We are leaving Enniskillen. A quick shot of the town. The church is in the middle of town and serves as a marker to be able to find your way around town.
Below is a sight that is familiar to the UK but not home.
This is also a common sight but what is unusal about this particular picture is that the farmer has a suit on. Hopefully you can see it!
Coming into Irvinestown above.
Notice the boundries are trees and bushes in the section of the country.
We are arriving into Omagh which has all the fast food resturants. This really the first time I am aware of these as separate buildings standing alone like USA.
We came along several windmill farms. Here they have many but I could only get these few.
Arriving in Derry/ Londonderry. POP 83,700. If you are from the South and are Catholic, it is Derry. If you are from the North and are Protostant, it is Londonderry.
Derry was the first name in 546AD and then 1000 years later it was renamed Londonderry. A motion was filed in 1984 to change the name back to Derry. Town/city name changes must be approved by the Queen. In 2006 the official rulling was to maintain the identity as Londonderry to the disappointment of many locals.
The importance of this picture is the center two figures that are the symbol of "Hands across the Divide" It symbolizes the two men reaching out to each other for hope for the future. It was unveiled 20 years after Bloody sunday in 1992.
We have justed entered through the arch shown below to see this lady feeding the birds.
Above is one of the four arches of the walled city which was built in 1618. It is claimed that no army came through these gates. It is 8m high and 9m thick with a curcumference of about 1.5m. The walk way above the wall was built in 1840.
Below is our tour quide from the last time we were here.
On the walk way there are many gates but in the last few years they are being taken down.
There is alot of history written and I can't do it justice so if you can, you should look up for yourself..The short story is that on December 7, 1688 the Siege of Derry began when 13 apprentice boys barred the gates from the siege of the Catholic forces under King James II with the saying "There'll be no surrender" For 105 days the Prostestant (under King William of Orange) withstood bombardment, diease and starvation. A relief ship broke the siege and "No Surrender" has been the cry to this day.
The red, white & blue lines symbolize the current day loyalists, the supporters of the crown.
St Columb's cathedral.
Walking on the wall.
original cannons
The tower in this scene on the right is the remains of a prison.
Walking along the wall you can see one of the last few gate. Below is the Church/chapel of St Augustine.
These next pictures represent the main area where Bloody Sunday took place. In the background you can see the cemetery.
D
eath of Innocence - A Bogside Mural
This mural in Rossville Street depicts an innocent victim of The Troubles - Annette McGavigan, a 14 year old schoolgirl, caught in crossfire on the 7th September, 1971 while gathering coloured stones for a school project.
I didn't get a picture of the Peace Mural but it is beatiful with all the colors of the rainbow and a dove of peace in the forground.
Above: this green was covered with shanty towns. Below explains what happened on Bloody Sunday.
Bloody Sunday (Irish: Domhnach na Fola)[1][2]—sometimes called the Bogside Massacre[3]—was an incident on 30 January 1972 in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland, in which 26 unarmed civil-rights protesters and bystanders were shot by soldiers of the British Army. Thirteen males, seven of whom were teenagers, died immediately or soon after, while the death of another man four-and-a-half months later was attributed to the injuries he received on that day. Two protesters were also injured when they were run down by army vehicles.[4] Five of those wounded were shot in the back.[5] The incident occurred during a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march; the soldiers involved were members of the First Battalion of the Parachute Regiment (1 Para).[6]
The building above is the Presbyterian Church. It was in near ruin. It has been fully restored to its former glory. In September 2011 a remarkable event took place here in which the Catholic Bishop, and key clergy from Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist churches joined with government officials in a service of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Derry was a time of much turbulance. In June of 2010
British Prime Minister David Cameron stated: "These are shocking conclusions to read and shocking words to have to say. But you do not defend the British Army by defending the indefensible."[74] He acknowledged that all those who died were unarmed when they were killed by British soldiers and that a British soldier had fired the first shot at civilians. He also said that this was not a premeditated action, though "there was no point in trying to soften or equivocate" as "what happened should never, ever have happened". Cameron then apologised on behalf of the British Government by saying he was "deeply sorry".
The center of the walled city with a war memorial to World War I. In the background is the oldest continuously operated independent department store: Austins.
Looking down to the River Foyle through one of the 4 arched entrances through the city wall.
Ice Cream shop.....
We are now on the move to the Giant Causeway but we stop for our friend Ellen who wants to try Bushmill Irish Whiskey. We arrived just in time to take the last tour of the day. I wasn't allowed to take any pictures inside the factory as it is a continuously working distillery since 1608. David and Ellen thought it was pretty good.
We are leaving to now find a B&B for the night.
We have found this B&B; arriving at dark. It is very hard to see at night driving along the Causeway Coastal Route. We came to this one that was like a palace inside. Built in 1720. It was a little more than we planned on spending but it was like we had died and gone to heaven!
Front hall as we entered. We were then brought into the drawing room for some tea before we ventured out for dinner
The WC on the left under the stairs .
We collected our bits and pieces and came to our room. WOW!
The bathroom
The dressing room in between the bedroom and the bathroom. It was hard to find during the night as we had lost the electricity in a big wind and rain storm.
Ellen's room to the right. Her bathroom was similar to ours.
Getting ready to go out for dinner. The pub is "down the road a bit" --a little farther than that.
Here we are in front of a peat fire in an old school house called The Nook just outside the Causeway. Nothing like a Guinness to warm the bones on a cool and rainy night. Cheerio :-)
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