Pride of Ireland

Not long after our parents left on the bus back to Clare, I was wondering what will I do with my week off. After a suggestion from +Niamh, I emailed Enniskillen Hotel about a prize I won in the Rte Guide a few months ago, just hadn't the time to use previously. As I still hadn't heard back by lunchtime on the Monday, we decided to organise backup plans in case. Just as we were finalising plans, and heading to book a tour, I get a reply back saying the Bronte Suite was available for the nights I wanted which was great. I confirmed the booking immediately. Now only issue was, was what to pack. I met Niamh after her meeting the following morning, and we quickly got few bits before getting the 13.30 Bus Eireann bus towards Enniskillen. After a slight delay we finally arrived to the hotel just before 5 pm. The Bronte Suite was fabulous no wonder it is the hotel's best room. As part of the 2 night stay, I also got a nice bottle of white wine and dinner. I kept wine for later in the week to use to celebrate Pride. That night we had dinner at the nearby Wethespoon's Linen Hall, which was exactly what we needed after all that travelling on the bus. After dinner we went exploring around the town on the way back to the hotel, which I had arranged for a Bushmills whiskey tasting with the hotel's whiskey expert Alex. Throughout the tasting he was so funny and made the whole experience quite fun. We called it a night after that as we were both wrecked and wanted to do and see a lot the next day.

We went down for breakfast a tad later then we planned, and decided after the nice breakfast to make the effort to really enjoy it properly the next morning. After breakfast, we set out to see what sights the town had for us. Being me of course I visited the two main churches within the town, before paying a visit to the headhunter barbers which is home to the railway museum. This museum within the barber impressed both myself and Niamh, as it told the story of the railway in the area until it closed and the amount of artefacts was quite extensive. From this museum we strolled down to EnnisKillen Castle before walking towards Portora Castle via the Portora Royal School which in the past had been Home to both Samuel Beckett and Oscar Wilde at different times as students. On the way to and from the castle we saw the playing fields which was used for General Eisenhower's visit to inspect the American soldiers stationed there before Invasion of Normandy. 

 

After exploring around the castle, we made the trek back towards Forthill Park, as I wanted to climb Cole's monument to see the view from the top. I nearly winded myself climbing up the 108 steps to the top. Although after the run up those steps I was out of breath, and the wind which I was greeted with was unexpected , the view from the top was breath taking especially seeing all of Enniskillen and River Erne. We took a few mins to recharge our batteries, after which we started the trek to try and find Castle Coole which was about a 40/45 mins walk away. As we found the wrong entrance, the nice guy at the pedestrian entrance was very nice to let us in, although we hadn't any cash on us, we both think he felt sorry for us, as it looked like it was about to start pouring, luckily enough was only a very quick passing shower. To be fair on the young lad, he tried to sell us the National Trust passes, although we had no interest we listened, as he let us in for free and the fact he was cute did no harm either. We ended up doing nearly all of the walks around the estate, from around the lake, down to the ice house, around the house before we left through the same entrance again. The long walk back to the hotel for dinner was made via a visit to the local ASDA, where we stocked up on low cost meds and few treats. We had the complimentary dinner in Wilde's bar, as it was off season for the hotel, the meal it self was lovely except for my Risotto which I personally found very bland, although the hotel staff were great about it and I got sorted which was nice. After dinner we were both exhausted as it was such a long day with all that walking. 

 We did actually get up early for breakfast, and it was even better than the previous one. We even had time for a post breakfast snooze before check out. The receptionists at the hotel throughout our stay were all very friendly and helpful. As we had some time before next bus, I wanted to get few vegetarian products at ASDA which I had never seen before and wanted to try. Like the bus up on Tuesday, the bus back to Dublin was late in this case nearly 30 mins. The journey back itself was very uneventful and relaxing. Once we arrived back, on the way back to the apartment, we stopped off at the Wild Rovers office on Bachelors Walk to book our tour to Belfast and Giants Causeway for the following morning. We were able to both get students tickets which saved some money which was great. We then had to rush home to quickly change and put the food away before heading out to Miele Gallery in Citywest for the Neven Maguire Demonstration evening. I must say I personally was more impressed about the event then I thought it was going to be. We got some cool recipes and even got chance to talk and get our photo taken with Neven. After this event, we had to wait for bus back into town, where we were meeting cousins from Australia who had met our parents and other members of our family previously in the week. It was strange yet interesting meeting Jamie and his wife Josie, before we knew it hours had passed and was time to leave the Brazen Head as we all had early starts the next day. It was great to finally meet them after the emails and calls.

Friday morning we both were up before 6 am to get ready for tour, it was great that the pick up spot was only about 15 mins away and we knew where to go. I was happy out that had prepared a packed lunch and drinks for the day as I knew it was gonna be about long day and we could buy sandwiches at the morning coffee break before we crossed the border. After we boarded the brand 151 bus and got settled and everyone was picked up, we made our way up the motorway passing through the Boyne Valley, our tour guide Robbie told us all the itinerary for the day beginning with Belfast, where you had the option to do a Black Taxi political tour or the Titanic Museum. We chose the Black Cab as we had done Titanic before. We made a coffee break at Applegreen where we got a 5 euro sandwich deal which sorted food for later on the trip. We arrived into Belfast about 9.40 where we got into the Black Taxi with 3 others with our driver Pat. Pat was brought up on the Falls Road, he brought us on a personal political tour of both the Falls and Shankhill Roads, bringing up close to some of famous murals on the Peace Wall, where we got to sign our names on to the Peace Wall. It was quite an interesting tour especially from someone actually who grew up in the area. We met the rest of the tour group at the Titanic Quarter, with even time to have a quick glance around the building. 

Once everyone was back on the bus, we departed Belfast and started the Coastal part of the tour, beginning with a stop at the Dun Luce Castle used as a film location as House of Greyjoy for The Game of Thrones. During this pitstop, the sun finally decided to make an appearance and the rest of the day was sunny and warm. During the coastal drive, Robbie and the Bus driver Ritchie, highlighted other film locations used for Game of Thrones such as Ballintoy used as Village of Pike and Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge as House of Baratheon. We stopped for our lunch at the Giant's Causeway, just before we disembarked Robbie told us the 3 different stories about how the Giant's Causeway were formed, the Creationist, Scientific and of course the famous Mythological Fionn Mac Cool which got the biggest reaction on the bus which was funny. We had about 2 hours stop here for lunch, Niamh and myself decided to walk and explore about first and eat after. Luckily  we decided to do that, as we got distracted by walking further and further enjoying the coastal landscape. By the time we actually got down to the Giant's Causeway itself which is Northern Ireland's only UNESCO World Heritage Site, time was going against us, we still were able to enjoy it fully and make it back on the bus with time to spare and then able to eat. Our last stop of the day was at the Carrick-A-Rede Rope bridge which was only about 10/15 mins down the road from the Giant's Causeway. The rope bridge from the main land to the island is connected by a rope bridge over a 30 m deep and 20 m wide chasm. Poor Niamh who has a slight fear of heights was unable to attempt the bridge, I felt the steps down the bridge itself more unnerving than the bridge itself. Once I crossed the bridge I was able to walk around the island to enjoy the cliff top views, before queueing back to cross the bridge again. After leaving this spot, we started the long drive back to Dublin, on the journey back Robbie was telling everyone about fairy trees and fairy rings and stop the bus at one stage to show a fairy tree which historical is always a hawthorn tree. We finally made it back to Dublin just before 8.30 pm although it was an extremely long day, it was worth the money, effort and the tiredness and it was capped out by the banter and expertise of Robbie and Ritchie.

After a slight sleep in, I got up with an air of excitement for Pride. We made our way to my mate Colm's place for a Pre-Parade Brunch via a quick stop off at smithfield. Whilst in Fresh in Smithfield, and at the ATM I got distracted and left the money behind me at the machine, I luckily got it back. After a tad confusion, we finally found Colm's place, there was a great atmosphere and buzz. There was a steady flow of people coming and going which kept the party atmosphere. Niamh left after a while to get her spot to watch the parade. The rest of us helped Colm tidy up before making our way to the parade, before joining the LGBT Helpline banner, as some of the group knew several of those behind that banner. After a few mins who did I see in the crowd but Clare, her brother and her cousin who were joining the same banner,  the people I met at Dublin Castle on May 23rd for the Referendum Result, which was so random and fun. Then literally a minute or two later, I saw Niamh along the route on O'Connell St. I rang Niamh after I reached the finishing area at Merrion Square, who was telling me the Parade had no sign of finishing. I heard after that 50,000 were out for the parade and lasted for almost 2 hours which is amazing. The atmosphere at Merrion Square was quite laid back and chilled. The Speeches and music got the crowd going. When I finally met Niamh, we had a good walk around Merrion Square to get back in as there was only one entrance. I met some people in Merrion Square throughout the day, who hadn't seen in years which was unreal. Niamh and myself finally met up with our group, and made our way towards Front Lounge where we spent most of our evening, getting quite merry and enjoying ourselves. We topped off the night, trying the new bar called Front Door where we remained until closing time. When I finally got home about 4 am, I was exhausted and quite tipsy when I realised was up for work in 4 hours. I think I have never been so hungover and my shift at work couldn't finish quick enough. However as the day processed I started to feel a lot better and the Chinese takeaway that tonight was the perfect way to finish off the weekend.

From Voyage to FLC

We started off the New Year with a mini adventure and city break to Belfast. So the first Saturday of January, we both met in the city centre for breakfast at O'Neills on Suffolk street at 9 am before catching the 10 am Goldline bus to Belfast from Busaras.  The journey itself took about 2.5 hours and when arrived it was a tad over cast. So we attempted to go and find the hotel - Park Inn using Google maps. After awhile we got lost, lucky enough we backtracked and some how managed to find the hotel. We checked into the hotel, and then went off sightseeing via the Victoria Square shopping centre. As the whole reason in the first place for the visit, was for Liam to try and get his phone fixed through the manufacturer themselves. After waiting a while, we finally got seen at the Genius bar and a replacement phone was ordered in for collection at a later date. After the technical part of the weekend out of the way, it was time to have some fun or that was the plan.

 First port of call, was to the public viewing square on the 3rd level which is entirely covered by a glass dome, and from this platform, there is beautiful sights of the city. After the obligatory picture of both Liam and I, we decided it was time to visit the Titanic quarter. We managed to get the metro bus from the waterfront which dropped us almost directly outside the Titanic Experience. As we had passes we managed to get 10% off the cost of admission which normally costs 14.75. The Experience had such much to offer, that neither of us noticed the time get away from us, as the building explores what life was like in Belfast at that time, as the city was thriving in areas such as engineering, ship-building and linen manufacturing. After experiencing what boomtown Belfast was like in early part of the 20th century, we passed through the original Harland & Wolff shipyard gates and got the lift to continue our journey. At the top floor, we boarded the Shipyard Ride, which ascend into a replica of one of the hugh pillars of the Arrol Gantry which originally was erected alongside the 2 giant slipways that were built in 1908 to prepare for the construction of the Olympic and Titanic. These slipways still exist at the back of the Titanic Quarter.

            

 

After disembarking from the ride, we entered Gallery four, which contained range of original artefacts, exhibits, model and CGI video that illustrated The Ship of Dreams interior. After leaving the fitting out gallery, we entered the gallery that detailed the ship's maiden voyage, and discovered what life on board Titanic was actually like helped by the famous photographs taken by Irish Thelogical student Francis Browne. Directly after this Maiden Voyage gallery, we entered a detailed gallery describing the sinking and immediate aftermath of the Titanic, which occurred at 11.40pm on April 14th 1912 when the sink raced into an iceberg with the loss of 1,500 men, women and children. The aftermath gallery explores the inquiries held on both sides of the Atlantic, as the ship was British built and American owned. The inquiries examined how and why the disaster occurred, while trying to find a culprit to blame. This gallery brings together all the details from these inquiries and news reports using a range of recordings, re-enacted performances and exhibits. Towards the end of this experience, we entered the Myths and Legends gallery which brings together the many books, movies and songs inspired by the Titanic story. The final gallery we entered is a multi level gallery which explores Titanic's final resting place nearly 2.5 miles below sea level. Before leaving the building, we were able to obtain a souvenir ticket of our experience. 

After our entailed, fun filled experience, we went outside to explore the slipways of Olympic and Titanic. Because of the time of day, we decided to walk back towards the city centre, along the way, we noticed the tender to RMS Olympic and Titanic, SS Nomadic. We decided on our return trip to Belfast to collect Liam's replacement phone, that we would visit, the last surviving White Star Line vessel. At the waterfront, after we crossed over the bridge we noticed the statue of a Big Fish, we were informed afterwards, that statue represents the Salmon of Knowledge, located on Donegall Quay. 

At this stage of the day, we were both hungry, so decided to find somewhere to eat near the hotel. On route back, we passed City Hall, which looked amazing with all the Christmas decorations and lights. 

We decided on Wetherspoons, and had one of their meal deals, then having a few drinks before heading back to the hotel to unwind after our day. The following morning we were unfortunate, that the weather was so bad, that we were stuck in the hotel for the day, lucky enough it gave us time to rest after working over the Christmas. Although the weather was against us on this trip,we both agreed that Belfast was an amazing city and definitely worth visit again soon. Typical in Liam fashion, he received a phone call the Tuesday after we got back, to inform him that his phone had arrived and was ready for collection. So decided to make a return day trip for the following Tuesday and to make the most of it, regardless of the weather. 

Between Liam and me, we managed to get 2 tickets for Ed Sheeran when they went on Sale on Friday 10th, pure lucky as we only managed to get ones for added dates, we ironically enough suits us better. Only Sunday I meet up with Liam after he finished work, and we went to the cinema to see Frozen, which made us both want to go to Disneyland. After some food, its was time for a game of pool and drinks in Dandelion and Capital  before Bingo in the George.

We arrived just before 9 to make sure we had seats and a good view. We had a good laugh, I hadn't been to Bingo and the drag show in years, I informed Liam that we must do this again soon. After we both managed to get our last buses, and arrived home, we got online and booked flights and Disney package for Disneyland Paris for the start of February. So on Tuesday morning, I meet Liam on O'Connell street, where he attempted to redraw money from the Ulster Bank branch ATM, however his card got swallowed by the machine. Lucky enough though, I could from the one at Busaras. On the upside, we managed to board an earlier  bus then we originally planned and got to observe an amazing sunrise over Dublin. After completing the compulsory business involving Liam's phone, we had a gorgerous breakfast on the top level of the Victoria Square in Frankie and Benny's. We decided as we had plenty of time before returning back to Dublin that this time, we would do a sight seeing bus tour, +Belfast City Sightseeing Hop on/ Hop off one. I managed to get both of us the concession student price. As the tours in Belfast were on a winter schedule, we were on a strict time table. As we promised last time, we got off at the Titanic quarter to do a tour of SS Nomadic.

As we went into the office to purchase the tickets and handed in city sightseeing ticket for a discount, we both were surprised that they gave us tickets for free. It was a mistake on their part, but lucky for us. We boarded the ship for the 1.30 pm tour,  which has been restored to her original 1911 glory combined authentic heritage and atmosphere with intriguing stories of her passengers to demonstrate its dramatic 100 career. Nomadic Experience explores how Titanic first-class passengers marveled at it's grandeur and luxury. We meet and chatted with the holographic Pierre, the first-class barman. The tour illustrates some of the extra-ordinary journeys that passengers embarked upon and about the great era of emigration, also in this section, there is a fun interactive area involving dress up in the clothes of that era. During wartime, the Nomadic performed dangerous tasks and played active service in both World Wars. Inside the lower deck, we discovered the story of it's construction and of Cherbourg Port where she spent her career. This area has interactive elements, such as a game where you get to sheer the ship or dress up as a crew-member.
Also in this area, we stepped inside the cramped crew quarters and experienced the stark contrast to the luxurious first and second class passenger areas. After 57 years as a passenger tender, Nomadic was retired in 1968, we then learned of the years the tender spent in Paris as a restaurant and nightclub before been returned to Belfast and been restored to her original 1911 condition. The Nomadic has only been opened to the Public since June 2013, the cost of admission is normally £6.50 and again time got away from us because before we knew it, we were rushing to catch the last bus of the City Sightseeing at 3 pm. Once back on the bus, we passed the Pump House, which was the final spot Titanic rested on dry ground. From here, we travelled to Stormont Parliament which is the home of the Assembly. On our way back we passed by the George Best Airport on route through the city, we passed by the St George Market which is a heritage market offering local food, crafts and music until 2pm daily. From this area, we continue towards the Cathedral quarter, which is the Belfast version of Dublin's Temple bar and also houses, Belfast oldest bar, White's Tavern been on site in Winecellar Entry since 1630. St Anne's Anglican Cathedral has the largest Celtic cross in Ireland on the north side, which is a memorial monument to Belfast victims of the First World War. From here, we travelled towards the peace wall via Crumlin Road Gaol, which was a former prison situated in north Belfast and is the only Victorian era prison remaining in Northern Ireland and been derelict since 1996. Across from the Gaol, stands the Crumlin Road Courthouse, also derelict. A tunnel under the main road connected the two buildings and was used to transport the prisoners to the courthouse. Then we entered the Cupar Way Peace Wall which is one of the original 'peace' barriers in the city separating the Unionist Shankill Road from the Nationalist Falls Road. Our Bus guide, Karen, described the historical and emotional significance of the Peace Wall, you could nearly hear a pin drop on the packed bus, everyone was emotional as we drove through these areas. The mural of Bobby Sands, the republican hunger striker, is one of the most photographed murals in Belfast.

  After the emotional trip through the Peace Wall, we continued our journey along University Road, which is house to Queen's University, the Botanic Gardens and Ulster Museum. To finish off our tour, we passed by the Europa Hotel, which was the only hotel during the worst years of the Troubles and the most bombed hotel in Europe. We both agreed, that we were glad that this time, we did the bus tour, as it was such an interesting and fun experience. To warm up after the tour, we went to the Victoria Square to get Lunch before our journey home. We decided to try Chiquito, a Mexican restaurant and of course the compulsory churros, which reminded us so much of having them at Movie World on the Gold Coast in Queensland. We managed to be in time for the next bus leaving for Dublin. Although it was a jam packed day, it was full of fun and history.
To continue on this historical theme, we decided to finally make our way to the Marsh Library, the next day. The library is located on St. Patrick's Close, just behind St. Patrick's Cathedral and has a entrance fee of €3 or €2 for students. The library was built in 1701 by Archbishop Narcissus Marsh and was the first public library in Ireland. It is one of the few 18th century buildings left in Dublin that is still being used for its original purpose. The interior of the library has remained unchanged for three centuries, with its original dark oak bookcases each with carved and lettered gables housing more than 25,000 rare and fascinating books. The walk through this perfectly preserved library of the early Enlightenment, was quite unusual yet fascinating and definitely worth a visit.

  We decided while we had time to spare, we finally managed to visit the Dolls Hospital and Museum on the top floor in the Powercourt Centre, when it was still opened. It was surreal to see Ireland's oldest Toy store and some of its famous merchandise such as Bosco.

As we wanted to try a nice coffee place, we passed one on South William St and it looked kinda funky and decided to try it, +Clement and Pekoe, I had a quaint homemade hot chocolate with real Chocolate to dip into it and the pastries were also homemade and were to die for. After such a taxing day, lol, it was time to unwind with cocktails and game of pool in Dandelion before we went to support our friend +Mark Cox, who was performing at the Song Room in the Globe. 

To round off such a fun week, we went to a gig in the Academy, that I had won tickets to, the Fun Loving Criminals. So I meet Liam after he finished work and went for tapas in the Porthouse on South Williams Street followed by drinks at Lafayette before making our way to the Academy. The night started off great with the warm up act, the Propeller Palms, who were brilliant, then went into the stratosphere when the FLC came on to the stage. The entire set was one we won't forget in a hurry, it was a night to remember.