TRAVEL
TRAVEL
Despite the weather , my brother and son were keen to play at the Royal Portrush Golf Club that will be home to the British Open Championship in 2019 . I accompanied them on foot for the first nine holes and then retired to the historic clubhouse while the other two golfers continued to enjoy the final nine holes despite showers and wind . My son commented that the fairways were like putting greens . They both scored in the eighties .
The birthday celebration was in the seaside resort of Newcastle about thirty miles south of Belfast and overlooked by Northern Ireland ’ s highest mountain ( 2,790 feet )— Slieve Donard . This was the last Friday in November " where the wind ’ s like a whetted knife ," as John Masefield said . It was rainy and so cold that the top of Slieve Donard was capped in snow !
The five-star Slieve Donard Hotel ( once a railway hotel ) was a blessing after our B & B . The hotel was already in the Christmas mood . We all met in the bar before dinner and I enjoyed my favourite brew .
Dinner was upscale with eighteen family members and friends each enjoying an entree of choice . The craic ( Northern Irish for lively conversation ), wine and desserts rounded off a great night .
The following day we went north again to a village close to the Glens of Antrim . While visiting there , we saw a traditional Irish marriage blessing . Thereabouts some of the popular television series " The Game of Thrones " is filmed and there are scenes prominent in the series that are recognizable . At the top of the quay in the seascape , we experienced the full force of the North Channel , a narrow neck of sea between Ireland and Scotland
On our last full day in Northern Ireland , the birthday girl , a retired school principal , drove us to Carrickfergus Castle and then to Belfast Castle . Carrickfergus is Norman , built in 1177 , while the latter , built in 1811 , is in Tudor style . I bought Celtic coffee mugs at the newer castle .
Early in the morning the day before our return flight , we returned to Dublin and checked in at
news & views WINTER 2016 | 33