Belfast was synonymous with bomb blasts and shootings in my youth, a city where Ireland’s Unionist and Nationalist traditions clashed violently. Today, thanks to the peace process, it’s very much on the tourist trail and not shy about being the birth place of the Titanic. The conflict that raged for around 50 years, called The…
Tag: Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland: The Argory
Pondering Northern Ireland, my thoughts are all too often coloured by the Troubles. It’s easy to forget that life went on despite the bombs, shootings and the hectoring background noise of politicians that filled my formative years. It’s weird to think that the National Trust was busy there despite all that trouble, doing its preservation…
Northern Ireland: The Giant’s Causeway and Dunluce Castle
If there’s one thing I’ll remember about Northern Ireland, it’s that this relatively small part of the UK has such a variety of landscapes. The coast of County Antrim is one of the best and its star attraction is the Giant’s Causeway. Driving to giant Finn MacCool’s legendary domain on a warm, sunny day in…
Hunting ancestors in Northern Ireland
It’s a lot easier doing family history when home is just down the road from where ancestors lived and worked. It’s a little more awkward if they hailed from over the water. In my case, Northern Ireland. Some background: My maternal granddad, Ernest Moore, came from Donaghmore in County Tyrone, just a few miles from the banks of mighty…