Ireland: Newgrange, Belfast Troubles Tour

Monday, September 30, we drove to Belfast by way of Newgrange, a 5200-year-old passage tomb. Newgrange was really fascinating. At the winter solstice, the passage and chamber are aligned with the rising sun, so the place is illuminated. There's another tomb nearby that's even bigger, and our tour guide said it's a must-see. Next time.

Crossing the River Boyne on the way to Newgrange:

I tried to get artistic with cobweb pics.

We got some food from a food truck by the entrance. I admired a Warbler & Wren truck in honor of my special little Wren bird.

We checked into our Airbnb in Belfast and then hurried to a DC Tours walking tour about the Troubles in the city center. The guide was absolutely incredible. For over two hours, he rattled off dates and details about the origin of the Troubles, the back-and-forth attacks by the IRA and the Protestant  paramilitaries and police, etc. The tour was fascinating and devastating, and I cried a lot. Hooray for Rob and Anna for booking that tour. It was so enriching.

According to Anna, who has a better memory than I do, this mural was painted last year after a young reporter was killed in a riot. One of the darts bears initials for the IRA; the other for the Protestant loyalists.

This clock tower was built in the 1860's on marshy, reclaimed land and now leans four feet off the perpendicular. It was damaged in 1992 in a Provisional IRA bomb explosion.

Went to Wagamama's for dinner that night, which reminded me of study abroad in London.

Ireland: Howth, Dublin

Rob and Anna arrived Sunday morning. We returned our rental car at the Dublin airport and met Rob and Anna after they picked up theirs. Rob bore the burden of driving the rest of the week. Coco, Lucy, and I had a hard time finding Rob and Anna at their rental car place, and we ended up trying to put all our luggage into their car on the side of the road where we were sort of in the way and got regulated on. It was nearly impossible to get everything into the tiny car, but Rob and Anna eventually managed to shove it all in. Anna had to ride with her legs up on the dash because there was luggage in front of her seat.

We drove to Howth and did the cliff walk. It was beautiful.

I closed my eyes and had crazy hair in all the pictures.

We ate lots of wild blackberries. This was a fake candid shot - a reenactment of true events just moments earlier.

Coolest wall made from zillions of shells:

We shared fish and chips at Leo Burdock in Howth after the walk. Some people were really hungry, but we wanted to save ourselves for a meal in Dublin, too.

The hall of fame of famous patrons was quite amazing. U2 was at the top of the list. 

My favorite, however, was "Justin Timberlake's parents."

We found Mamo Street and had a moment for Mamo.

After Howth, we dropped our stuff at our Airbnb in Dublin and did a quick highlight tour.  This giant spire is a memorial to Ireland's fight for independence from England (the Easter Rising).

We saw the General Post Office on O'Connell Street, where a battle took place during the Easter Rising (aka Easter Rebellion), when Irish republicans fought to end British rule. 

We ended up miraculously getting into the highly rated Boxty on Temple Bar, where we enjoyed a delicious dinner. 

We wandered a bit after dinner and went by Trinity College. Couldn't see too much, though, because it was dark.