Ireland

So we crammed our van full of all our things and saw to final jobs like, going to DVLA at Borehamwood to pay for tax disc, filling tyres to fully loaded pressure, and filling the van with water.

Our first stop was a filming of the tv show QI in London.  We had planned to go to Virginia Water and catch the train to Waterloo however we couldn't get a park anywhere (station or town) so we went to Egham, again no parks at the station but we found one on the street.  We queued for 1.75 hrs to get in.  It was very enjoyable if a little hot.  Steven Fry brought in the wrong cue cards which was funny and held up things for a bit.  The shows theme was 'the silent K'.

After the show we made a start on the drive to the ferry terminal at Pembroke.  We had an unusual annoying encounter when I tried to turn in the street in Egham.  The street was narrow so I thought I would nose into a nearby driveway to get round.  No sooner had I crossed the threshold than a middleaged white lady came flying out the door yelling 'what the hell do you think your doing on my driveway'.  You'd think i'd just shat on her doorstep.  This left me trying to turn without the aid of the space of her drive.  All the time being stared down by the the housewife from hell and despite Nicky giving directions I couldn't get turned and had to admit defeat.  It is an interesting illustration of the psyche of Londoners.

The next day we made it to our ferry to Ireland, all went smoothly and the sea was very flat.  We made some progress towards Dublin that evening and we finished off the drive into Dublin the next morning and managed to find a good free park.  Walked alongside the River Liffey which unfortunately is a blight on the city. It is very messy lots of rubbish, the water ran clear but this only served to display that the riverbed was full trash and debris.  The central city was vibrant and bustling and we visited the National Museum, the highlight being the bronze age gold artefacts in particular the collars.  After closing we watched a bit of cricket at Trinity College Dublin before going to our prebooked Food, Folklore and Fairies evening.  This was enjoyable, the food was basic but done okay and the stories and music generally held your attention.  We were with some Lithuanians and Americans, got some good tips about Lithuania.

Gold Collars in National Museum

Next morning we visited Knowth and Newgrange (Neolithic passage tombs the biggest remaining in Ireland), they were very impressive and interesting structures. You get a brief guided tour at each one and there is an exhibition, well worth it and something not seen in the UK.  After this we headed to Vantastival, unfortunately the weather had turned and this day was a little unpleasant and we didn't get around as much as we would have liked but we did enjoy a bit of music.  Day 2 at the festival went smoothly, after some initial trouble with the boiler Nicky and I managed to get the water heated and showered so it was good to get that sorted.  Unfortunately our fridge has not been working, so we'll have to get that checked out ASAP.

Passage tombs at Knowth

 Passage tomb at Newgrange

We were a little tired on Day 3 so didn't see quite as much music but we did see Altan whom sung all their songs in Gaelic.  We have both enjoyed our time at the festival.  However although everyone we've dealt with has been thoroughly pleasant the festival lead us to some concerning conclusions.  1. The Irish national pastimes appear to be drinking and smoking, 2. Natural selection may be acting on the Irish to make one hand better for holding a  drink and the other a cigarette, 3. There seems to be a distinct lack of physical athleticism and they may be held back by the fact most sports can't be undertaken while holding a drink and cigarette.

After the festival we visited the towns of Monaghan and Armagh, then the 3rd largest lake in Europe Lough Neagh.  Of particular note in Monaghan werethe towns info boards and community spaces had a recent revamp and presented a good impression.  However as it was Bank Holiday most things were closed.  Armagh has a very grand Roman Catholic Cathedral completed in 1904 and a much older church or Ireland cathedral located on the site were St Patrick is suppose to have had a church built in 445AD.

Roman Catholic

Church of Ireland

Made a brief stop in Antrim on our way to Belfast where after a tour of the town hall it was all things Titanic. A walking tour and the new titanic exhibition.  I highly recommend the walking tour and the exhibition is okay (very new hi-tech but lacking in actual artefacts relating to white star line or titanic).  While doing the walking tour we also saw Titanic Studios where they film Game of Thrones (GofT) YAY. Anyway this inspired visits to a few set locations throughout County Antrim the next day.

Dry Dock used by Titanic

So after Belfast we had the first experience of filling the new LPG tank, all went well.  Then we used our first aire de service for disposing of toilet waste and power connection.  It appears Northern Ireland is the one place in the British Isles to embrace this concept.

We drove a route called the Causeway Coastal Route. Unfortunately the weather was atrocious.

• We tried to see Glenarm (one of the County Antrim Glens) but we ended up in the clouds and couldn't see anything until we got back to the coast.  
• We went to Cushendun where there were coastal caves that they used in GofT (YAY, the scene when Melisandre gives birth to the shadow baby).  
  
• We went to Carrick-a-rede to see a rope bridge out to an island previously used by fisherman.  It has been rebuilt and modified to include metal cables but the impression is maintained.  Unfortunately the winds were too high and you couldn't go on the bridge. 
  
• We popped across to the next bay which has Ballintoy Harbour which is used as the harbour of Lordsport (Iron Islands) on GofT.  
• We also poked our heads into White Park Bay before heading inland to see a place called the Dark Hedges, this was used in GofT as the setting for when Arya Stark was fleeing Kings Landing. 
  
• Then the Giants Causeway, a formation of basalt in vertical hexagonal blocks, pretty funky and a world heritage site since 1986.
  
• Then we visited Downhill beach which they used in GofT for the scene where the effigies of the seven were burnt.
  

 That has us all up to date we'll be visiting Derry and the Ulster-American Folk Park tomorrow weather permitting.