It seems hard to believe that I have been in at Corrymeela for more than two weeks. There are many details about the programs and life here that I am continuing to learn, but I feel like I'm fitting into life here. After nine days of work, I had three days off this past week. Here are a few highlights from these days. Clear and sunny weather for all three days were much appreciated.
Bushmills
On Tuesday morning, I walked to town to catch a bus for a day trip to the town of Bushmills about 30 minutes from Ballycastle. Much of the bus trip is along the Antrim Coast and, without a doubt, this ranks near the top of the most scenic drives I have ever been on. Lonely Planet describes this area as being like a giant geology classroom and having some of the most beautiful scenery in Ireland. In addition to places for hiking along the rugged coastline, it is the home of the best surfing in Northern Ireland.
Shortly before getting to Bushmills, the highway turns away from the coast. Bushmills is a town of about 1400 people and is a destination for connoisseurs of Irish whiskey of the same name. According to their promotional materials, Bushmills claims to be the oldest legal distillery any place, having been granted a licence in 1608. Not one to argue about things like this, I decided to take a tour. It was interesting, informative and followed by tastings. I stuck up a conversation with the bartender (from Gdansk, Poland), which paid off in a bit of extra sampling. While one of the samples was very good, I still prefer single malts from Islay and other parts of Scotland.
I then headed back to the centre of town for a browse through a used bookstore recommended by one of the other volunteers at Corrymeela. I enjoyed spending time browsing the shelves for a while and then went for a walk around town. I found people very friendly - here's a good example. I asked a man getting ready to jump into a delivery van if he knew which bus stop I should use to catch the bus to Ballycastle. While he didn't know about the bus stop, he quickly went into the closest craft shop to ask his wife (she owns the shop). He invited me in, made introductions and we struck up quite a conversation. Before long the bus arrived and it was back to Ballycastle. With the full moon shining over the ocean, the views almost equaled those earlier in the day.
Derry
The next morning (Jan. 19), I woke at 5:15 am to catch the 6:50 am bus for the trip to Derry, which is one of the places I wanted to visit even before arriving in Northern Ireland. I was the only passenger on the bus from Ballycastle to the town of Ballymoney, which meant I had a great conversation with the driver. In Ballymoney, I was to catch a train to Derry. The bus does not have a stop at the train station (about 10 minute walk between the bus and train station), but the driver said that he was early by about five minutes and would take me to the train station. Now, that's what I would call great service. The train ride from Ballymoney to Derry provided great vistas for virtually the entire journey.
With a population of about 85,000, Derry is the second largest city in Northern Ireland and has a lot of history to absorb. The city centre is enclosed with a wall, which is a fantastic way to view the city. My plan was to walk the wall first, but there had been heavy frost overnight and many parts of the wall were treacherously slippery (there seems to be very little use of de-icer here). So, I decided on plan B - go to the Bogside area.
Bogside
The Bogside developed as a working class, predominantly Catholic residential area in the 19th and early part of the 20th century. By the 1960s, it became an overcrowded ghetto characterized by poverty and unemployment. Along with many people in Belfast, a civil rights movement emerged and both cities became hotbeds for unrest and discontent over the conditions facing their communities. A series of events (marches, protests, confrontations and more) ended in July 1972 when thousands of British troops supported by armoured vehicles moved in to take over Bogside from local residents who had established what they called
"Free Derry." The sign "You Are Now Entering Free Derry" still stands. The most memorable event of this
period was the well known "Bloody Sunday" (January 30, 1972) when 14 civilians were killed. When in this part of the city, I toured the Free Derry museum and walked through the areas with the large
murals that commemorate these events.
The murals are the creation of three local artists called "The Bogside Artists." I found the time in the Bogside
area to be emotionally powerful and I'm still reflecting upon it.Check out story of the murals and artists at http://www.bogsideartists.com. The issues behind these long standing conflicts and horrific events area complex mix of political, social and sectarian divisions. While much of the media coverage in North America has emphasized the sectarian conflicts, there has been much, much more involved. I seriously doubt it is really possible to fully understand all that has happened as the many accounts are from different points of view and experiences.
The Wall and Other Aspects of Derry
After leaving the Bogside, I walked back to the city walls and worked my way around most of the walls except for a short section that was shaded from the sun and still very slippery. The walls were completed almost 400 years ago in 1619 and are the only city walls in Ireland to remain almost completely intact. They have never been breached by an invader and, from what I have read and understand, are symbolic of the political, social and sectarian conflicts that plagued Derry over many years.
After finishing the wall walk, I found a sandwich shop in the city centre recommended by Lonely Planet. Not fancy, but the food and service were good. After a late lunch, I strolled down the hill from the centre in search of the Tower Museum. The main reason I wanted to go to this museum was to see the anchor exhibit on the Story of Derry. I think this is extremely well done with thoughtful displays, good videos and informative panels. By the time I completed going through this exhibit, it was time to head to the bus station for the journey back to Ballycastle.
In closing, I must say that my knowledge of the historic events noted above is not in depth and I could well be off on some of the details. Nevertheless, I felt it was important to share these things. Even though there are many attractions in Derry, I think any visit to the city should include walking on the walls and visiting the Bogside. There are other places in Northern Ireland I hope to visit over the next couple of months, but I also hope to return to Derry.
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