By: Marcia Abramson
The Giant's Causeway is a World Heritage site and a National Nature Reserve. It has over 38,000 hexagonal-shaped basalt columns believed to have been formed 60 million years ago. I found this to be a truly awesome place with many different theories as to how and why the Causeway stones were formed in their unusual formation. I prefer the mythology legend attributing the building of the miraculous pathway of stones to the Giant Finn MacCool. He supposedly planned to use these stepping stones to cross the sea to Scotland and wage battle with his rival giant Bendonner. However, geologists insist that the Causeway resulted from strong volcanic activity 60 million years ago when the molten rock formed deep pools of lava over the landscape. The formation of the numerous regular-sided columns of the Grand, Middle and Little Causeway resulted from the slow even cooling and contraction of rock as it cooled. What a wonderful way for me to enjoy this glorious scenery by walking along the seashore and cliffs. My next stop was Bushmills Distillery, the world's oldest licensed distillery (1608) in the County of Antrim. There, I learned that Irish whiskey dates back to the 6th century. It seems that monks came to Ireland from the Middle East and brought with them an alembic, a device used to distill perfume. Irish monks tinkered with it and found themselves with a "pot still" and instead of perfume, they made another aromatic spirit. This spirit they called "The Water of Life" and in Irish, "Uisce Beatha," which was anglicized to "whiskey." Irish whiskey was once the world's best-selling alcoholic beverage until Scotch overtook it in popularity in the 1900s. But Irish whiskey aficionados claim that the tradition used in the Irish whiskey-making is unique in that the golden barley used for malt is first dried in closed kilns to ensure that the honeyed taste of the malt shines through the whiskey. This differs from Scottish malt where the barley is dried using smoke which gives it a smoky taste. I also heard some wonderful toasts (Slaintes) which go back for centuries and are good wishes or blessings on special occasions like weddings such as this one attributed to John Clement Ryan and Jim Ryan which can only come to fruition if your glass is full of Irish whiskey: "Health and long life to you land without rent to youthe woman (or man) of your choice to you, a child every year to you and may you be in heaven before the devil knows you're dead!" In the city of Belfast, I discovered the main shopping thoroughfare within walking distance of my hotel, the Belfast Hilton. It runs north from City Hall with a statue of Queen Victoria at the front and a Titanic memorial on one side. (The Titanic was built at the Belfast ship yard). There is also a free tour of City Hall and its beautiful marble halls with delightful guides to give you a civic history of Belfast. I found my favorite London stores Boots Pharmacy and a large Marks and Spencer Department store. There are some fine gourmet restaurants which I can recommend but don't expect to find corned beef and cabbage in the Island Ireland. That dish seems to be strictly American for St. Patrick's Day, like Turkey on the U.S. Thanksgiving. The bountiful Irish produce added to the wonderful fish and beef dishes at Restaurant Michael Dean and the restaurant Porcelain@Tensq. I did get to County Down with its great estates and imposing mansions. In fact I was told that the huge estates were also known as castles. I wonder if the saying, "A man's house is his castle," had its derivation in Ireland. I saw some magnificent gardens at Mount Stewart. The Castle Ward is an example of a grand Georgian country house in two-styles of architecture: Classical and Gothic, one style for the Lady and one for the Master. There is a sunken garden behind the walled 750-acre estate with wooded paths leading to an Old Castle Ward. Another must-see in Northern Ireland is St. Patrick's country. There is an Anglican St. Patrick's Cathedral, his grave site and a Visitor's Centre with a lovely panorama of this area where Patrick spread the gospel of Christianity. I ended my tour crossing over Strangford Lough (lake) on a super fast ferry to the charming seaside village of Portaferry. Luncheon was served at the Portaferry Hotel, an 18th century waterfront terrace. The food consisted of wonderful salad of local produce and delicious prawns from daily landings (catch) at the nearby fishing villages. Then it was on to Dublin, the Irish theatre, Guinness, and other treasures.
© Copyright by Marcia Abramson E-mail: mascribe@aol.com
