Éire and Northern Ireland

We've just returned from our week in Ireland with Terry. What an interesting trip! To be honest, Anna and I weren't blown away by what we saw. We were both expecting something more 'magical', and although the scenery was wonderful, it can't really compare to New Zealand. Nonetheless, it was great to have a sizeable break from work, and all the lovely greenery and rugged rocks helped ease the homesickness.

It's so rare to get behind the wheel, that I couldn't resist driving throughout the trip. It was a blessing and a curse, because the Irish can't seem to lay a straight or flat road to save themselves. Their road signs are surreal - 100km signs immediately before a hairpin bend, or adjacent to contradictory "SLOW" markings on the road. Odd. There were also a comic level of roadworks, wandering sheep, scores of tractors, and - thanks to a quirky licensing system - learner drivers comprising 1 out of every 3 cars on the road. Finally, the tourism seems to be septuagenarian on average, so lots of slooow cars. And coaches. On very narrow roads. But that's not to say it wasn't fun practicing my rally skills, and getting a mini-rollercoaster ride on the sudden road slumps and high ridges.

Having circumnavigated the coast, I now have a much better sense of how Ireland fits in with Britain. The two islands really are cut from the same cloth - big stretches of Ireland evoked the north of Scotland, the coast of Wales and the English countryside.

It was also interesting to see how the politics and people vary across the one landmass. One night we'd be in Éire, with the locals cheering any team playing the English in the World Cup, then the next we'd be in Northern Island, driving in miles per hour and paying in pounds, not Euros. The most interesting manifestation of this was comparing the republican graffiti in Derry with the monarchist murals in Belfast.

I'm glad that the 'troubles' seem to be over, but there's a lot of water that still needs to pass under the bridge before the emerald isle can be truly settled.

Other short points I'll mention prior to a day-by-day posting of the trip:
- there are castles galore
- we saw a perfect rainbow, in fact, the best we've ever seen
- the Guinness really is much better
- I have come to realise that I have a taste for whiskey, but not for whisky (see Wikipedia)