An Ulster history lesson

Sleep is powerful.  That being said, after being thoroughly rejuvenated from a good night's sleep, Marty and I set out to enjoy this second day in Ireland.

After an amazing breakfast, we headed by car to the Ulster Folk Museum located just a few miles down the road from where we are staying. 

 I had prebooked tickets, as the site made it sound urgent, so I was pleasantly surprised to see only three other cars in the parking lot when we arrived.  So far, we've managed to quite successfully enjoy the area without crowds of people.  Here's hoping that trend continues, because we do love the personal attention that comes from being the lone visitors in any given space.

The museum is cleverly set up, with a very large, open display that walks the visitor through time, explaining the circumstances that led to mass migration from the Ulster area. For those not familiar, Ulster is an area in Ireland that consists of 9 northern counties, which is primarily the area of Ireland that experience the majority of emigration. 

It also features a very large, open air outside museum, that physically walks one through the life in Ireland, the journey to the United States, and, finally the "New World" experienced by these Irish immigrants. 

We were quite surprised to see a Conestoga Wagon, made in Lancaster, PA, standing at the entrance to the time line experience.

We soon learned that the reason it was there was to represent the mode of transport in the early 1800s, from the Port of Baltimore to the Pittsburgh, PA area.  We found this to be especially interesting since we live not far from where these Conestoga Wagons were constructed back in the day. 

Three families were highlighted in the museum, each emigrating in the early 1800s from the Tyrone area, to various areas of the United States, and each for different personal reasons. 

The first, Thomas Mellon of Mellon Bank fame in Pittsburgh, PA.  He was the son of a farmer, Andrew Mellon,  who decided to move to Turtle Creek at the encouragement of his parents who had emigrated previously.  Thomas Mellon was born in Tyrone, and his family home still stands on the premises of the museum.  It is considered to be the most important feature in the museum, since it was Thomas' son who donated the house and set up the trust for this amazing venue. Thomas and his parents arrived at the port of Baltimore in the early 18002,  and used the Conestoga Wagon as transport to Turtle Creek. 

Thomas decided as a youngster, that he did not want to pursue life as a farmer, so he attended the University of Pittsburgh, achieved a law degree, and set up Mellon Bank later in life.

The second family  featured was that of John Joseph Hughes.  John's family felt persecuted as Catholics, and left Tyrone for Maryland in the early 1800's as well.  John was originally employed as a gardener fo Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.  He would eventually become ordained as a priest, which led, over time, to his being appointed as Arch Bishop of New York.  During his time in this role, he worked hard to defend the rights of the many Irish Catholic immigrants.

Finally, Hugh and Robert Campbell left Tyrone during the same time period, settling in St. Louis, MO, where they became successful businessman.  They chose to emigrate since neither were due to inherit from their father, due to being younger sons. 

None of these men left Ireland due to physical hardship in their homeland, and all three went on to become famous Americans.  The museum is certain to note that there were many forced to emigrate due to unfair land taxes, or starvation, who did not fare as well as these three men.  The streets were NOT lined with gold as some would claim to encourage others to follow, and this cartoon gives an humorous example at just how a story can be embellished to make a situation appear far grander than it is.

 There was a wealth of information to learn, and we both came out of there with a real appreciation for what the average emigrant had to endure.  There were numerous dioramas to enhance the experience. 

We even learned about the changes that occurred in transport, from sailing vessels that took 8 weeks to cross the ocean, to steam boats that shortened the trip to 12 days.  

Outside, the museum has original houses that were relocated on the land, in addition to the Mellon family home, which stands in its original location.  Here you see a Single Room Family Cabin featuring a handsome Irishman (kind of) in front.

Weaver's cottage

The Mellon homestead, where Thomas Mellon was born

and the interior kitchen.

A schoolhouse transported from 3 miles down the road

complete with desks

and learning equipment (and a cozy fire as well).

We were told that students were required to bring a block of "Turf" to the classroom in order to be admitted for study.  It is some kind of peat that is dug up from the ground in the area.  If a student did not have the required Turf, they were "turfed out", meaning that they were not permitted in the school.  This brought a lot of chuckles from the Irish visitors in attendance. I had not personally heard that phrase, but obviously it is frequently used here due to the reaction.

The museum also featured the original homes of the Hughes and Campbell families. 

From here, we walked through a recreated "typical" Irish village where the emigrant would have walked.  The Mountjoy post office was moved from a mile down the road, stone by stone, rebuilt as the original structure. 

Around the corner, we walked down this quaint village street that features the original fronts of various establishments that had existed. Even the road was authentic!

We were told by the local chemist (a volunteer re-enactor), that the emigrant would have ventured down this street by "shank pony".  Of course, I had no idea what that was.  He explained that it was a term used for walking.  The "shanks" of their legs were ponied by their feet.  Did you know that? 

From there, we entered a dark alley that led us to a recreated transport ship.

all set up to give one the experience of the emigrant.

I was actually quite surprised by the size of the beds.  I had presumed them to be really tight quarters, but it could very well be that more than one person was expected to sleep in each of those beds. 

Upon debarkation, we found ourselves in a recreated town near the port of Baltimore.

At this point, we continued to walk through fields featuring log cabins from various areas.  

This one a Pennsylvania farmhouse.

One from West Virginia

and, finally, the Tennessee Rogan Plantation house, which was, surprising to me, made of brick.

At this point, we felt that we had traveled far enough in time, so we decided to hit the road and drive east to a different sort of plantation:  Springhill, a 17th Century family manor house.  And, it was here that I learned that the term, Plantation, came from the "planting" of Scots to this area of Ireland in the mid 17th century.   

It featured a lovely Dutch Garden

some stunning interiors

and a round tower at the end of a long row of Beech Trees. 

I couldn't resist setting up a photo using my Apple watch.  How fun is that? 

This is a National Trust Site, so, of course, tea and scones were in order. (Plus all of that walking earned some refreshment.) 

Not far from Springhill stands the tallest Cross in Northern Ireland and the third highest in all of that country, constructed in the 10th century. It is situated near Arbroe Abbey along the shores of Loch Neagh.  

The cross features many biblical scenes, but it's a bit difficult to see the figures that the information claims. The stone is well weathered due to its location in the elements.  But, one certainly gets a feel for the amount of work that would have gone into constructing such a sight.

The loch in the background was stunning.

and there was wildlife to keep one's attention for a little while.

Then, the midges moved in, so we moved out. But not before I captured a photo of this cross among the graves in the cemetery.  I found it to be very unique and quite beautiful. 

We headed back to our hotel where we enjoyed a delicious dinner in the restaurant.

Afterwards, I sipped a delicious Irish Coffee 

while being entertained by an Irish Singer, singing country-western songs,  who was apparently on stage for the evening.

I'd say that was quite the ending to an already full day. 

   

Castle Ward, The Game of Thrones and the Loch Ness Monster?

 Have I piqued your curiosity?  I certainly hope so!  We are in Ireland, albeit 2 days behind our original schedule, but grateful to be here as we celebrate Marty's first weeks of retirement with gusto!

We flew in last evening, departing Philadelphia at 9:00 pm and arriving in Dublin at a little past 8:00 am, Ireland time.  That translates to 3:00 am EST.  I don't need to elaborate on the obvious lack of sleep involved.  But you know us!  We generally push through that first day, although I will admit that I will most likely rethink that for any trips in the future. Dare I say that we might be getting old?  (Please don't feel the need to answer.)

In the process of tweaking the first leg of the journey after a last minute change in plans, I had anticipated just a little more than a 2 hour drive from Dublin airport to Castle Ward in Northern Ireland.  But due to some GPS confusion and sheer exhaustion that resulted in us taking breaks just to stay awake, 2 hours extended to nearly four.  But once we parked in the lot at Castle Ward, we headed straight to the tea room since we'd had nothing to eat but a breakfast bar prior to departing the plane.

And, I must admit, it was the best decision of the day!  There's just nothing like a Cream Tea in the United Kingdom.  It's been way too long since we enjoyed such a delectable delight!

We both picked fruit scones with clotted cream and black current jam, rather than the traditional strawberry.  Those scones were super tender, and the cream and jam were the perfect compliment.  We had chosen Earl Gray for our tea, and let me just say that here in Northern Ireland, it somehow tastes so much better than what we drink in the US.  

And it appeared that we weren't alone in our appreciation. 

How sweet is that?

Feeling rejuvenated, Marty and I headed out to explore Castle Ward which is located close to the Irish Sea on the Eastern coast of the island, just a bit south of Belfast.  

There was no particular reason for choosing to tour this castle, other than it is owned by the National Trust and Marty and I have Royal Oak memberships that partner with the NT, which means that we get in for free.  Well, not exactly free.  We do pay annually for the membership.  But, then with our card, we can enter any of these venues and not have to pay an additional fee.  So, why not?

The volunteer at the entrance had encouraged us to tour the house, and as there were few people there on this glorious day, we decided to do just that.  

This "castle" is actually a large manor house, which was the 3rd of its kind on the large property upon which it stands.   It had been "refurbished" several times over the years and has some interesting characteristics which I 'd like to share.  Note the Gothic style of the windows in the back. 

The ballroom as well as a few other rooms also had doors that reflected the style.

The ballroom had a raised ceiling that was extremely ornamental.

The boudoir featured an extremely unusual ceiling:  plaster formed over curved wooden forms to make it appear as if giant air balloons hung from the ceiling. 

The staircase featured ornamental metal.

And, I thought this decor above the ballroom door looked like a wedding cake with attendants on either side. 

The master bedroom featured a chest that was designed particularly for this house.  The style resembles the architecture of the manor. 

I had been impressed with the detail in the plaster figures that adorn the wall around the entrance room fireplace, and mentioned this to the volunteer.  She went on to tell me that the viscount had commissioned a group of men to enhance the beauty of the walls prior to hosting a large party in the 1760s.  The men were running behind scheduled, and the viscount became annoyed, and told the men that if they didn't finish the work by a particular date, they would not get paid.  So, the men got hard to work trying to complete the Viscount's wishes. 

Plaster casts of figures take quite some time to make and dry to perfection.  Since time was running out, the man in charge of the renovations decided to take actual items, and dip them in plaster, for the same look as the plaster model.  So, that plaster cast that looks remarkably like an actual violin, is just that...and instrument dipped in plaster.  

Other items that are true to size followed the same creation.  I found that to be extremely amusing, and what a clever way to complete the project?  And, let's face it, the casting has lasted all of these years, so one cannot fault the molder for taking short cuts!

As you can see, this particular manor house stands with a glorious view of the lough in the distance.  We were blessed with a beautiful day and were able to get several photos to capture the amazing views.

The ground floor, plus three upstairs bedrooms, were open for viewing, and we took complete advantage of that.  The guides delighted in sharing the unusual items in the rooms.  It's always refreshing to see so much enthusiasm among these National Trust volunteers.

Let me leave you with one last "unique" item:

Yes...they were once live red squirrels.  I'll refrain from commenting. 

Now, onto the Game of Thrones.  I will admit, I've never seen one episode, so I have to take the word of those involved that several seasons were filmed upon the grounds of Castle Ward.  I will post a few photos of the buildings claimed to be in the series.  I found the architecture to be stunning, and enjoyed taking the photos, despite being completely clueless in reference to the mini series that had been featured on HBO.  I'll be honest, I only know that because the sign directing one to the sight said as much.

Perhaps you fans can see the connection.

We took a stroll around the manor grounds, and were awed by the beautiful surroundings.

I just loved this house with its magical gardens.

And, here you see the boathouse, with the lough in the background.  I'd be interested in knowing more of its history, as it looks like a church to me.

And, finally, the view of the back gate. 

Who knew that we'd be greeted with such a glorious day!

Finally, look what we spotted while making our way back to the car park!

No wonder they can't find Nessie in Scotland.  She must have made her way west, across the Irish Sea, and settle near Castle Ward in Ireland!  Who knew?.

Well, it's late and has been a long day!  I'm off for some shut eye.  

Tomorrow brings another adventure!