Well if you are reading this and you are under 50 (ish) you might remember that the wife and myself went back for a holiday to the olde sod.  Now her good self is from Dublin.  Four she tells me. (It must be the golfer in her that says that every time I mention Dublin.)  She has never lived in Ulster but like any good woman she knows all about it and like any good wife, she is always right.

We drove down from Co. Antrim through Belfast and into Co. Down where we met my sister in Bangor. She had arrived via Holyhead and Dublin and had driven up to Bangor the night before. This was where I lived my late teen age years and it brought back lots of memories, most of which I cannot share with you here.

The B & B where we were booked into was some 200 metres from where my first girl-friend lived. (what has that got to do with the price of soap you might well ask?).   Like most towns around the world, Bangor has expanded and has discovered that if you put in lots of roundabouts, (in this case cheap roundabouts i.e. painted circles in the middle of the road)  it seems to slow the traffic down quite a bit. Perth discovered this phenomena lately as well. 

The first night was I suppose a typical Ulster night. Strong winds combined with some sort of water which could have been from the waves or the sky. Either way it was wet. Our host at the boarding house suggested various eating houses and for a nostalgic reason I chose to go to Donaghadee, some seven miles down the coast as you can see from the map above. (Did Phil Coulter get it wrong when he wrote the words “It’s six miles from Bangor to Donaghadee”…. Maybe he knew a short cut!)

Well off we set through the town in our big car with the Dublin plates and I was able to negotiate all of the circles in the middle of the road despite the poor visibility. We had travelled some 2 miles out of the town when I noticed a blue light (flashing) in my rear mirror. I looked at the speedometer which of course was in kilometres per hour (Other parts of Ireland use the metric system) and my back seat driver quickly converted to Miles per hour. “You are well under the speed limit” he stated hurriedly.   “What should I do”, I asked slowing down even more and just after a nasty siren noise became audible over the noise of the storm. 

For the first time that I can recall, there was no response from the two backseat drivers who had up to this point virtually driven the car on their own!  “Keep going!” stated the front seat passenger. “There is no place to pull in here!” And with no alternative suggestions, I did just that. After a mile or so I rethought this as the siren was becoming unbearable. I signalled the car behind to pass and slowed down to a walking pace. This seemed to work as we could no longer hear the blasted thing. Nothing seemed to be happening so I gradually accelerated.  Whoa. This had an instant effect. The car behind (OK you guessed it) was a speedy police car and it passed me rapidly if not dangerously and pulled in very smartly in front of me. 

Normally I jump out of the car at this stage as I hate policemen looking down at me but the weather was the deciding factor so I stayed put as the copper jumped out and put on his hat: a sure sign that he was not going to inquire about my health.  At the last minute I pushed the button to slide down the window a fraction to be greeted by a torch peering into the car.

“Any chance you got your licence with you?” he enquired in a clear Co. Down accent.
“Sorry no” I replied in an equally clear Co. Down accent. “I left my wallet at the hotel”.
“And where are you all off to?” he enquired.
Well as we were on the road to Donaghadee, I decided my smart answer was inappropriate. “Donaghadee” I replied laconically.

“Why didn’t you stop when you saw us behind you?” he asked.

“I was trying to” I said, “But I just could not see anywhere to pull in safely”.

“I see” he said. “We stopped you because you seemed to be unsure at all the roundabouts you went around”.

“You are quite correct” I said. “I used to live here some forty years ago and they were not here then and also the weather was making driving difficult!”

“I suppose you are right” he replied. “I don’t smell any drink” (the Ulster equivalent of the breathalyser!)    Well he wouldn’t as we were on our way THERE!

“All right” he said, “Just follow us and I will see you safely into Donaghadee”, whereupon he returned swiftly to his car and promptly did a U-turn. So much for following him!

Different from when I was stopped in the seventies I thought to myself. And so we had a great meal in a pub in Donaghadee despite being the only customers who were eating.  We put it down to either the economic climate or the real climate!

The lighthouse at Donaghadee dates from 1836. The tower is built of cut limestone, fluted, and in its early days was unpainted in natural grey colour. The tower, including the lantern and dome, is now painted white with a black plinth since some time 1869 and 1875.

Conversion to an unwatched electric lighthouse was made in 1934 and this made it the first Irish lighthouse to be converted to electric.

 

 

The next day was equally bad weatherwise (what’s new) so we decided to go and visit the Titanic Quarter in Belfast. This visit was very high on my agenda as I had written about it during the 100^th anniversary of its sinking in April. I was not disappointed as you will be able to see if and when you read my next blog.

 

 

I was half way along a great wee article about Belfast, my favourite city, when I got a call from my famous editor (Yeah you guessed it …Fred) telling me that he had an idea! “Prime Minister”, I thought to myself, “An idea!”   “Yeah” he said laconically. “Write something about Derry”. Well it so happened that I did mention that Derry was named the UK city of Culture for 2013 in my last article.

Of course I had been to Derry in my youth but only to pass through on our way to Donegal. Yeah, we were a so called rugby team at the time. Few of us knew anything about the city and anyway we were going to have great craic in Donegal, so what was the point in stopping!

When I visited it last year, I did not rate it as a city of culture but since then I have learned more and much to my astonishment it was also (apparently) named as ‘One of the Top Ten Cities in the World to visit in 2013’ by the Lonely Planet’s ‘Best in Travel Guide 2013’. They say in their brochure that:

 “Derry / Londonderry, is a city pulsing with life, resonant with centuries of heritage and passion, yet fresh as an Atlantic breeze.”  I can only ask myself who writes that kind of stuff and wonder if they have actually visited the city! Only kidding. Sure it’s a grand place and it’s only a few miles from the South where the most northerly part of Ireland exists. You might like to explain that to any foreigners who read this column.

 

The first name for this ancient city was Daire Calgach, meaning ‘oak grove’ which is still an apt description as there are sturdy oak trees scattered across the city. The name Derry is an anglicisation of this.
It is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-largest city on the island of Ireland. In 1613, the city was granted a Royal Charter by King James I and the "London" prefix was added, changing the name of the city to Londonderry. While the city is more usually known as Derry, Londonderry is also used and remains the legal name.

 

The old walled city lies on the west bank of the River Foyle, which is spanned by two road bridges and one footbridge. The city now covers both banks (Cityside on the west and Waterside on the east). The city district also extends to rural areas to the southeast. The population of the city proper (the area defined by its 17th-century charter) was 83,652 in the 2012 Census, while the greater area had a population of 105,066.

I was told (who by you might ask?) it’s an old city with a young heart. Derry / Londonderry’s population is one of the youngest in Europe and as such there are plenty of lively pubs, clubs and nightspots, world-class restaurants and an impressive arts and music scene to discover.

Unfortunately, I arrived there on a Sunday when most of these impressive places were closed. So I missed out in more ways than one.   Derry is a compact city and easy to explore. There are great walking opportunities along the historic 400 year-old walls. Still intact and retaining the original gateways, this is the best-preserved walled city in Ireland. Guilds from the City of London financed the walls, hence the origins of the name Londonderry. The Maiden City title is derived from the unconquered walls’ status. The walls were never broken, withstanding several sieges.

The city’s history and evolution, is explained in The Story of Derry at the Tower Museum. This permanent exhibition is the city’s journey through many centuries from its geological origins through its Christian, maritime, emigration, economic and more recent political events.

Within the walls is a progressive, dynamic arts environment where new writing, film and dramatic arts flourish. The Verbal Arts Centre, Nerve Centre, the Millennium Forum, Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin and The Playhouse are venues for artistic expression by local and international writers, singers, dancers and theatre groups.

 

 

The city is bulging with galleries and art spaces, such as the Void, and Centre for Contemporary Art, along with a number of smaller galleries including Context, Gordon, Eden Place and Cowley Cooper.

Now what about this city of culture idea? Well, with a bit of research I found out the following.
 UK City of Culture is a designation given to a city in the U.K. for a period of one year. The aim of the initiative, which is administered by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is to "build on the success of Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture 2008, which had significant social and economic benefits for the area".  Well it did not seem to help their soccer team did it?

A total of 14 cities applied for the honour including Birmingham, Norwich and Sheffield and (wait for it)              The winner is ….em        Derry!          And very well done to you boys up there!

“Was there any trouble here recently?” I asked a local.  “Nat a tall”, she replied. “Don’t we have lots of wee peace monuments now!” she related as she pointed out one of them to me. (see below).

 

 

 

 So, put it on your itinerary for your next trip. It looks like I will have to return. I simply missed out on all the action.