The Life & Adventures of a Military Wife: Anniversary Trip to Northern Ireland

Day 1 & 2

August 8, 2015
Day 3: Dark Hedges, Dunlace Castle, Giants Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede Bridge
On day three, we woke up, had a good breakfast then drove to Newgrange. We popped on by Belfast on our way there. We only had a chance to get snacks and take a picture but still, it was Belfast!

Rise (also unofficially known as the Balls of the Falls), is a concept £400,000 public art spherical metal sculpture by Wolfgang Buttress

When we arrived at Newgrange, we found that it was already packed and there would have been a couple hours to wait for the next tour so we decided to continue with our day and circle back to it on day 4.

The entrance to Newgrange. The pic is blurry because I was walking when I took it.

Newgrange is a mysterious site dated six hundred years older than the Egyptian pyramids, prior to Stonehenge – is one of the oldest and best examples of a megalithic passage tomb in County Meath, Ireland. Little is known about Newgrange and why it was built. Some argue that it is an astronomical observatory religious in nature whereas others believe it to be a territorial marker.

Besides archeological studies, an ethnographic reading of folklore and oral history passed down from generations could assist with its deciphering. Myths and legend are often disregarded, but they may be the best insight into understanding this man-made structure as well as Ireland’s earliest civilization. Celtic legend absorbed much of the beliefs of the Tuatha Dé Danann, an ancient line of people preceding the Celts who are said to have built Newgrange. Thus, Celtic mythology can link history and meaning to this early monument through correlation with megalithic petroglyphs.

After our Newgrange disappointment we moved on to the Dark Hedges! Game of Thrones used it as the Kings highway but it was well known before that by professional photographers.

The Dark Hedges is a unique stretch of the Bregagh Road near Armoy, in Ireland, that looks like something from a Tim Burton movie. Over the past 300 years or so, the Beech trees guarding either side of the lane have reached up and across to each other, becoming heavily intertwined to create a natural arched tunnel where shadow and light plays through entwined branches.

This beautiful avenue of beech trees was planted by the Stuart family in the eighteenth century. It was intended as a compelling landscape feature to impress visitors as they approached the entrance to their Georgian mansion, Gracehill House, which is now a golf club. Two centuries later, the trees remain a magnificent sight and have become one of the most photographed natural phenomena in Northern Ireland.

The Dark Hedges

This was such a cool little place

Me at Dark Hedges & our guys below in one of the trees

All the things we wanted to see on this day were pretty close by each other so our next stop was Dunlace Castle! Dunluce is now a ruined medieval castle close to Bushmill, Ireland. In the 13th century, Richard Og de Burgh, the 2nd Earl of Ulster, built the first castle at Dunluce. It is first documented in the hands of the McQuillan family in 1513. It has passed through many different hands and has tons of myths surrounding it. It is truly an awe inspiring building. Pictures of it usually turn out great since it is perched on top of a cliff and looks haunting against the Irish sky.

Dunluce Castle from the car window

Dunluce Castle

The observatory area under the bridge

Opening to Mermaids Cave

We weren't allowed to go in unfortunately

Mermaids Cove through the small entrance (pic from website)

Another view of Mermaids Cave (pic from website)

Just a view around Dunluce

Another view around Dunluce

One of the pictures that made me want to see this in person (pic from website)

On our way to Giant's Causeway we drove through Bushmill, Ireland and decided to stop for lunch. Why not stop at the Bushmill Distillery!

Bushmill's Irish Whiskey Visitor Center

The store entrance

Very cool way to display!

Keepin it artistic

The restaurant

The bar at the restaurant

The store

Mike, Chris, and Elizabeth at Bushmills

The food was alright but the whiskey was really terrible. It was too smokey and tasted a little like tobacco. After having Jameson, there really wasn't any way we could have been impressed.

After lunch we continued on to Giants Causeway. The Giants Causeway is on the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a world famous basalt formation that naturally made amazing columns. It has dramatic cliffs and small areas that cradle the ocean water and are filled with green algae that has inspired photographers and scientists alike.

The Giant's Causeway Visitor Center

Going in to the Visitor Center

One small part of the Giant's Causeway

There was beauty everywhere

Volcanic formations

It's pretty cool what God and Mother Nature can create

Like a life size version of tetris!

My guy at the Causeway

Even the algae was pretty

One of the long walls

After our trip to the Giants Causeway, we had one more place to go. The Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. It was originally created for fishermen to cross to get to the best fishing areas.

Arial view of Carrick-a-Rede Bridge (pic from website)

Looking at the view around Carrick-a-Rede

Looking at the little island around on the walk to the bridge

Closer up of the islands

Looking towards Carrick-a-Rede on our walk

Looking down at the ocean

I loved the foliage

No clue what these flowers were but I thought they were wild and beautiful, much like the land

A view walking towards the bridge

Jack's pouty face since we had to wait in line to cross the bridge

The line to cross the bridge

So beautiful

This was one of my favorite pics of the day

The bridge (pic from website)

The birds on one side of the bridge

My guy on the edge of the island

The other side of the bridge

After Carrick-a-Rede we started headed towards our Bed & Breakfast but stopped on the way to get dinner. I don't remember what the name of it was but they had the most amazing Butternut Squash and Spicy Tomato soup...Oh it is something I might dream about! We went to Hillview Lodge and go rested up before we tried Newgrange again.

August 9, 2015

Day 4: Newgrange and Knowth, Ireland
When we arrived at the visitors center for Newgrange, we were finally able to get in and take the tours. We started with Knowth. Knowth is a Stone Age Passage Tomb in the Boyne Valley and with Newgrange and Dowth makes up the Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage Site. Knowth is the largest passage tomb of the Brú na Bóinne complex. The site consists of a large mound (known as Site 1) and 17 smaller satellite tombs.

The large mound has been estimated to date from between 2500 and 2000 BCE. The passages are independent of each other, in that they lead to separate burial chambers. The eastern passage arrives at cruciform chamber, similar to Newgrange. It contains three recesses and basin stones into which the cremated remains of the dead were placed. The right-hand recess is larger and more elaborately decorated with megalithic art than the others, which is typical for Irish passage graves of this type. Knowth contains more than a third of the total number of examples of megalithic art in all of Western Europe.

Arial view of Knowth (pic from website)

Three of the mounds

A beautiful tree on the site

Overlooking the little town below

The main mound outside one of the entrances

The other entrance

Going into the mound

Wood pillars next to the mound

No idea what these were there for but they were cool

More of the mounds

Captain Jack & me at Knowth

Some of the etchings on the stones

A small side entrance

The wall inside the mound

One of the chambers inside the mound

Flowers going up to the top of Knowth main mound

My King of the Mound

After our tour of Knowth we took the bus to Newgrange. It looked bigger than Knowth but apparently it actually isn't. I think it is the wall that makes it look so much bigger.

Arial view of Newgrange (pic from website)

Newgrange

Closeup of the wall

One of the curbstones

Close up of curbstone

One of the random rocks at Newgrange

The entrance to Newgrange

Entrance door with carved stone

Entrance to Newgrange

We were not allowed to take pictures of the inside of Newgrange so these are from websites. They accurately depict what it was like in there.

The original ceiling of Newgrange. This ceiling is older than the Pyramids of ancient Egypt.

Inside the mound looking out

Inside the mound

The entrance of the mound

One of the carvings in the mound

Closeup of carving

Another part of the ceiling

The inside of the mound

A basin stone where they may have put cremated remains

So, according to the website for Newgrange, "...it is popularly believed that Newgrange was built as a massive funerary mound. While the remains of five bodies were excavated from the site, the most unusual feature of Newgrange is its connection with the winter solstice and the natural landscape. This physical feature suggests planned construction for a sacred environment beyond burial. Newgrange blends in with its surroundings and is almost hidden within the environment as grass completely covers the top. This megalithic structure is thought to exist near an early settlement and has substantial importance to Neolithic culture, though it is unlikely that Newgrange was intended for daily use. If it were so, other materials from the area could have been used, such as wood. Quartz and granite stone were used instead, which indicates that the passage tomb was constructed to withstand the test of time and that it was specifically designated for spiritual, memorial, or ceremonial uses.

The exterior wall wrapping around the passage tomb is exceptionally decorated. Celtic folklore says that the Milky Way and Cygnus constellation inspired its construction. Small stones protrude all around the exterior in a random pattern. But are these stones references to stars in the night sky? Or are they simply added enforcement to keep the structure in place? It is not easy to dismiss this detail as mere accident based on the information found in traditional Celtic lore that surrounds Newgrange. Sometime after Newgrange was erected, the wall collapsed and required reconstruction; thus the existing quartz exterior is actually a replication. Yet its original design is an important feature referencing starry constellations.

The problem with folklore is that it often shrouds the past with embellishments making it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. For example, there is strong speculation and confusion whether Newgrange was built as a place of communion with the Heavens and Celtic gods or if it was simply a tomb. Chris O’Callaghan, author ofNewgrange: Temple to Life, says there is no proof that Newgrange was a tomb or crematorium at all. Neolithic communities would often cremate their dead instead of using traditional burial methods. In addition, several artifacts were found at the site, such as pendants, which could indicate that Newgrange was used as a ceremonial monument rather than the common passage tomb. A site made entirely from stone would take great efforts and many years to complete. During excavation of the site, white quartz was found directly placed within the soil but no traces of the stone were found beneath. The people who built Newgrange needed to transport massive materials to the designated site. Thus, it would make sense that these efforts could only be made for ceremonial purposes."

So basically they have no idea why it was built or what it's purpose was. Much like Stonehenge...maybe someday we will know.

When we were done with all the fun history stuff, we made our way back to Maynooth to check in to the campus and then went to find dinner!...and beer.