Ireland Ho

18 Aug

We "jumped the puddle” as they call the flight over the Atlantic and landed in Dublin. No time for a troll around Temple Bar as we were heading straight across the border to Newry, a delightful little town of around 30,000 sitting across the River Clanrye. On the list of things to try on this side of the border are champ, fifteens, soda bread and delicious seafood (oysters) from nearby Carlingford.

Hopefully my day out in Belfast with Erins Dad will turn into foodie inspired trip…but as a keen historian I’m not sure I’m going to have it all my way?

I love getting up early. You get to see the dawn break and when in a new spot its my favorite time to walk the streets-whether it’s a village, town or city. It’s a great way to get your bearings. I decided to document a few of the pubs that I’d heard Erin’s Dad talk about over the years… then got captivated by the different looks and feel of the places.

The Belfast day came around soon enough and we took the train right into the centre. It’s a thriving bustling place with heaps to see and do. Being time poor we had to satisfy our selves with a couple of highlights. First up was the Black cab tour. If you know Belfast and its troubled history you might know thast you can book a cab for a 1:1 with a driver/tour guide who experienced the troubles from the inside. So sure we did a drive down the Falls road and the Shankhill, drove to the peace wall. But the real interest/sadness was hearing the stories of tit for tat bombing and shooting that were so much a factor of the conflict.

We finished up at the Crown for a pint, a famous Belfast pub and opposite the Europa Hotel, the most bombed hotel in Europe. Sawyers in the Catholic Quarter is Foodie heaven in Belfast. Huge range of Irish Cheeses and food from around the globe. Great place for a coffee, sandwich and a stock up of Irish Cashel Blue cheese plus rich artisan Irish butter and soda bread. All of which delivered the right amount of energy for a visit to the Town Hall and back to Newry.

On our last day in the North of Ireland we headed for pretty Carlingford. Beautiful seaside town on the Louth coast famous for its oysters, clams and seafood. We managed to find a good plate of oysters at PJ’s, a Carlingford institution, the beer was good, as was the music. Carlingford known for being a Stag and Hens town so it was also pretty “lively” 😊