I spent this last week in Ireland in a very small and poor town called Limavady. One plane, 3 buses, and a taxi ride later my mother and I finally arrived at the Roe Park Resort to begin our adventure. We decided on a whim to come on a sort of ancestry trip, visiting old graveyards, going through old churches records, and searching for any Hylands that still existed in Limavady. We were lucky enough to have two taxi drivers, Nigel and Richard, who took us under their wing and drove us all around Northern Ireland trying to find information and knocking on doors for us, as well as a bit of sight seeing. I can officially say, I have NEVER met any other people as friendly as the Irish. Everyone was beyond kind and gracious to us, not to mention, genuinely happy to help us out with our search – we were even getting phone calls once we were back at our hotel from people that were still out working the case for us.. it was incredible…
I am not going to go into detail about what we found in terms on ancestry as the investigation is still ongoing. Instead I will share some of our sight seeing highlights we did get to enjoy. On our second day, we were brought to see the “best view in Ireland” (or so Richard says…) that is one of the highest point’s in Limavady overlooking the ocean and where many people go gliding during the summer. On day three Nigel took us to The Giant’s Causeway, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption and also the most popular tourist attraction in Northern Ireland. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 and is today owned and managed by the National Trust.
I had seen a picture of it before arriving, but nothing prepared me for the immensity and emotions I felt once I actually got there. It was like walking through the set of a Lord of the Rings movie.. it’s grandeur and depths were hauntingly beautiful. As we hiked up the mountain, Nigel was kind enough to tell us the legend behind what we were seeing, in that the columns are the remains of a causeway built by a giant. He explained that the Irish Giant Fionn mac Cumhaill was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. When Fion accepted the challenge, he built the causeway across the North Channel so that the two giants could meet. There are several versions of how the story the ends, but according to our Nigel, it was Fionn that defeated Benandonner.
No photo can do justice to what we saw. The sheer magnitude of it was something uncapturable through a lens and indescribable through words.
Get more information on the Giant’s Causeway at: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/giants-causeway/ Address: 44 Causeway Road, Bushmills BT57 8SU
Telephone: 028 2073 1855
Email: [email protected]