Look out Ireland - here we come! We get on the bright green PaddyWaggon
bus, which is taking us up to Derry/LondonDerry today. Why does it have two names? Well it depends on which side you are on as to what name you give it. Catholic - Derry, Protestant - LondonDerry. We drive past the Prime Minister's house and you know she is home because the flags are flying! We make a few stops along the way - Monasterboice: Ireland's highest 10th century Celtic crosses, Omagh - where a car bomb went off in the street killing 27 innocent shoppers (the IRA's biggest hit). We arrive in Derry which is one of the last remaining walled cities in the world. A guide arrives to take us on a walking tour of the walls only it turns out to be a tour telling the Catholic side of the story and how they have been subjected to acts of terrorism by the English government over the years. We visit the the Bloody Sunday memorial and the infamous Free Derry sign. He distinctly remembers being a 9 year old boy who would frequently be woken up at 3am in the morning by the English army having a gun pointed and told him not to move
while his room was ransacked and his parents beaten up. It wasn't until 1972 that Catholics were allowed to vote again because there is a 80% majority they are now running the council. We also see the Protestant area, which is so glaringly obvious. They paint the curbs in red, white and blue, (the colours of England) plus due to the orange celebration they are also flying the Union Jack and the Northern Ireland flags everywhere. The day ends at a local cafe which serves us stew and Irish coffee while two guys play traditional Irish music. It's a lot of fun.
Trivia Time: Did you know that the difference between Scottish whiskey and Irish whiskey is that Scottish whiskey is distilled twice, while the Irish distill it three times.
bus, which is taking us up to Derry/LondonDerry today. Why does it have two names? Well it depends on which side you are on as to what name you give it. Catholic - Derry, Protestant - LondonDerry. We drive past the Prime Minister's house and you know she is home because the flags are flying! We make a few stops along the way - Monasterboice: Ireland's highest 10th century Celtic crosses, Omagh - where a car bomb went off in the street killing 27 innocent shoppers (the IRA's biggest hit). We arrive in Derry which is one of the last remaining walled cities in the world. A guide arrives to take us on a walking tour of the walls only it turns out to be a tour telling the Catholic side of the story and how they have been subjected to acts of terrorism by the English government over the years. We visit the the Bloody Sunday memorial and the infamous Free Derry sign. He distinctly remembers being a 9 year old boy who would frequently be woken up at 3am in the morning by the English army having a gun pointed and told him not to move
while his room was ransacked and his parents beaten up. It wasn't until 1972 that Catholics were allowed to vote again because there is a 80% majority they are now running the council. We also see the Protestant area, which is so glaringly obvious. They paint the curbs in red, white and blue, (the colours of England) plus due to the orange celebration they are also flying the Union Jack and the Northern Ireland flags everywhere. The day ends at a local cafe which serves us stew and Irish coffee while two guys play traditional Irish music. It's a lot of fun.
Trivia Time: Did you know that the difference between Scottish whiskey and Irish whiskey is that Scottish whiskey is distilled twice, while the Irish distill it three times.
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And have you had a Guinness yet?
ReplyDeleteYes -we had Guinness and Baileys (seperately) in Dublin :o)
ReplyDeleteAh good - I can stop asking now then =)
ReplyDelete