Belfast to Derry Northern Ireland – Our Travel Story

Breezing around Belfast

Catholic Side of Peace Wall BelfastGusts up to 70km propel us along – when the wind is at our backs, that is – if facing the wind it’s a struggle to inch ahead. But the weather can’t rein us in. We are off to the west side of Belfast to see the once battlefields between the Catholic Falls Road and the Protestant Shankill Road, with a Peace Line dividing the districts. “The Troubles” is the nomenclature to describe the conflicts of the 1970’s and 1980’s. The area is rife with murals expressing local political and religious passions. Although there have been a few flare-ups since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement was established for the democratic and peaceful means of resolving differences, a mural message speaks to the current situation, “Its All Good”.

Between fast moving clouds spilling slashing rain and teasing sunny breaks, we move on toQueens University Belfast the city centre past the imposing City Hall and the Victorian masterpiece of Queen’s University. Modern buildings are beside landmark architecture; and in some cases are forged together, such as the contemporary gleaming steel “Spire of Hope” atop the Gothic Belfast St Anne’s Cathedral. The cathedral’s cavernous interior of white marble brings out the vivid colour of stained glass windows; the depiction of St Patrick’s arrival to the island’s green shores is stunning.
Our Belfast Photo Gallery

Titanic Belfast

Titanic Experience Museum BelfastThe next day is clear and cold, but we are warmed by the excitement of our visit to the Birthplace of the Titanic. Opening in 2012, Titanic Belfast tells the story of the RMS Titanic in a way that engages the senses. We learn about the Belfast Boom of 1907 when workers came to the city in droves to work in the many industries that were going gang-busters (ship building was major, as well as textiles, tobacco, rope works, whiskey). Over 6,000 dock workers loaded and unloaded imports and exports. Mr. J. Bruce Ismay, a renowned ship builder conceived plans for the Titanic around this time. Rivalry amongst companies to build huge ocean liners, particularly Cunard, was fierce. Ismay sold his ideas to J. P. Morgan of the US, who funded the project – which was to include four ships, the Titanic and her sister ship the Olympic being the first to be constructed in the newly built dry-dock, as ones already in use were not large enough to accommodate these mega vessels.

A cable car ride takes us past the construction scenes, from her outer shell to her massiveTitanic Experience Museum Belfast engines – the thunder of hammers riveting the metal echo as we see the layers of the ship form before our eyes.

In another of the museums galleries we find ourselves surrounded in original artifacts, replicas and imagery of opulent luxury of the first class passengers, including the magnificent grand staircase. Many dignitaries were keen to be counted in this maiden voyage, many emigrating to find a new life in America. Others were vacationing or honeymooning, such as millionaire (billionaire by today’s standards) John Jacob “Jack” Astor IV and his 18-year-old wife (having divorced his old wife).

In yet another gallery we note although several steps down from 1st class amenities, 2nd class passenger’s accommodations were none too shabby, 3rd class was crammed, but no matter the class or purpose of being on this maiden voyage, I imagine the excitement as they traded stories with fellow voyagers. Transfixed we watch old film footage of 100,000 people cheering on the banks of the Lagan as the Titanic slipped into the sea. None could have imagined the disaster that followed. The vessel sank to the bottom of the ocean on April 14th, 1912 a mere 2 hours and 40 minutes after hitting an iceberg off the west coast of Greenland. Of the 2223 passengers and crew members aboard, 1517 died.

Dr. Robert Ballard found the wreckage in 1985. His images of the wreckage appear on a giant theatre screen, while below the seating area of the theatre we stand on glass with images of the wreckage going by beneath us, as if we are skimming along in the underwater vehicle. Even after 100 years, items such as the captain’s bathtub, bottles, and dishes lay scattered about. Two ladies shoes, one larger and one smaller, lie side-by-side….were they perhaps mother and teen daughter?

Titanic Experience Museum BelfastOutside the facility is the slipway (dry dock) where the Titanic was built. The exact dimensions are painted on the surface. We walk the length of the ship and then as depicted by Leonardo and Kate in the movie (but more authentic than the movie set), we stand with arms outstretched on the exact spot where the bow was located. James Cameron recently launched his 3D Version of the movie at Titanic Belfast.
What a day! Or I should say two days….

We are quick to rearrange our next day’s plans to go back to Titanic Belfast for a once-in-a-lifetime event – the unveiling of the violin of Titanic Bandmaster, Wallace Hartley! My breath catches as the curtain opens to the violin. It was Hartley who instructed his orchestra of five men, along with a second musical set of three men to play while the Titanic sank. It is overwhelming to envision such fortitude with the chaos and panic all around them, knowing this may be their final performance – and it was. The violin was found strapped to Hartley’s body in a leather luggage case with his initials W.H.H. when his remains were recovered by the crew of the ship MacKay Bennett 14 days after the disaster.

In 2006, Hartley’s violin was discovered in an attic in England, and since has undergone Wallace Hartley Violin Titanic Museum Belfastextensive testing validating its authenticity. After being on exhibit for one month, it will be taken to public auction at Henry Aldridge & Sons, The Devizes Auctioneer, in Wilshire, England.
(Post our visit – on October 19, 2013 Hartley’s violin sold for 900,000pounds or 1.5 million CDN!)

The SS Nomadic is dry-docked near the Titanic Belfast. She was built the same year as the Titanic by the same White Star Line Company for the purpose of tendering passengers and supplies from the port of Cherbourgh (France) to the Titanic on its maiden voyage. The ship’s guide Leo escorts us though the ship, which like the Titanic had separate sections for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class (so 1st class passengers would not rub shoulders with the lower classes, even though the tender only took half-an-hour). Since the fateful Titanic voyage the Nomadic has a history of its own – it did mine-sweeping in WWI, transported troops in WWII, then later it was turned into a restaurant, then a casino. Decommissioned as unsafe in the late 1960’s, it was picked up at auction in 2006 by the city of Belfast to be repaired as close to its original design as possible. It is the only White Star Line vessel still in existence.

The Giant’s Causeway
Our Giant’s Causeway Photos

Giant's Causeway Northern IrelandThe gale winds are back with a vengeance, so we purchase a fleece to go under our Gortex, climb into our rental car, a startling-blue Peugeot, which we dub “Peacock” – and we are off from Belfast to Derry (114km) via the Causeway Coast. Our first stop is Carrickfergus Castle, a 12th Century Norman castle. We miss the parking lot and end up instead in the small boat docking area. Darn! But we hop out and take some exterior photos, then are once again on our way. Our creed is to always go forward, and if we miss an exit – so be it.

Along the winding roads the scenery changes in kaleidoscope fashion – green fields dotted with sheep and cattle, jagged cliffs, towns and villages, ocean views, and pine forests.

Our plan to walk across the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is thwarted. It is closed for fear ofGiant's Causeway Northern Ireland those walking across being blown off, so it is onward to the Giant’s Causeway.

From the Causeway Visitor’s Centre, sunny breaks in the voluminous clouds fool us between bouts of driving rain adding a quivering chill to exploring the trails of Finn McCool’s home, the giant who according to legend fashioned these stones into such things as an organ and his boot.

Our eyes are the size of saucers as we take in the rock formations which shocking resemble being computer-generated. It’s a strange digression from the artistry of nature to have formed hexagon and polygon columns of interlocking basalt – appearing like a gigantic Lego structure – over 40,000 columns in total! The science of it all is that they are the result of mega volcanic and geological upheaval some 60 million years ago, with cooling and shrinking causing cracks in the bed of lava, followed by many successive lava flows which in turn cooled, shrank and cracked, leaving a legacy of these bizarre looking cliffs. We leave this UNESCO site bedazzled.

Dramatic Derry
Our Derry Photo Gallery

Derry Bog Side MuralsWe aim Peacock towards Derry and arrive in time for supper. After a good night’s sleep at Angel House (the name is indicative of our heavenly experience) it is up early to a great breakfast and our downhill trek to the meeting place for our tour of the Walled City. On our way we pass by a number of murals painted on the sides of three-story houses depicting “The Troubles” – called the People’s Gallery, painted between 1997 and 2011. You would never know from the streets and dwellings, shops and churches, parks and bustling locals going about their business that this was a war zone not too long ago.

We arrive at the set place for Martin McCrossan’s Derry City Tours, renowned for being tops. Our guide this day is John, who turns out to be a walking encyclopedia of Derry History. Our group of about a dozen follow John onto the rampart of the old city wall, built between 1613 and 1618. We learn the prefix “London” was added to Derry in 1613, when the Corporation of London moved great numbers of Protestant settlers to Derry. It was not long until the Catholics outside the wall realized they were under the control of Protestants and the 105 day siege took place. But not much changed, the Protestants continued to have political and economic control.

“These were the last walls to be constructed in Europe,” says John, “and are Ireland’s onlyWalled city of Derry city walls to survive almost intact. That is amazing in itself, considering The Troubles started in Derry.”

In the 1960’s resentment of Protestant domination of City Council led to civil rights marches in 1968. John says, “The key protest issue being the anti-internment laws which allowed police to jail people without trial – at the time 14 Catholic youth were so incarcerated.” In 1969 Catholic Bogside youths began fighting with police. The UK government sent in British troops to quell the situation. On Sunday, January 30, 1972 (known as Bloody Sunday) 13 unarmed Bogside youth were killed, which heightened the tension and fighting, resulting in many years of bombings, shootings, and brutality between the Catholics and Protestants.”

Derry Bog SideIn 2013, after a major inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday, Prime Minister Cameron publicly came forth with a statement that there was no just cause for internment without trial and no justification to have killed unarmed protestors. “This was a major step towards ‘genuine peace’”, says John. He tells about joint endeavours by both communities for a positive future.

The next day we are Dublin bound. Not knowing if there will be a customs office between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland we stop at Aughnacloy, the last village before the border, to retrieve our passports from our luggage…. and reason enough to partake in Sally’s Restaurant specialty – warm bread & butter custard pudding and cappuccino – yum! (Once again our glee of trying every local favourite wins out over fretting about added girth.) As it turns out the border crossing is seamless; there is not so much as a sign indicating the crossing – other than us noticing the road signs change from miles to kilometres.

From the outstanding Titanic Belfast to Mother Nature’s phenomenal Giant’s Causeway, along with history and culture, plus meeting fine people at every turn – our visit rating – stupendous!

Angel House
43 Marlborough Street, Derry
Phone: 0044 (0) 28 7126 4229

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