I Love Northern Ireland - Travel

I was born in Northern Ireland.


I have lived there for most of my life with a break from 1992-95 when we lived in Delaware, USA and another one from 2004 -2010 when we lived in Tervuren, Belgium.

First I lived in Londonderry in the North West of Northern Ireland and then after I got married we lived in Drumahoe which is a village just outside Londonderry.

When we returned from The US we went back to our house in Drumahoe but when we returned from Belgium it was time to move to a location from which it was easier for my husband to get to the airports to travel for his work so we chose a house in Banbridge, a town just off the A1 which is the road from Belfast to Dublin.

 Northern Ireland is part of the UK 

though many people throughout the world get confused and think that all of Ireland is one country because it is one island.

It is rather like Spain and Portugal which are two different countries sharing the one large Peninsula of land in Europe.


Or maybe think of The US and Canada?




The people of Northern Ireland are some of the friendliest people in the world and are definitely known for their hospitality.




Northern Ireland has so many beautiful places to experience.

Northern Ireland is the home of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World:


The Giants Causeway

Wikipedia.org

Other great features are:



The Historical Walls of Londonderry


My home city for many years.

Wikipedia.org

The Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge

Along the beautiful North Coast

Wikipedia.org

The Mountains of Mourne

The beautiful scenery close to where we now live.

Wikipedia.org

The Lakes in Fermanagh

In the South West of Northern Ireland.

Wikipedia.org

I have always loved Northern Ireland and will claim (rightly) that we have fantastic large beaches of fine sand, even though we do not have the warm weather for others to come and visit and fully appreciate them.

DiscoverNorthernIreland.com

If you have never been to Northern Ireland it is well worth a visit of much more than a couple of days.

Yes I have met people who decide to visit "Ireland" so travel from the US or Europe or Canada to Dublin in Eire / Republic of Ireland and spend almost 2 weeks there and then think they can go "up north" for a couple of days (or for one day as one family of 4 expressed this desire to me after a late breakfast in a hotel in the south end of Eire - I still shake my head at this one) and take in the beautiful places we have here but then are surprised that there is too much to do in just so little time.

Other Posts about Northern Ireland can be found at 

Northern Ireland Section in Travel

St. Patrick

St. Patrick's Burial Site

A frequently asked question regarding St. Patrick is 

"Where is the Burial Place of St. Patrick?"

The answer is in the beautiful country of Northern Ireland

I want to take you to County Down where there is a town called Downpatrick and there you will find a quiet cemetery, the graveyard of the local Cathedral.

As we approached the church from the town we parked and walked up a short road which gives a great view of the entrance of the cathedral.

The day we went there was a lovely mild weather day but it was late in the afternoon hence the duller photo.

As you walk on around the left side of the cathedral you come to the tall tower at the end.

Here we saw the wooden sign telling us it is the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity but more commonly called Down Cathedral as the web page address shows

I remembered having been there many many years ago but had forgotten how struck I would be by the simple grave which was covered by a large memorial stone in 1900

We wondered around a little but mostly stood beside the grave.

It seemed rather surreal that this could be the burial place of such a famous person from so long ago.

In 1985 a plaque was added which gave a little information about St. Patrick but more importantly explained that this gravesite also fulfilled a specific prophecy because it held 2 other Saints from many years before - St Brigid and St Columba  

Anyone who has read my about me page or some of my family story posts will know that I was born in Londonderry so this information about the burial site was very interesting to me as St. Columb's Cathedral is well known there.

 

In the first picture of the grave stone and plaque you would not really notice that there is a symbol and a name marked out in the stone.

You will be able to see them in this picture below - a cross and part of the name Patrick.

We took some more time to wander around and admire the church building from the outside.   

Lots of little spire adornments on the roof.

  I think this last picture of the side of the cathedral helps to show you the calmness and quietness of the site during our visit as the sun was starting to get much lower in the sky.

The town of Downpatrick is also not a large significant place and not a city like Londonderry and Armagh (also in Northern Ireland) which have beautiful well-known cathedrals. 

The last time we had been in Downpatrick was for the 

St Patrick's Day Parade in 2015 but we had not taken time to stay on after the parade to do any sightseeing.

Other Posts related to St. Patrick and Northern Ireland can be found on our

 St. Patrick Page 

Saint Patrick - The Church at Saul

A frequently asked question regarding St. Patrick is 

"Where in Northern Ireland will you find a church to commemorate St. Patrick?"

The answer is "lots of places"

 I want to take you to County Down where there is a small place called Saul and there you will find not one of the Cathedral's named after the Irish Patron Saint but a beautiful small church.

As you approach the church up the long narrow driveway

you will see the sign introducing you to St. Patrick's Memorial Church, which is open to the public daily and has a service each Sunday.

It tells us that St. Patrick built the first Christian church in Ireland on this same site in 432 AD

The church is small and beautifully made from light coloured stone.   

Simple & elegant with a very tall round tower.

The adjacent small graveyard is also well looked after and just a few steps away from the arched front doorway to the church.

Even the front of this church is simple and elegant with it's arched doorway and brickwork framing the door and then as you lift your eyes up there is a small stained glass window.

As you look to the front of the church after entering you will not be disappointed because the interior is also elegant and simple and this was a welcoming place to walk into and stand and gaze around, which we did for quite some time.

There are three sections at the front but also there is the wooden stand just off centre which

holds the book of Sunday Service readings and if you look closely you may be able to see that it was open at the readings for the Sunday after Trinity which would fall within the week from 25th September to 1st October.

We were there on 25th September (our oldest son's birthday - it was his choice of where we would visit that day)

The Psalm for the day was Psalm 78 and the reading listed was from Ezekiel 18.

The left section at the front comprised of a simple wooden pulpit.

The right section at the front was the area where the Bible would be read.

In the centre at the front was the altar table and another beautiful simple stained glass window.  This time arched and depicting St. Patrick.

Also in the church there is some information about the church.

Looking from the front back towards the entrance we saw the quaint compact organ for the weekly church services.

The stonework inside and outside made this little church just perfect.

As you can see from the side view of the outside the church is not very long and the windows are narrow yet with the sun shining in through these windows there was plenty of light inside.

It is on this side wall that we find the foundation stone of the new church built in 1933 on the old original site - a beautiful commemoration to St. Patrick.

Other Posts related to St. Patrick can be found on our

 St. Patrick Page 

5 Travel Books about Northern Ireland - Need Help?

People are always telling me they Want to visit Northern Ireland.

People are always telling me they are partly Irish but have never been to see Northern Ireland or Ireland.

People used to walk up to me when we lived in America and say "I just love your accent - say something"

People are always telling me they love Ireland but unfortunately most of the time they think Belfast and Dublin are in the same country and only an hour apart.

Well for anyone who wants to visit

 Northern Ireland

 here are

 5 travel books

 which might be helpful.

PLUS make sure to read on to get the EXTRA TIP at the end.





Round the Hidden Coast of Northern Ireland from A to Z





We have a great coastline and plenty of it.

Rocky crags,  tucked away bays,  spectacular peninsulas and luscious golden sandy beaches.

Then of course we must not forget the ruins, churches and castles etc.




A Walking guide for Northern Ireland






We may not have the sunny weather of Florida and Spain but we still have great places to discover by walking.

Our mountains are not just talked about worldwide, they are even sung about.

Then of course we must not forget the Dams and reservoirs which are great attractions.




Rick Steves Snapshot of Northern Ireland






Rick Steves is famous for these snapshot travel books so probably a good one for short glimpses of many places.

Belfast Travel Guide 2020

This is a very up-to-date guide to Belfast.

You will need to think about where to stay, where to eat, and what other entertainment is on offer and especially where to get a coffee or a wee cup of tea.

Lonely Planet Pocket Belfast & The Causeway Coast

This one may be handy one to get instead of buying the two above for Belfast and the Coastal areas as it is a pocket edition.

Also it is in kindle if you don't want the pocket paperback version.



Don't forget your extra tip below

EXTRA  TIP

Most of us like to take lots and lots of pictures when we travel but don't remember to take enough notes so that we remember later just where that amazing picture or the strange picture was taken.
Especially if you are like me and you get your days and your meals and your places all mixed up when there are so many in that fantastic trip we took the previous year.

I that sound a bit like you then this extra book might be something to consider buying or if you are "crafty" maybe you could take their idea and make one from a notebook.  Mind you I think a lot of notebooks are so expensive these days that this turns out to be very reasonable in price.

I Don't Need Therapy I Just Need to go to Northern Ireland

Travel Journal

Whatever you decide I do think you really need to come to

 Northern Ireland

 and

 see our beautiful

 WEE Country.

Disclaimer:
I do not benefit from any purchases of these books.