June 19-20

We drove over very twisty, astoundingly (is that a word, Karen?) beautiful coastal roads to Cushendall in County Antrim in Northern Ireland, where we spent our next two nights.

The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge is built by salmon fishermen in the spring and becomes a tourist attraction in summer. Gary would not walk on it, but I did, and wow! I found myself looking into hundreds of nesting seabird colonies. The bridge was a bit of an anti-climax, but I was blown away by the birds!
These are Razorbills.

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Here’s the bridge,

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and here’s PROOF that I walked on it:

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The Giant’s Causeway is a weird area of cooled basalt columns that, according to Irish mythology, was built by the giant Finn McCool so he could walk to Scotland to visit his true love.

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Dunluce Castle was built in the 13th century on a cliff overlooking the Irish Sea. In 1639 the kitchen fell into the sea during a storm! P1020020

Our final night in Cushendall provided one of the best experiences we have had in Ireland. We went to a pub in an old house, and ended up sitting in the back room with a group of local musicians who gather there on Saturday nights to jam. It was amazing. At one point, an old man sitting next to us just started singing “When you and I Were Young”. Very poignant; everyone stopped what they were doing to listen. I had hoped to become part of Ireland on this trip, in some small way, and on this night, we did. Various people in the room sang, told stories, and recited poems. They asked us if “their visitors” wanted to do something, and we declined, but sadly. It felt as if members of their community were offering a gift to the others.

How I wish I had a picture of the musicians and the others in that pub, but since I don’t, here’s next best:

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Signing off . . . and hoping we have wireless tomorrow in County Clare.

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