Northern Ireland Bliss

On Thursday, the students went north to Belfast, the Giant's Causeway, and Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge. Angie served as our incredible tour guide when we passed through her hometown of Belfast. She pointed out the Shankhill and Falls Road and wow'ed us with tons of information. She also showed the students the ship yards where the Titanic was built and mentioned that next year marks the 100th Anniversary of the Titanic. Continuing to make our way further north, the ILE Staff played a competitive game of dog and tractor. One point for spotting a dog, one point for spotting a tractor, and if you spot a dog in a tractor; you win the game. As you can see, we are easily entertained. The drive from Belfast up to the Giant's Causeway was very scenic-passing by little farms just clinging to the tops of cliffs overlooking the sea. Beyond Rathlin Island in the hazy distance-the coastline of Scotland was just visible. MC was thrilled to see another country so close, even though it was shrouded in the mist. Upon arriving at the Giant's Causeway, the students grabbed a quick lunch in order to build up their strength for the walk. The walk to the Causeway is steep and hilly, but it is well worth it. The Giant's Causeway is an area of roughly 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, the Giant's Causeway was named as the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest are about 36 feet high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 70 feet thick in places. Some 50 to 60 million years ago, during the Paleogene period, Antrim was subject to intense volcanic activity, when highly fluid molten basalt intruded through chalk beds to form an extensive lava plateau. As the lava cooled rapidly, contraction occurred. While contraction in the vertical direction reduced the flow thickness, horizontal contraction could only be accommodated by cracking throughout the flow. The size of the columns is primarily determined by the speed at which lava from a volcanic eruption cools. The extensive fracture network produced the distinctive columns seen today. The basalts were originally part of a great volcanic plateau called the Thulean Plateau which formed during the Paleogene period. While many people believe the geological interpretation of how the Giant's Causeway was formed, Angie prefers the legend instead. It is said that Irish warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) built the Causeway to walk to Scotland to fight his Scottish counterpart Benandonner. After seeing Benandonner's great bulk, Fionn asked his wife to disguise him as the baby. When Benandonner saw the size of the 'infant', he assumed the alleged father, Fionn, must be gigantic indeed. Therefore, Benandonner fled home in terror, ripping up the Causeway in case he was followed by Fionn. See..., isn't the legend much more entertaining? The ILE soaked in all of the gorgeous views at the Giant's Causeway and many said it was their favorite place thus far. We took many pictures by the Organ, Giant's Boot, Giant's Eyes, and the Shepherd's Steps. Fiona said that is was a very majestic sight. The sun peeked through the clouds, so it was easy to lay back and marvel at the strange formations of stone. Once they climbed back up to the car park, they boarded the bus and headed a short way down the road to Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is a rope suspension bridge near Ballintoy, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The bridge links the mainland to the tiny Carrick Island. The site is owned and maintained by the National Trust, spans sixty-five feet and is ninety-eight feet above the rocks below. Today the bridge is mainly a tourist attraction, with 247,000 visitors in 2009. Carrick-a-rede means "rock in the road." It is thought salmon fishermen have been erecting bridges to the island for over 350 years. It has taken many forms. In the 1970's it featured only a single handrail and large gaps between the slats. A version of the bridge, tested up to ten tonnes, was built with the help of local climbers and abseilers in 2000. A subsequent design was engineered in 2004 and offers visitors and fishermen alike a much safer passage to the island. The current wire rope and Douglas fir bridge was made by Heyn Construction in Belfast and erected early in 2008 at a cost of over £16,000. Although no one has fallen off the bridge, there have been many instances where visitors, unable to face the walk back across the bridge, have had to be taken off the island by boat. Crossing the bridge is not for the faint of heart and there were definitely a few weak knees at the thought. Alyssa said she was proud to make it over the bridge with dry pants. Fi screamed the entire way across, but she made it! The area is exceptional in natural beauty with stunning views. We finished our tour for the day with a stop at Ballycastle, just as it started to downpour. The students each received a dinner stipend. Fish and chips seemed to be the popular choice on the menu for most of the ILE'ers, followed by a quick stop at the candy shop. After dinner, we decided it was time to head back to Dublin, before it got too late. During the next few hours, Angie serenaded us with a few tunes from ACDC and Mama Mia. We are just trying to groom the students for the many sing songs we will be having on the west coast during our Holidays. We finally returned back to King's Hospital in Dublin at 10:00 PM. I don't know how they did it-I was exhausted-but the students decided they had enough energy to go dance at the King's Hospital Disco. Amazing! What a magnificent day!

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