July 17, 2012
It would certainly be a crime to come to Ireland and not go for some whiskey tasting, so today we will make our way over to the town of Bushmills and the Old Bushmills Distillery to do just that.
We left Castlerock and went through some charming small villages all dressed up in their Protestant red, white and blue............
We made our way to Coleraine, where the University of Ulster is located. Coleraine sits on the coast and is one of those typical university towns with lots of hustle and bustle around every corner.
We continued up the coast from Coleraine and passed the Royal Portrush Golf Links course just along the edge of the ocean. A beautiful sight indeed.
The town of Bushmills and the Old Bushmills Distillery are our next stop. Some background on the town, distillery and region:
The village of Bushmills (population about 1500) was originally called Portcaman but as the water-powered industries developed from the 1600's so did the village name. At least seven mills (corn and flax) were powered by the River Bush and two remain largely intact today.
By 1775 there were five licensed distilleries and in 2008 the most famous, 'Old Bushmills' (founded in 1608), celebrated 400 years of distilling in the district. Old Busmills is the oldest licensed distillery in the world. The village prospered during the 19th century due to the River Bush and the unusual number and variety of watermills, the success of the Old Bushmills Distillery and the development of the Giant's Causeway as a major tourist destination. The village has over 80 historically listed buildings.
The entryway into the distillery. This is where we had to stop taking photos. The way they make their whiskey is top secret.
Of course we had a chance to taste some very excellent whiskey at the end of our tour. Now, how to figure out getting that liquid through security at the airport :o)
As we walked around the village of Bushmills, we noticed these banners hanging all around town giving bits of popular culture history about the town and Ireland. Here is a WACKY history thing I never knew about the Beverly Hillbillies, an American TV show I used to watch in the 1960's when I was just a kid. As the sign reads: Hillbilly, The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Term given to the Ulster-Scots immigrants dwelling in the frontier areas of the Appalachain Mountains. Deriving from 17th century Ireland when protestant supporters of King William were known as 'Hill-Billies' and 'Billy-Boys'. WHO KNEW???
Here are the words to the theme song from the TV series:
Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed
A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed,
Then one day he was shootin at some food,
And up through the ground came a bubblin crude.
Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.
Well the first thing you know ol Jed's a millionaire,
Kinfolk said "Jed move away from there"
Said "Californy is the place you ought to be"
So they loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly.
Well now its time to say goodby to Jed and all his kin.
And they would like to thank you folks fer kindly droppin in.
You're all invited back a gain to this locality
To have a heapin helpin of their hospitality
Hillybilly that is. Set a spell, Take your shoes off.
Y'all come back now, y'hear?.
and, here is a video of the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_XAPku7SgE
BRILLIANT!
As we walked through town I snapped some photos of posters the town folk put up in the doors and windows of vacant buildings. This helps to keep the town from looking 'unoccupied' and run down.
You would think this is a real chicken in a doorway. It is just a poster.
A vacant house that is for sale. I think it is a fabulous idea to dress up the place with the posters in the windows.
There are stunning walking trails along the Causeway coast with breathtaking views of jagged cliffs and bays lashed by wind and waves. You will see examples of this in some of the photos below.
The legend - The Giant's Causeway is steeped in myth and legend. Carved from the coast by the mighty giant, Finn MacCool, who left behind an ancient home full of folklore. Local people here believe that between the hexagons, the mythical features carved out in the rocks and the tumbling sea, there's real magic. You may not always see it straightaway, but if you come to this place, stand on the stones, uncover the legends, use your imagination and just wait, it won't be long until you feel it. Very mysterious indeed.
Go here for more fascinating information on the Giant's Causeway: http://www.northantrim.com/giantscauseway.htm
Here you can see the main walking path along the water. This photo was taken from the path along the upper ridge.
We came upon some milk cows along the ridge and I couldn't resist taking a movie of the girls.
Here you can see the very narrow walking path going along the middle of the cliffs. A walk not for the faint hearted.
In this video, I tried to capture how high we were on the ridge trail. It was really exciting looking down over the edge to the surf.
After our walk along the ridge trail, we made our way down to the the middle trail, closer to the water. There were portions of the trail that had slid away, as you can see here. We had to be very careful along this portion of the trail. It made our hike extra exciting!
A view of the basalt columns from above. One of the most unusual rock formations we had ever seen.
It would certainly be a crime to come to Ireland and not go for some whiskey tasting, so today we will make our way over to the town of Bushmills and the Old Bushmills Distillery to do just that.
We left Castlerock and went through some charming small villages all dressed up in their Protestant red, white and blue............
The village of Bushmills (population about 1500) was originally called Portcaman but as the water-powered industries developed from the 1600's so did the village name. At least seven mills (corn and flax) were powered by the River Bush and two remain largely intact today.
By 1775 there were five licensed distilleries and in 2008 the most famous, 'Old Bushmills' (founded in 1608), celebrated 400 years of distilling in the district. Old Busmills is the oldest licensed distillery in the world. The village prospered during the 19th century due to the River Bush and the unusual number and variety of watermills, the success of the Old Bushmills Distillery and the development of the Giant's Causeway as a major tourist destination. The village has over 80 historically listed buildings.
The center of the village
The Old Bushmills Distillery
A lineup of the whiskey they offer here at the distillery.
A photo from just outside the main distillery building
As we walked around the village of Bushmills, we noticed these banners hanging all around town giving bits of popular culture history about the town and Ireland. Here is a WACKY history thing I never knew about the Beverly Hillbillies, an American TV show I used to watch in the 1960's when I was just a kid. As the sign reads: Hillbilly, The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Term given to the Ulster-Scots immigrants dwelling in the frontier areas of the Appalachain Mountains. Deriving from 17th century Ireland when protestant supporters of King William were known as 'Hill-Billies' and 'Billy-Boys'. WHO KNEW???
Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed
A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed,
Then one day he was shootin at some food,
And up through the ground came a bubblin crude.
Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.
Well the first thing you know ol Jed's a millionaire,
Kinfolk said "Jed move away from there"
Said "Californy is the place you ought to be"
So they loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly.
Hills, that is. Swimmin pools, movie stars.
Well now its time to say goodby to Jed and all his kin.
And they would like to thank you folks fer kindly droppin in.
You're all invited back a gain to this locality
To have a heapin helpin of their hospitality
Hillybilly that is. Set a spell, Take your shoes off.
Y'all come back now, y'hear?.
and, here is a video of the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_XAPku7SgE
BRILLIANT!
A local pub, Finn MacCool's. You will hear more about him in the Giant's Causeway part of this post.
You would think this is a real chicken in a doorway. It is just a poster.
The Giant's Causeway
It is no surprise this place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A geological wonder with over 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the Giant's Causeway is the result of intense volcanic and geological activity 50 to 60 million years ago. The Causeway provides a glimpse into the Earth's most ancient past. An epic legacy to the cooling and shrinking of successive lava flows.There are stunning walking trails along the Causeway coast with breathtaking views of jagged cliffs and bays lashed by wind and waves. You will see examples of this in some of the photos below.
The legend - The Giant's Causeway is steeped in myth and legend. Carved from the coast by the mighty giant, Finn MacCool, who left behind an ancient home full of folklore. Local people here believe that between the hexagons, the mythical features carved out in the rocks and the tumbling sea, there's real magic. You may not always see it straightaway, but if you come to this place, stand on the stones, uncover the legends, use your imagination and just wait, it won't be long until you feel it. Very mysterious indeed.
Go here for more fascinating information on the Giant's Causeway: http://www.northantrim.com/giantscauseway.htm
We started our walk on the ridge path. It was a perfectly wonderful "claggy" (drippy, foggy, rainy) Irish day.
This photo is taken from the bottom of the columns looking up.
Here are some photos of the wild flora along the trails.
Our little Irish Black Arion slug friend :o)
Next post we hike around Castlerock, Downhill Demesne and you get to meet Charlie...............
