We took a ferry to Ireland’s Eye, a little island in Howth Harbour. Then we drove up to Northern Ireland, to the seaside resort town of Newcastle, County Down.
Wednesday morning we took a ferry excursion to Ireland’s Eye, a little island in Howth Harbour that’s inhabited only by sea birds but is open to visitors. We spent a pleasant couple of hours walking around the wild, hilly terrain and enjoying the beautiful views. We caught a few glimpses of seals playing in the water, too. Then it was back into the small, open boat for the kilometer back to the dock.
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On the recommendation of a helpful local guy, we had lunch at Crabby Jo’s. I was craving fish and chips, and the fish was absolutely outstanding: battered and fried to perfection, mild and flaky and tasty. The chips (fries) were just okay, but I didn’t care because the fish fillet was so big that I didn’t have room for them anyway.
Then we drove up to Northern Ireland, to the cute seaside resort town of Newcastle in County Down. We spent a pleasant couple of hours walking around the town and the rocky beach before dinner.
Newcastle is very picturesque. There are tons of shops, restaurants, and ice cream shops, and a couple of small amusement parks.
It reminds me a bit of Coney Island, and a bit of the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, but it’s been around a lot longer than both of those towns. According to Wikipedia, the name comes from a castle built in 1588–which was built on the site of an old one that was already there by 1433!
Before dinner, we thought we’d go ride a few rides after we ate; but after dinner, we were so tired that we forgot.
Newcastle would be worth staying another day if we had time, but tomorrow we’re off to see a stone circle and then the Dark Hedges.
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