Mac Lir means “Son of the Sea.” Manannan Mac Lir (In Welch Manawydan fab Llŷr) was the Celtic God of the sea and sometimes guardian of the underworld, kind of a Celtic combination of Poseidon and Hades. Mac Lir is … Continue reading Descended from a Sea God?
We spent two days on the Causeway Coast, the north coast of County Antrim. Much of that time we spent at the Giant’s Causeway itself but we spent time driving the roads and enjoying the scenery. We stayed at a … Continue reading The Causeway Coast of Antrim.
OK I am about 100 million years off, but I liked the alliteration. The Giant’s Causeway is a formation of hexagonal rock pillars that reach out into the sea. The formations were caused by molten lava flowing over chalk beds … Continue reading Jurassic Jungle Gym
Wrapping up Belfast. It isn’t all Titanic and Peace Walls. It is a very pretty city. We stayed in a row house on Fitzroy St. During the term it is student housing. During the summer it is an Air B&B. … Continue reading Belfast Photo Galleries.
Belfast’s premiere attraction is “The Titanic Experience.” It tells the story of the ship that was built with Irish Pride, sunk by English Hubris. But I know the sinking story, I wanted something else. My grandfather had been a White … Continue reading Looking for White Star.
I saw the Queen in Belfast, August 1961. It was not an intimate audience. I was standing on a curb along with thousands of other people, many waving small Union Flags and some wearing orange sashes and bowler hats. The … Continue reading Reflections on the Late Queen.
(Belfast) Shannon wanted to experience high tea, so she booked a table at Belfast’s Merchant hotel. Shannon, Liz, Suzi, Liam, and I went while Brian and Kevin looked after Elias and Fiona (two on two, almost even odds) and arranged … Continue reading High Tea at the Merchant
Here is another guest post, my son, Kevin’s observations on our visit to Belfast with a few of my pictures. Belfast is a city that looks to the past. The gigantic gantry cranes of Harland & Wolff have been still … Continue reading Kevin’s Thoughts on Belfast
In the early mists of myth Celtic people populated the Isle of Man led by the likes of Manannan Mac Lir (son of the sea) who was believed to be the Sea God but may have been a very savvy … Continue reading Norse and Celt
I have a son and daughter-in-law into steam punk. I never understood. Coal driven steam blackened the white stone buildings of London, helped create pea soup fog, and began the trend for the earth to warm. Kevin tells me it … Continue reading Stream Punk
Gory, on the isle of Jersey, is a fishing town settled beneath a castle. Last time I was here 10 years ago someone had pulled the plug on the harbor and all the boats were high and, well, damp. Today … Continue reading Fishermen, Mariners and Barfights
Jersey is officially a “Peculiar of the Crown.” People in the States call our Jersey peculiar too. It means Jersey has the same status as Guernsey being “Separate of, but not independent from” the United Kingdom. It is a historical … Continue reading Jersey, “A Peculiar of the Crown.”
(August 4, 2023) The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has a new ship, the Manxman. It has just made the journey from Korea and is undergoing trials. We see it running back and forth across the Douglas harbor, practicing … Continue reading Ferries Run Late.
This post is a companion to Bailiwick of Guernsey. It is an even dozen gallery of flowers and one bit of seaweed that I thought would fit. Continue reading Guernsey Flowers
The Bailiwick of Guernsey is “Separate from but not independent of” the United Kingdom, whatever that means (to quote its feudal lord, Charles.) It consists of Guernsey and several other islands in the English Channel including Herm, Sark and Alderney. … Continue reading Bailiwick of Guernsey
…you’re bringing me down. That is my earworm today because of our almost accidental visit to Winchester. We got off the QM2 at around 10 AM, we had a scheduled flight to Guernsey at 3:30 so I decided we would … Continue reading Winchester Cathedral
The Town of Tobermory seems to be built upside down. The High Street runs along the waterfront and the other streets sit above it on a hill. In since the turn of the century High Street has been inundated during … Continue reading Upside Down, Tobermory
Helen was the last baby born in the Hospital on the Isle of Skye before they closed the maternity ward. And Helen is a young woman now. She’s our cabdriver on Skye. Today, expectant mothers now have to drive three … Continue reading The Isles of the Blest (Skye)
When we first decided to take this cruise I messaged my Facebook Friend Catherine. Her people are from the same town in Ireland that my people are from, Greencastle County Donegal. She found me while Googling, I think, a great … Continue reading A Tardis and a Traffic Cone.
We had intended to travel to St. Davids on our own, using the bus system through Pembrokeshire. But Fishguard is a tender port and the seas were fairly big so it took a long time to disembark. They had to … Continue reading A liner returns to Fishguard.
We are half way to Rome or a third of the way to Jerusalem, at least according to Pope Callestus II, who, in 1124, said two pilgrimages to St. Davids (they officially don’t use the apostrophe although some people do) … Continue reading St Davids (no apostrophe please)
Truro is the County Seat of Cornwall. It’s also the county’s cathedral town. Truro Cathedral is not ancient but an example of Victorian Gothic Revival. The Architect said that when people went in, he wanted them to drop to their … Continue reading Truro Mambo
Some sail-ins are spectacular for their natural beauty, Rio and Vancouver come to mind. Some sail-ins have wonderous cityscapes, New York or Sydney. Sailing across the bar into the Fal River to Falmouth is not spectacular, it is gentle, it … Continue reading A Pretty Town, Falmouth. Cornwall.
The English Channel has some of the widest tidal ranges in the world, ranging to 40 feet. Sea farers have to have different strategies to deal with these tides. In Jersey some harbors are open to the sea and the … Continue reading Tides in the English Channel.