26 MAY 2026 - GIANT'S CAUSEWAY & DERRY

KEE'S HOTEL, DONEGAL

 

Up and away again this morning.  Our first stop was at Glenariff Forest Park. 

Nine rivers have carved deep valleys through the Antrim Mountains to the sea. Celebrated in song and verse, the Glens of Antrim used to be the wildest and most remote part of Ulster. This region was not “planted” with English and Scots settlers in the 17th century and was the last place in Northern Ireland where Irish was spoken. Today the Antrim coast road brings all the glens within easy reach of any visitor. Glenariff Forest Park contains some of the most spectacular scenery. The main scenic path runs through thick woodland and wildflower meadows and round the sheer sides of a gorge, past three waterfalls. There are also optional trails to distant mountain viewpoints. William Makepeace Thackeray, the 19th-century English novelist, called the landscape “Switzerland in miniature”.

 

 

 

In this photo you can see the Mull of Kintyre in the distance.  Of course, following this stop the entire bus was singing the "Mull of Kintyre" song that Paul McCartney made famous!

 

This is the "Children of Lir" art piece in Ballycastle, created from the legend. 

 

Guglielmo Marconi, who was a grandson of John Jameson (founder of Jameson Whiskey), conducted his wireless experiments here in 1898.

 

Our next stop was just east of Ballintoy, where there is one of the most unusual and hair-raising attractions in Ireland. First erected by salmon fishers in 1755, the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge hangs 30 m (100 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean and wobbles and twists as soon as you stand on it. Made of planks strung between wires, it provides access to tiny Carrick- a-Rede island across the 20-m (65-ft) chasm. There are strong handrails and safety nets, but it’s definitely not for those with vertigo.  

 

 

On to the Giant's Causeway!  We were excited to see this UNESCO World Heritage site. Legend has it the stones were part of a pathway built by Finn McCool, the Irish giant, to face his Scottish rival in battle.

The sheer strangeness of this place and the bizarre regularity of its basalt columns have made the Giant’s Causeway the subject of numerous legends. Millions of years of geological activity can be seen in the eroded cliffs flanking the Causeway, including a band of reddish rock that is the inter-basaltic layer, formed during a long period of temperate climatic conditions. Though usually busy, nothing can destroy the magic of this place, with its looming cliffs and shrieking gulls, and paths along the coast allow you to escape the crowds.

Formed by volcanic activity over 60 million years ago, the Giant’s Causeway is made up of over 40,000 perfectly shaped basalt columns.

Guides constantly hover, keeping visitors off the more precarious sections of the rocks.

This is the "Giant's Gateway".

 More views of the area.

 

The "Giant's Chimneys" are visible here.

 

The place where raw geology meets ancient myths and magic.

A closer look at the basalt columns. There are 40,000 basalt columns here.

The "camel humps" in the distance.

A very unique and beautiful place to visit.

 

This is McDonald's Castle.  One day, the kitchen for the castle fell into the sea.  Our guide claims this made this castle famous for having the first McDonald's take-out window!

 

Our next stop was "DerryLondonderry".  This city is Northern Ireland's second-largest city with a history spanning over 1,450 years. It originated as a 6th century monastic settlement before it was transformed in the 17th century into a fortified stronghold city. Today, it is known for both its iconic city walls and its pivotal role in the modern civil rights movement

Derry is the only remaining completely walled city in Ireland and its fortifications are among the best preserved in Europe. The walls rise to a height of 8 m (26 ft) and in places are 9 m (30 ft) wide. Completed in 1618 to defend the new merchant city from Gaelic chieftains in Donegal, Derry’s walls have famously never been breached. The biggest test came with the 1689 Siege of Derry. Part of the Williamite War between the Protestant William of Orange and the Catholic King James II, it lasted for 105 days and resulted in the deaths of over 7,000 people (out of a population of 20,000) from either starvation or disease. The city gates were initially closed by a group of 13 apprentices, and the siege is commemorated every August with parades by the Apprentice Boys of Derry, a Protestant fraternal society founded in 1814.

Restoration work means that it is possible to walk right around the walls, which are approximately 1.5 km (1 mile) in circumference. Restored cannons are displayed along the walls, of which Roaring Meg is the best known. Just outside the old fortifications, beyond Butcher’s Gate, is the Bogside, a Catholic area with famous murals that depict more contemporary events in Northern Ireland’s history.

Our guide, Gerry,  Full of interesting information, ready quips and "dad jokes", he made our tour very enjoyable.  He spun tales of living in Derry during the Troubles as he had lived through them.

 

 Barbed wire was strung along the rooftops to prevent teenagers from hiding on them to drink, dance or socialize during the Troubles.

 

 

 

St. Augustine Cathedral.  

 

 In 1164 the ancient church was surrounded by a cashel and the new cathedral of Temple Mor was built outside the walls at the present site of Long Tower Chapel. The little abbey on the site of St. Augustine's Church was called Dubh Regles (Black Church). In 1613, the Church was used by the first settlers from England, Wales and Scotland and the cannonball containing the terms for surrender during the Siege 1688/1689 fell in the church graveyard. The present building is a neo-Gothic church built of whinstone with sandstone dressings, and dates from 1872.  It was consecrated by Bishop William Alexander, husband of the famous hymn writer, Frances Cecil Alexander.  Many famous people are buried in the church's graveyard.  One example is Muircertach Mac Lochlainn, the High King of Ireland, who was honorably interred on the grounds in 1196.

 

 

"The Undertones" were a rock band that originated in Derry in 1974. They remain one of the most successful bands to come out of Northern Ireland.

 

 

We next viewed a few of the twelve murals drawn by three friends who are known as the "Bogside Boys".  

 

"The Petrol Bomber" August 1969

 A young boy in a gas mask (to protect himself against CS gas) holding a petrol bomb made from a milk bottle. 

This was painted in 1994, when the peace talks began.

 

 

 

"Bloody Sunday"

 A group of men, led by a local priest, carry the body of Jackie Duddy, the first fatality of the day

 

 

The Guildhall (Town Hall) of Derry. Originally built in the 17th century but destroyed in the Siege of Derry in 1689.  This building was completed in 1890. The clock tower was modelled on the Elizabeth Tower (aka Big Ben) in London UK.  Our guide worked in this building for decades.

 

 

"The Peace Bridge". This is a 235 meter £14 million pedestrian/cycling suspension bridge crossing the River Foyle and joining the two sides of the city of Derry from Ebrington Square to the walls of the city.  The design symbolizes unity, bringing together the historically separated communities of the Nationalist Bogside and the Protestant Waterside.

 

We saw our first jackdaws!  They were pretty brave, floating around the park scavenging for shiny objects and bits of food.

Our hotel this evening was quaint and lovely.  Established in 1845, it has been owned by the same family for over 130 years.