is now a more dangerous city than is Belfast, due to gang violence.
The Giant’s Causeway is soaked in legend. Its stone columns (the steps) are comprised of hexagonal stones fitted and packed closely together. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and truly weird. The story is that the causeway was built by one giant, and then another giant ran across the causeway fleeing from the first giant, and ripping up the causeway as he fell, forming the steps. The other end to the causeway is in Staffa, Scotland, and there are apparently similar rock formations there. There’s a long version to the legend, and a scientific explanation based upon erosion and lava flow. From our perspective, it was extraordinary and lots of fun to step across the stones.