Welcome to Derry. This morning we had a tour around the centre, including the murals and the wall. The tour guide was great, he is a Chinese Irish Buddhist named Ronin MacNemara. What a lot of information about the “troubles”. Amazing to think that where we were walking was an unsafe area just a few decades ago. We drove through the bogs and looked at all the murals depicting all the heroes of the conflict.
After the tour we had a half an hour or so to wander around. It was a bank holiday so most of the shops were not open. While walking down the street, and old guy asked us we were using digital cameras, we said yes, and then got a lecture about that not being photography. Digital was PPPD – Point, Press, Preview, Delete. We then discussed who the best hockey player was. The guy had lived in Ontario for 20 years and then moved back home.
Onto the coach and away. We had a temp driver for today and tomorrow, and I miss Steve. Onward toward lunch at Donegal. Little place, we had lunch with some of our tour and had some good laughs. The we raced toward the castle as we didn’t have much time left before the coach was leaving. We wandered around it, but didn’t have time to go in. Then down the street towards the coach, with a side step into a gift shop.
Ever onward. We drove through Ballyshannon, and then into Bellek and to Bellek Pottery for a tour. We wandered around and saw how they hand made the stuff. Some of it was very delicate, and of course you leave via the gift shop.
On the coach and away again, this time we stopped at St. Columba’s church. There was a Celtic ceremony about the start, we saw them all gathering. The grave of the poet Yeats was in the yard. We wandered about taking photos, but were mesmerized by all the people in costume milling about. It looked kinda neat but if we had stayed we would have been behind a procession down the road for 3 miles, and would have been very late into the hotel.
Hundred ways to wok your dog – of The Siege of Derry
The Siege of Derry lasted from 18 April to 28 July 1689, during the Williamite War in Ireland. The city, a Williamite stronghold, was besieged by a Jacobite army until it was relieved by Royal Navy ships. The siege is commemorated yearly in August by the Apprentice Boys of Derry.
The city had endured 105 days of siege during which some 8000 people of a population of 30,000 were said to have died.
They were said to have run our of food, and ate all the cats and dogs.
From St Columba’s we drove into Sligo and are here for the night.