Northern Ireland, a Return to the Homeland

May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future—Irish Toast

The first of my ancestors that rode the waves to America journeyed in about 1745 from Ulster in County Tyrone, in Northern Ireland, to Virginia. I was always told that he came because of the potato famine. He was from Irish and Scottish descent and at the time there was some religious persecution of the Scottish presbyterians from the Church of England and also some interference into the agricultural produce of the Irish and Scottish farmers. So in a sense if the English are commandeering your potatoes, it is a famine… just not in the traditional sense.

The settling of my family into Kentucky was in about 1800, rumor was to open a Dollar General Store in the foothills of the Appalachians. But when he arrived, there was already too many Dollar Generals to compete with so he went back to farming, evidently quite successfully without the “help” of the Brits.

Our family traveled to the old country last summer and spent the first few days in Northern Ireland.

After landing in Dublin, we moved our hoard of thirteen with three small SUVs through Belfast and on up to the small coastal town of Glenariff. This scenic village is located on the Irish Sea, about an hour from Belfast. We stayed in a lovely house on a working sheep farm that our kids loved. Just so you know, the owners were working the sheep farm, not us.

The sheep bleated in the morning just like roosters, but it was an idyllic setting.

The small, coastal village of Glenariff on the Irish Sea.

Ancient ruins outside of Glenariff.

Rocks on Glenariff Beach.

The following are from a beautiful hike along a trail at Glenariff Waterfalls and Forest Park

One of the “two-lane” roads to Portrush.

I found Darren’s Corner at Harbour Bar in Portrush, in honor of Darren Clarke who won The Open Championship. Clarke is a fellow County Tyronian.

Golf is pretty important in Portrush especially for the winners of the Open. This is a mural of Shane Lowry from Ireland, not from Northern Ireland. I guess golf is the great unifier.

We drove back up the coast back to Glenariff and found Dunluce Castle

You can find many ruins from olden days in Northern Ireland.

My grandsons, a proud moment for their granddad.. They just wanted one more look at the Irish Sea.

I did make it to County Tyrone and visited the beautiful Dungannon Park. My dad, who researched all the family history always dreamed of seeing County Tyrone. I am wearing his hat.