Ireland is divided into 32 counties, which
themselves are split into the four provinces of Leinster, Munster, Connacht
and Ulster. Of Ireland's counties, 26 are within the Republic of Ireland,
while the remaining 6 are in Northern Ireland. Dublin is the largest city in
the Republic of Ireland which is independent of Great Britain. The currency
used in the Republic is the Euro. Belfast is the largest city in Northern
Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom.
St. Patrick's Cathedral Ireland's largest
church was founded beside a sacred well where St. Patrick is said to have
baptised converts around 450 A.D. A stone slab bearing a Celtic cross and
covering the well was un-earthed at the turn of the 20th century. It is now
preserved in the west end of the cathedral's nave. The original building was
just a wooden chapel and remained so until 1192 when Archbishop John Comyn
rebuilt the cathedral in stone. Much of the present building dates back to
work completed between 1254 and 1270.
In 1492, two great Irish families, the Butlers
of Ormond and the Fitzgeralds of Kildare, were engaged in a bitter and
bloody feud. Seeking sanctuary, Black James, nephew of the Earl of Ormond
and his men fled into the Chapter House. The Fitzgeralds followed in hot
pursuit. Their leader Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare, realized the
fighting was out of control. Through the closed door he pleaded with Black
James to accept a truce. Suspecting treachery, Black James refused to let
Fitzgerald inside. Fitzgerald hacked a hole in the door and thrust his arm
inside as a sign of good faith. Thus the door became known as the door of
reconciliation.
Dublin -
Republic of Ireland
Belfast - United Kingdom
Northern Ireland was a place
we would like to have explored further. It is a beautiful part of the United
Kingdom with magnificent architecture and well kept farms with beautiful
hedgerows. Belfast Castle overlooks the city from a prominent site 400 feet
above sea level on the slopes of Cave Hill. This magnificent sandstone
building, recently restored by Belfast City Council's Parks Department, has
close associations with the city's history.
Our shore excursion was the
coast and glens of Antrim. This was one of the top five scenic highways
according to National Geographic magazine. The black rocks along the coast
are reported to be 20 million years old. The coast was certainly not like
the sandy beaches of South Carolina and Florida in the USA.
The first 'Belfast Castle' was
built by the Normans in the late 12th century. On the same site a stone and
timber castle was erected in 1611. The home of Sir Arthur Chichester, Barron
of Belfast, was burned down in 1708, leaving only street names ( Castle
Place) to mark the site.
The Chichesters (later the
Donegalls) lived in England as absentee landlords decided to build a new
residence within the deer park on the slopes of Cave Hill. The architect
firm Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon was engaged with the junior partner John Lanyon
being responsible for the plans of the castle. He followed the Scottish
Baronial style, popularized some years earlier by the reconstruction of
Balmoral Castle in 1853.
The building was completed in
1870, having far exceeded the initial estimate cost of £11,000. The Donegall
fortune had dwindled so drastically that the project was nearly left
unfinished. The son-in-law of the Marquis, Lord Ashley, heir to the title,
Earl of Shaftsbury, stepped in and paid for its completion. Today, the
castle is used for weddings, ceremonial type events and other public uses.