Westport & Derry

Continuing on our way north from Westport, we made a quick stop at the grave of W.B. Yeats.  We were rather enamoured with the giftshop, much to Susie's amusement.  I picked up 3 small watercolors here that I framed upon returning home.  They have made a lovely addition to the walls as well as a reminder of my time in the Connemara countryside with their traditional cottage scenes.

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Lunch was quickly eating in Donegal, where my smaller group went to see the outside of Donegal Castle and to purchase the famous tweed hats (this is where you will have more variety and can say you purchased a true Donegal tweed hat, much like the one my grandfather and father wore).  Dad still can be found wearing his on a regular basis a full 9 months later.  

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We moved into Northern Ireland, arriving in the town of Derry (or Londonderry depending on which side of the river you are on) where our local guide provided a wealth of information about this town's role in Bloody Sunday (1972), The Troubles, and history while walking on top the city walls as part of this tour and ending at the impressive St. Columb's Cathedral.  This is one of two main immigration ports (along with Cork), so a number of our group had ancestry ties to this location).

We finished the day in Portrush with a tour dinner at The Idle Wall, which boasted of flavorful, local ingredients and a personable chef who came to our tables to ensure our expectations were met.