Celtic tour day IV: Knowth

Our fourth and final day was spent in four different places - five if you count the visitor center where we started. It's called Bru na Boinne and has lots of facts and some models of the famous Celtic grave mounds of the area. From my TripAdvisor review:

"The visitor center has very informative exhibits about the neolithic structures in the Boyne valley area and prepares you for the trip out to Knowth and Newgrange, indeed I would deem it essential that you go here before getting on the bus to these places. The ticket sales are well organized in that people will come and ask you where you want to go (and when) before you reach the cash register and bring you the necessary stickers, which I can only surmise saves quite a bit of time. Good bathroom facilities and a very nice shop with a wide range of products."

We actually visited the center in the afternoon of the third day; as it was too late to go out and see anything, they let us walk around the exhibits for free. I wonder what they mean by "necessary management". Does that include being stuffed for the education & entertainment of tourists?


What a neolithic house might have looked like.


How they moved the big stones. Same method was probably in use all over the world, maybe for the pyramids.


Once we had our tickets (or rather our stickers), we walked over to the bus stop, about 5-10 minutes' walk from the center. We had to cross the river Boyne, which meanders quietly through the fields. The access to water was probably the most important factor when they decided where to settle.


A short ride away was the giant tomb of Knowth, with some smaller buildings close by. I'll turn it over to TripAdvisor:
"A visit to Knowth gives you an insight into neolithic life and shows you an incredible 4,500+ year old construction, the largest of its kind in the world. I was lucky enough to have a very well spoken guide who told us about the building of the mound and some theories pertaining to the artworks and the positioning of various parts of the structure. Very interesting and stimulating talk. You're allowed a little way inside and can take as many photos as you want, but for safety reasons most of the interior of the mound itself is off limits. The views from the top are very nice."


Some smaller structures.


There was some kind of wooden structure very near the mound, I'm not sure they know what it was for.


This was as far as we were allowed inside the tomb.


Ancient artwork, just about every stone is decorated.


Looks like Jabba the Hutt visited here long ago.


Views from the top.


Nice, rolling countryside.


Original entrance.

Celtic Tour Day III: Giant's Causeway

Thursday started out with a visit to Giant's Causeway, possibly the most famous and intriguing place on the island. According to legend (aka bullshit), it was built by a giant who wanted to fight a Scottish giant; there are several versions of the story, some incorporating the similar stones over at Staffa, an island off Oban on the Scottish west coast. Again, I'm just going to refer you to my TripAdvisor review:
"Went there with a friend. Interesting rock formations, great scenery, good transportation and facilities up at the informative visitor center. Extra plus for a good range of products in the shop."

Yeah, I was slightly underwhelmed, possibly because I had built it up in my head to be this yuuuge thing and when it turned out to be merely good, I was disappointed. Do have a look at the pictures:











I believe this one was called the Giant's booth.


Video from Giant's Causeway:


Naturally, I was skeptical of Giant's Causeway.


We continued towards Ireland by the coastal route, but made a quick detour down to the "Dark Hedges", which is one of many Game of Thrones locations in Northern Ireland. I got some video of that too.


We finally made it out to Torr Head, which is the closest part of Northern Ireland to Scotland. It's a pretty drive out there.


I have video:


A bit south we came upon some glorious scenery. The Glens of Antrim begin here and stretch inland for several miles; a very, very pretty area indeed.

Celtic tour day II: The Road to Ballycastle

We then continued our trip up to Giants Causeway. It was too late to enter when we got up there, but we did get in some pictures of the nice surroundings.

Along the way, we saw several buildings such as this. The Orangemen are still very strong in parts of Northern Ireland.


There were some road closures due to repair work, so we took alternate routes that probably prolonged our journey with several hours. We're stupid. But the scenery was nice.


If a bit wild and isolated at times. The small, white dots are sheep.


The following pictures were taken very close to our hotel in Ballintoy, Ballycastle, and less than ten minutes from Giant's Causeway. The scenery out by the coast is at times very pretty, with the shifting interaction of light, land, clouds and waves.










I also have video:


Birds on a wire.


I believe this formation is known as The Elephant.

Celtic tour day II: Ulster American Folk Park

We never really noticed passing into Northern Ireland. Possibly, there was a small sign somewhere, but if so, it completely escaped our attention. I started noticing slight differences in the signposting and the license plates, and that was that. We made a brief stop in Enniskillen, but the "castle" we were going to look at was extremely disappointing from the outside, and traffic & parking was a nightmare. So, we pressed on towards our intended destination for the day; Giant's Causeway. However, just outside Omagh, we spotted a sign for something called the Ulster American Folk Park, and since we're both huge fans of the US, we decided to check it out.

Well, it turned out to be the clear highlight of the trip. We spent several hours walking around in the rain, looking at tons of old stuff and reconstructed buildings, talking to craftsmen and volunteers who'd given up time and resources to come talk to tourists like ourselves about things they were passionate about. I absofuckinlutely loved the place and the people there, but since I'm still a lazy bastard, I'm going to just post my TripAdvisor review for you:

"Went there with a friend on a whim and was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff they had on exhibition and the experience of emigration. Very informative exhibition at the visitor centre and over forty mostly historical buildings around the area; everything from the childhood home of Thomas Mellon (of Carnegie-Mellon/Pittsburgh fame) to homesteads and even a replica of a ship they used to transport migrants over to the US. Extra special bonus points go to the very friendly blacksmith who chose yours truly to operate the bellow, hammer the iron and cool if off in water (even though he threatened me with seven years of apprenticeship and daily beatings). We also had a very good conversation with a lady at the old schoolhouse and learned about the Sally Rod, which apparently was used to punish unruly children up until the '90s in Ireland. Some of the guides were more interesting and motivating than the others and I really wish they'd sell t-shirts or similar apparel at the visitor centre, but these are immaterial points compared to the wonderful four hours we spent there and both agreed at the end of our four-day visit to the island that this had been the highlight. If you have any interest in migration/Irish/American history, go there. I can not recommend it enough!"

One of the items in the visitor center's exhibit was some stuff about passengers on the Titanic, of whom many were Irish. This one made it over and I can only marvel at the experience of someone born in 1890 in rural Ireland - one of the poorest areas in all of Europe - who survived possibly the most famed shipwreckings of all times, and died in 1959 in what was at the time, withot comparison, the richest country on earth.


A typical immigrant neighborhood in New York.


The iron smithy where I got to try my hand at hammering an iron rod and was threatened with seven years of daily beatings.


A typical school room in old Ireland, not all that different from Norway.


A demonstration of the Sally Rod. Mmmm, whuppin' pupils into complete obedience... a man can dream...


Stationery. Tons and tons of stationery.


I believe this was an old pharmacy.


The grocery store.


A smaller copy of a ship they used to transport people from Ireland to the US. Living quarters were cramped, illness was rampant and arrival was not guaranteed.


Another store.


Times were so much more innocent back then...


One might mistake the scene for Jamestown, Virginia or similar.


This might be how a pioneer house looked back in the day.

Celtic tour day I: Going to Sligo

Since I had a few days off in early August and my traveling bone was still itching, I booked a quick four-day trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland. A friend came along with me, so both hotel and car costs became a lot more reasonable. We landed in Dublin and with only my (less than) trusty GPS to guide us, we set off for Sligo on the northwest coast.

We first arrived in Trim and had lunch. The Irish put chips (crisps for you limeys) on their pizza. They're fucking crazy.


Our first proper tourist stop was at the ancient Trim Castle. Since I'm a lazy bastard, I'll just paste in what I wrote on TripAdvisor:
Went with a friend who'd never been to a castle, and he was happy enough. I've been to many such places, both in the UK and elsewhere and found it to be middling (which means it was quite average, not in anyway bad!). Paid the full price to have a guided tour of the keep. Informative, but the presentation was a bit stilted and uninspiring (I know from personal experience how hard it can be to keep up motivation, but people pay good money for this). The age and general condition of the keep means the only place you're allowed to go free is the roof. Great views, but it puts a damper on the experience, even if necessary.

Some pics from Trim Castle, here the keep in all its splendor.


What's left of the Great Hall.


One of several models they had inside the keep to show how the castle had looked at different points in time, I believe they had 3 or 4 of them.


The inside of the keep.


I believe the tall structure is what's left of a monastery, but I could be wrong. The small one in the field to the right is what's left of one of the gates in a wall that once surrounded the village.


View from the roof.


What was left of a once mighty wall.


We joked that the donut shop must be right around the corner.


I had hoped to see the Lake Isle of Innisfree, of which W. B. Yeats wrote a very famous poem. But it was pissing down, so I'll save that for another time. I did however take this pic of the strangely named Knockarea. The hill has a large grave mound on top, said to be the burial site of some ancient queen. It is (obviously) clearly visible from the road.


Once inside Sligo, the rain had dissipated and we walked a bit around the centre of town. Now, is it just my warped imagination or is this statue trying to get both females to give him a blowjob? Kinky, very kinky!


Some grand building whose purpose has slipped my mind.


The Garavogue River runs through town and makes for a nice little attraction.


Finally, a statue of said W. B. Yeats in that modern style I hate so much.