Irish holiday

**Phil** · 28th September 09, 08:19 AM

Not kilt-related I’m afraid but I thought you might enjoy some photos of my recent trip to Ireland and the North Antrim coast. And, of course, how can you go there without visiting the Giant’s Causeway

And here it is from up above

As you walk around the bays there is more

It is quite a spectacular place and one photographs hardly do justice to.

This is not the only site on this coast with these rock formations but it is the most spectacular and the most perfectly formed.
More to follow.

**Phil** · 28th September 09, 08:21 AM

A few miles further east is Whitepark Bay with the tiny hamlet of Portbraddan at its western end –

The next place travelling east is Ballintoy harbour and these lime kilns are what remains of an industry here using chalk from the nearby cliffs

I said the Giants Causeway was not the only site and here are columns formed in the volcanic rock at Ballintoy

Also this red layer which is volcanic ash

and this is the plug left by the volcano which was the cause of it here

**Phil** · 28th September 09, 08:22 AM

Travelling on you come to Ballycastle where this little ruined Franciscan priory called Bonamargey dating from the late 1400’s. Here is a vault where are buried several MacDonnells including Sorley Boy MacDonnell who defeated the McQuillans the then rulers of the area. The MacDonnells were, of course, a branch of Clan Donald and came over from Scotland to enlarge their territories in Ireland.

Also here are buried a few sailors from two warships sunk with the loss of all hands during the 1914-18 war, HMS Viknor and HMS Racoon. The townspeople erected this memorial for them, some of whom have never been identified.

**Phil** · 28th September 09, 08:23 AM

I mentioned the MacDonnells who are buried at Bonamargey priory and this is their stronghold which they captured from the McQuillans, Dunluce castle

Here is the view from the castle towards thr White Rocks and Portrush –

and this is part of the castle kitchens.The rest fell into the sea during a stormy night taking a number of kitchen staff with it!

Remember these stones from the Giant’s Causeway?

Well here are some more, this time used to build the castle –

It is possible to see the coast of Scotland from the castle and the people of Clan Donald would have travelled back and forth regularly. Here is a typical boat of the time scratched into the rock of the castle –

**Phil** · 28th September 09, 08:24 AM

Lastly a few other sights along the coast. Here is Portcoon Bay, an inlet just to the west of the Giant’s causeway

and this memorial has been placed here close to where the two airmen lost their lives –

This photo shows one of the many “dykes” along this part of the coast which were formed by lava extruding through fissures in the earlier rocks

At one time the northern half of Ireland along with Scotland formed part of North America but around 60 million years ago it split away as the Atlantic widened and this splitting caused the crust to thin allowing these lava dykes to form, much as they are doing in Iceland nowadays where the centre of volcanic activity has shifted..

Travelling on westwards you come to the pretty little village of Portballintrae –

which was once a bustling salmon fishery but is now just a collection of holiday homes, virtually deserted except at weekends.

Here is the beautiful Bushfoot strand, very popular with surfers

And how could you go to Ireland without seeing a “Paddy”. And here is his “wagon” to prove it