BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND: MORE ROCKS AND MORE RUINS!

Sunday, August 23, 2026
Belfast, Ireland
64F and mostly cloudy, some sun

I keep wondering when we are going to get to a warm port. Today was not as cold as 2 days ago, but we dressed in layers again.  This morning was a 6 a.m. wake up so we could be at the port for our private tour to Giants Causeway. I think I am going to need to learn how to write a shorter blog—you probably think I include every photo that I take, but I do not!!  I have gotten very good at shooting pix out of bus windows. At least I think so. I have been disappointed in my photography skills—at one time I switched to my Android phone for two days but went back to the DSLR for what I thought were better photos.

So today, since we have already visited Belfast (2024) and the fabulous Titanic Museum, as well as St. George’s Market, we opted for a Giant's Causeway tour. More rocks and ruins!

Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland is a world-renowned cruise destination famous for its maritime history, vibrant street art, and warm hospitality. Docking at the Belfast Cruise Terminal put us right at the doorstep of the city's spectacular industrial shipyard heritage, most notably as the birthplace of the RMS Titanic.  Belfast has an urban population of approximately 345,000 residents, with the greater metropolitan area encompassing around 675,000 people.  Northern Ireland has a population of 1.5 million people. 

Today our tour was with Best Price Shore Excursions (which was probably part of Viator). Our tour guide was Angelina, a native of County Antrim/Belfast. I asked her if she watched the BBC TV show, Derry Girls, because her humor reminded me of the characters in that show. She did watch the show and attended an all-girls Catholic school too!

By 8:30 a.m. off we went on a comfortable bus into the countryside of Northern Island along the North Antrim Coast. The Irish landscape that we saw today was not as rocky as the Outer Hebrides.  Hedge fences and stone fences dotted the countryside, some were pastures for sheep, others for cattle. Pine and maple trees, patches of peat. There were a lot more sheep in the pastures today.

Irish Gaelic is the native language, mixed in with Scot Gaelic, and Hibernian English. Angelina was easy to understand most of the time! She spoke of how superstitious the Irish are and that they truly believe in fairies. She showed us a few Fairy Trees along the route, and people do not dare do anything to harm them. (mostly black or white Hawthorne, some maple). Such trees stand alone in a pasture or property. Of course, I did not get a photo of any fairy tree.

Irish history is certainly convoluted, and it is difficult to put it all together—she spoke briefly of the past 1000 years. Currently Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom--monetary system is the Pound Sterling. Ireland is part of the European Union--monetary system is Euros.

She did speak of the “Potato Blight” or “Great Hunger” of the 1840s.  They do not call it famine because there was plenty of food. The renters had to pay the landowners with their crops and livestock which were exported from Ireland during the famine. The refusal of London to ban such exports was a continuing source of controversy.  It is probably this situation which contributed to the Irish issue in British politics, the anti-British sentiment, intensifying Irish nationalism, and the desire for independence. It certainly was a turning point.

Our first stop was Dunluce Castle, first built by the Anglo Normans. Subsequently many chieftains/clans lived in the castle until it was abandoned in 1690.  It is thought to be the inspiration for Cair Paravel in Chronicles of Narnia. Exterior shots were used in Game of Thrones for Pyke, House of Greyjoy. In 1973 its image was used in the inner fold of the Led Zeppelin album, Houses of the Holy.

Dunluce Castle ruins

Dunluce  Castle-closer

According to legend, an Irish Giant and a Scottish Giant Giants Causeway were building a stone bridge to confront each other. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant%27s_Causeway    In reality, the Giant’s Causeway is an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption during the Paleogene period, 50-60 million years ago. Supposedly the cold air caused the unusual result.  This unique feature is one of Ireland’s most iconic places where myth and geology intertwine!

Neither TK nor I played on the rocks

TK makes a perfect model!

As rocks go, they are pretty cool!

I am so glad that we took a shuttle to the Causeway, a mile downhill (1 pound/each) That meant we could take the shuttle back uphill. I need to retain my energy!  That also meant we had enough energy to have coffee and sweets at the nearby hotel—a rather posh hotel!

A tidy breakfast: raspberry scone, clotted cream,

strawberry jam, butter, and black coffee

Sticky toffee pudding for TK

I wonder why no one in our group wanted to try the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge that connects the mainland to Carrick-a-Rede, a tiny island. I could see stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean without doing that! The first rope bridge was built over 350 years ago by salmon fishermen, a part of the local salmon fishing heritage

Rope Bridge

(that's an 80 ft. drop by the way)

Unidentified island near Carrick-a-Rede

Our final stop was Ballycastle, a small seaside town with great restaurants. We enjoyed fish ‘n’ chips here, fresh haddock from the sea!

Our view while waiting to eat at Salt House

Fish n Chips at Salt House Restaurant

Ballycastle, Ireland

some fries are missing

Our view from inside Salt House Restaurant

Entrance and landscape

Closeup-Identified by TK's app as Agapanthus

Finally, we took a tour of the area of great unrest in Belfast---even today one of the streets has its side’s views, and the opposite has other views.  Angelina said that when she was 11 years old (in 1969) she was sent to live with a family (not her own) to be safe, and our bus driver said he was 9 and was sent to Boston.  This period was called the “Troubles.”  The wall art on both sides of the street were remarkable. TK took a few photos. I do not think every Belfast visitor sees this. Angelina said there is still controversy, and it isn’t over religion—some want to be  united with Ireland again, and others want to stay with the UK.

"The Ulster State

Their footprints and songs

The Appalachian Trail"

--an example of the wall art--

It was a good day in Belfast!

TK’s Takes: No swimming pools today, but some very nice single family homes. He has never seen so much livestock in two days, sheep, cattle, one pig, some horses—mostly sheep, and no goats. He is a city boy after all.  Giant’s Causeway is a good place to exercise if you want to exercise.