For The Love of Travel

I did some research and it suggested I travel southwards via DownPatrick, Newcastle, along the Mourn Coastal Route to Newry, before I veer off to Dublin. But before I left Belfast, I noticed this giant grey squirrel mural while on the bus tour yesterday. Returned today to take a pic – it’s a renowned piece by Belgian street artist ROA, painted for the 2023 Hit the North Street Art Festival. Part of a city-wide revitalization, transforming buildings into canvases – love it! And boy, do they need it.

Downpatrick is one of Ireland’s oldest and most historic towns, originating as a Neolithic settlement and later becoming a major royal and religious centre, famously known as the burial place of Saint Patrick. Loved this speared knight mural….

The town is built on drumlins (tear-drop shaped hills), and the fort on Cathedral Hill was a royal stronghold for the Kings of Ulster. Tradition holds that St. Patrick was buried at Cathedral Hill in 461 AD, making it a major pilgrimage site (often joined by Saints Brigid and Columcille). This is a pic of Down Cathedral – famously revered as the final burial place of Saint Patrick. I went off to find the ‘Slieve Croob Loop’, and found myself on some lovely narrow roads where you really have to ‘back up’ a long way, to allow an oncoming vehicle.

A pleasant valley view of gorge and white cottages with undulating countryside, and very cute cattle lay before me. This was a good morning weather wise, before it ‘turned’…sleeting/icy conditions ….

Very grey after a ‘bit of weather’, in Warrenpoint. As soon as I saw ‘the Whistledown Hotel’ in Warrenpoint, I immediately thought of “Bridgerton’. But nothing to do with the series…It’s is a family-owned, 21-room boutique hotel overlooking Carlingford Lough and the Mourne Mountains. Opened in 1994 and marking its 30th anniversary in 2024, it was established by owners Sarah and Colum McAvoy through the renovation of Victorian-era buildings, offering award-winning dining and sea-view accommodation. A bit garish at the entrance I thought! 🙂

At the Warrenpoint roundabout, a life-size sculpture of an Irish Elk, an extinct species of giant deer. Created by Clare Bigger in 2011, the sculpture is made of stainless steel, allowing it to look light and airy while remaining strong and weather-resistant. It stands roughly 2.1 metres tall at the shoulders, representing the massive scale of the real creatures, which had antlers spanning up to 3.65 metres. It serves as a reminder of Ireland’s untamed wilderness 10,000 years ago and is often linked to Seamus Heaney’s poem Bogland.

I arrived at Dublin airport to drop off the rental and made my way to Swords – for my final night in Ireland before I fly to Paris tomorrow. A quiet night (never thought I’d be saying that!) before my next adventure.

My first stop this morning was at City Hall. Queen Victoria granted Belfast city status in 1888, prompting the construction of this a lovely baroque ornate civic structure. She’s an imposing figure at the front. Hadn’t heard of Mary Ann McCracken (1770 – 1866) before, but she has a plum position to the side of the Queen Victoria statue, commemorated for her social activism. She was an advocate for women; organised relief and education for the poor; and in a town that was heavily engaged in trans-Atlantic trade – abolition of slavery.

It was a grey and rain showery morning so I took a city sightseeing bus tour (only a few pics due to generally inclement weather).

As we came around the corner of Donegall Quay, a magnificent ceramic mosaic’d fishy appeared…called the ‘Salmon of Knowledge’ (or ‘Big Fish’ or ‘Pat the Fish’), sculptured by John Kindness in 1999.

Sun peeked out briefly but the wind chill factor was awful, as we neared this fabulous architecture that contains the Titantic museum. Had the interactive Titantic experience in Melbourne a couple of years ago and didn’t feel the need to revisit.

The steel woman holding the ring is the ‘Beacon of Hope’ (locally known as ‘Nuala with the Hula’), this 19.5m statue by Andy Scott, represents peace and harmony.

The guide on board the bus told us that the Europa Hotel was the site of many a bombing, 33, during ‘The Troubles’, 1970-1994. It became a landmark for journos during that time. It famously hosted Bill Clinton in 1995.

What would locals call this two spheres metal structure? ‘Balls of the Falls’, ‘the Testes of the Westies’ or ‘the Westicles’, of course! The RISE sculpture is a public art installation designed by Wolfgang Buttress standing at a height of 37m. Commissioned by the City Council, the inner sphere represents the sun rising over the bogs and the outer sphere represents the sun’s halo – together representing peace, growth and a new sun rising to celebrate a new chapter in the history of Belfast.

After the bus tour, immeditely made my way to The Ivy Brasserie, (saw the venue as we careered around a corner), to get some warming tea after experiencing one and a half hours of freezing winds and occasional showers…wow! so glad I did. Gorgeous fitout and decoration.

And the toilets…..wow again. No hint on who designed these marvels.

Dinner tonight @ the Chubby Cherub, one of the most delicious pasta meals I’ve had…’Diavola Gamberello Boreale’ – prawn, penne, chorizo, green snake beans, sundried tomato and chilli – yummo! And another charmingly decorated place that’s cosy and inviting. Won TripAdvisor’s ‘Travellers Choice Award’ in 2025.

I went on a political West Belfast tour in a classic black cab which offered an in-depth look at “The Troubles,” featuring murals, the Peace Wall, and personal stories from Norman, my guide.

The Republic of Ireland has maintained a strong, critical stance regarding Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, characterized by high-level diplomatic criticism, humanitarian funding, and legal intervention. Along Falls Rd, the murals are largely about Republican sympathy for the Palestinian cause.

The Battle of the Falls was a 34-hour military operation by the British Army in the Lower Falls area of Belfast from July 3–5, 1970. Over 3,000 troops imposed a strict curfew, firing vast amounts of CS gas and engaging in gun battles with the IRA, resulting in 4 civilian deaths, hundreds of arrests, and deep alienation of the Catholic community against the Army.

The Bobby Sands mural is a significant site on the Falls Road related to the 1981 hunger strike. Outside the prison, the momentum and support for the Hunger Strikers were growing. When a by-election was called in the Fermanagh South Tyrone Parliamentary Constituency due to the death of the sitting Independent Member of the British House of Commons, Frank Maguire, an opportunity was presented which afforded the Hunger Strikers, the IRA and its supporters the ability to highlight the prisoners demand. After serious negotiations within the Nationalist community, it was agreed by all other parties and individuals interested in contesting the seat that Bobby Sands would be nominated on 30th March 1981 to stand as a candidate for the vacant Parliamentary seat. Bobby Sands received more votes in his 1981 by-election than Margaret Thatcher did in her own constituency in the 1979 general election that brought her to power. Sands secured 30,492 votes in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, while Thatcher received 19,290 votes in her Finchley constituency.

Sands died on 5 May 1981 in the Maze’s prison hospital after 66 days on hunger strike, aged 27.

The strike was called off after ten prisoners had starved themselves to death, including Sands, whose funeral was attended by 100,000 people. The strike was the driving force that enabled Sinn Féin to become a mainstream political party.

The Clonard area in West Belfast is a significant historical interface, bordered by a prominent peace wall that separates the nationalist Falls Road from the unionist Shankill Road. This structure, is part of a 21-mile network of barriers built from 1969 onwards. The cage enclosure at the back of the building you see, is a precaution against homemade bombs being lobbed over the ‘peace wall’ (in days gone past!).

Loyalist neighbourhood…..

The Shankill Road is a major, historic thoroughfare in West Belfast, known for its predominantly Unionist and Loyalist community, vibrant political murals, and central role in The Troubles. Running 2.4 km from central Belfast, it offers a deep, often sobering, insight into the city’s complex history, culture, and peace process.

The area is famously adorned with murals celebrating local history, the Royal Family, and Ulster loyalism, alongside poignant memorials. You have to zoom-in to look at the King’s Guard expression…cracked me up!!!

The Shankill is near the significant Peace Wall that divides it from the nationalist Falls Road, which can be visited to see messages of peace.

I had no idea about this, but was shocked to learn that Belfast has ‘peace gates’ – which close early in the evening to manage ‘interface security’ (to prevent conflict at flashpoint locations between unionist and nationalist areas) – commonly 8:30 PM. I was also shocked to learn that in Northern Ireland (mostly Belfast but also Londonderry and Portdown) – there are 97 individual walls, gates, and barriers. They vary from high concrete walls to metal fencing, wire mesh, and iron gates. Although a 2013 goal aimed to remove all walls by 2023, the deadline has been missed, with many residents still feeling safer with them in place, despite surveys showing growing support for their removal. So SAD.

And then, there are the paramilitary groups in Belfast, including the UDA and UVF (loyalist) and various republican factions, which remain active despite ceasefires, using intimidation and violence to maintain a “stranglehold” on certain communities. Over 25 years after the Good Friday Agreement, these organizations are primarily involved in racketeering, extortion, and organized crime, rather than terrorism – often targeting local businesses for “protection money”.

Education data from tells me that there are 1,064 primary and high schools in Northern Ireland – with around 90% of schools in Northern Ireland remain split along religious lines, with only about 8% of pupils attending integrated schools.

As of September 2025, there are 76 grant-aided integrated schools across Northern Ireland, including 11 primary and post-primary integrated schools located specifically in Belfast.