Dunluce Castle

Before we left the Causeway Coast yesterday we visited Dunluce Castle which sits precariously on the edge of a cliff that plunges straight down to the sea below. There are stories that one night part of the kitchen fell into the sea taking several servants and that night's dinner - but as we discovered yesterday that's just a story, but a good one! A different part did fall into the sea though and the castle was abandoned not long after - I would have been gone straight away!

The castle dates back to Medieval times and was once the headquarters of the MacDonnell clan. It was originally owned by the MacQuillans and was fought over several times. There have been archaeological digs that date the castle and surrounds back to the 14th century.

 The inner castle is accessed by a narrow bridge which would have originally been a drawbridge with guards protecting it and firing on any invaders. There are sheer drops all around this inner part of the castle.

 Little windows provide snippets of views to the surrounding coastline.

 Looking west - spectacular!

 My Lord?! Nah - just James again!

 Outside at the top of the hill, we found a friendly cat....

 who lived in this wee cottage!

Now where's the bloody leprechaun?!

Hello from Ireland

Well, Hello from Ireland. It's taken a few days to get on to some reliable internet service but tonight we are living it up in Sligo at the Clarion Hotel - and yes there's free wi-fi that actually works! 

So we arrived a few days ago and began our drive north to County Antrim - where my ancestors lived many years ago. But that's a story for another day.

After a night in Newry at a lovely pub - with our first taste of Guinness in the old man's bar - Yum! - we headed to the very north to our accommodation for the next three nights. And there it is below - oh and that white car? that's our Renault...!

 The views were nothing short of spectacular from every way you looked. We were out in the quiet countryside near the small town of Bushmills - which was a lovely change after the busyness of Paris.

 Sheep and cows in the fields were our neighbours and birds swirled around in flocks each morning over the cottage and farms.

 On our first afternoon the light was gorgeous.

 And there was a gorgeous sunset.

On our second day we went to The Giant's Causeway and were lucky to have clear skies and great weather. The day after was miserable and raining.

 This is such an amazing sight and although we were there with a bus load of school kids and other visitors, it wasn't too crowded and I managed to get some good shots.

 There are wonderful myths and legends about how this coastline was formed - much better than the cut and dry geological stuff!

After our big walk along the coast we needed a little sustenance so headed into Bushmills to the famous whiskey distillery. Such an interesting process to make whiskey - who would have thought? and it tastes pretty good too. Good enough that we had to buy a bottle to bring with us and have a little nip now and then!

The Irish people are very welcoming and friendly, and we are really enjoying this part of the world. Tomorrow we head further south into Galway.

Until our next posting, love to all. xx