#9 Northern Ireland

Our ferry from Scotland brought us to Belfast and we stayed for a couple of days partly because I had never been there before. Although not on the Atlantic by any definition its relevance to that aspect of our trip became clear. In the 19^th and 20^th centuries the biggest ships in the world were built there, including the transatlantic liners such as (but not only) the Titanic. There is still evidence of the Harland and Wolff shipyards (photo) and the story of the Titanic itself is the focus of a major regeneration of the harbour area. But Belfast gives me the impression that its resurgence, as well as the process of reconciliation and integration since the Good Friday Agreement, is work yet to be completed. 

 

We then drove along the Antrim coast – blessed with spectacular and varied shorelines (beaches, cliffs, rock formations). It is much more heavily populated than the mainly deserted parts of Scotland that we have been in (for well-known historical reasons). To help us get used to crowds again the Giant’s Causeway, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was heaving with people from all over the world. The National Trust seems to be on top of the task of taking care of the place although, however well-organised, I wonder how long it will be before human footsteps erode to nothing the extraordinary rock formations.

A relatively uncrowded view of Giant’s Causeway

I managed to snap Nick without anyone’s selfie in the way and without him getting wet

Our next stop was Portrush, a seaside town chosen almost at random as a place to stay. It turns out that this is where the 2019 Golf Open will be held in July. The whole place is in the middle of a cosmetic face lift. In common with many UK seaside towns it needs it, but it is hard to see all the work being finished in time. Generally, there seem to be a lot of building projects going on – more than cosmetic improvements – but it isn’t possible to tell if this is a sign of increasing prosperity or the opposite; some projects have been started and abandoned.

We crossed the border into the Republic without any sign at all except that diesel is cheaper (and priced in Euro). Drove to Malin Head, the most Northerly point on mainland Ireland and famous as a reference point in the shipping forecast. Windy and rough but tame compared with Shetland and Orkney. As the photo shows, it was a grey day. The “Eire” in white stones was put there to inform WW2 bombers that they were flying over land that was neutral territory.