We headed off from York in the afternoon and for the first time encountered heavy motorway traffic because we were passing by all the major cities of the Midlands: Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool. The locals call it the biggest moving carpark in the world!
It was a bit of a grind but we finally made it to our B & B at Colwyn Bay on the north coast of Wales. Colbourn’s Hotel was a nice old-fashioned seaside B&B, there was even a wide sandy beach – at low tide, and our hosts Michael and Leslie gave us a very warm welcome and directed us to the nearby Toad Hotel for dinner.
Next morning Michael told us about “1940 Day” being held in the town square so we went up for a look to find a lot of happy people parading about in 1940’s dress and uniforms plus restored jeeps etc. and, star of the show, a Spitfire. We walked around this wondering was it real? ; and how did they get it into the main street of Colwyn Bay?
Well turns out it was a replica made to replace a genuine RAF gate guard Spit which had been restored to flying condition. A group of Spitfire enthusiasts had later acquired this replica and set about improving it by fitting genuine Spitfire parts: gun sight, instruments & controls etc. For a small donation you could pretend to be an old Spit pilot and have your photo taken – naturally I was up for that!
Then it was on to Hollyhead to catch the car ferry via a quick look at Conwy castle on the way. The ferry was a bit bigger than our Straddie barge (it is the largest car ferry in the World and can carry 1342 cars and 2000 passengers) and gave us a comfortable three hour run to Dublin.
On arrival we checked in to Brooks Hotel and went out to find a meal. Saturday night Dublin was packed with Dubliners and tourists so we found a spot on a sidewalk café and watched the world go by.
On Sunday morning we walked up for a look at St Patrick’s Cathedral and then caught one of the Hop On / Hop Off Bus tours for a look at the city sights. The first place we got off was Kilmainham jail. The older part of the prison was completed in 1796 and is a pretty grim old place and is the part where the condemned men were kept. An additional improved part was added in the Victorian era but this was closed for maintenance and we did not see it.
This is a sacred site for Irish Republicans as seven of the principal leaders of the 1916 rebellion were executed by firing squad in the prison on 3rd & 4th May 1916. These events led directly to the 1918 – 1922 rebellion, the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922 and the eventual Irish Republic. Sadly the establishment of the Irish Free State was followed by a very ugly civil war.
Following this sobering interlude we remounted the bus tour and got off next at the Guinness Brewery. Their newly converted Guinness Storehouse is a most impressive building. The core of the building is shaped like a giant pint glass, and consists of seven floors. Along each floor, you get to see how Guinness is made. The top floor, which holds the Gravity Bar, is the most fun. You get a complimentary pint of Guinness and the most spectacular view of Dublin. We happily consumed our pint while looking out over the city – together with about 5,000 other people (I’m exaggerating just a bit).
We completed the bus tour seeing such sights as the illustrious Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral and Dublin Castle. The weather by this time was freezing and we were pleased to retire back to the Hotel.
The next day was as pleasant and warm as the previous day had been cold and windy. We made a leisurely drive up to Coalisland to meet Christine’s family stopping on the way at the Bernish lookout, which has the most spectacular views over the Irish countryside, and on the way called in at a 3 chambered burial cairn dating back to 3500BC i.e. 5500 years old! The cairn is very well preserved and one of only a few three-chambered cairns in Ireland.
Christine’s cousin (and bridesmaid) Lisa and her mother had organized for us to have dinner with the family, which was very hospitable. We finally got to meet Nanny Maureen, who turned out to be just as lovely as Christine had described, and caught up with Dara and Phillip who had been out for the wedding. Various members of the family kept popping in and out and altogether it was a great night.
We finally left about 10 o’clock to head for our B&B where our host, Robert, was waiting up for us with a cup of tea