Holiday arrival

After a tiring cross-continent move, we have been ready for a holiday (i.e. a vacation) since we arrived.  We finally got such a holiday this past weekend, where Monday was a holiday (i.e. a day off for LBJ).  The plan for the holiday was to find a house / apartment to rent where LBJ would only have to drive approximately 2 hours.  I got a late start on planning, so we quickly leaned toward Northern Ireland because Monday was not a holiday there.

Specifically, we chose a nice farmhouse near the town of Kilkeel, about two hours away.  It’s in the Mourne Mountains, which are amazing, and we could see the Irish Sea out the window (in the distance).  It was a great home for our needs – the fact it had only one bathroom was never a problem.

The weekend did not get off to an amazing start.  I was running late getting the girls from camp / daycare (called a crèche here) and getting packed.  I forgot a few items like diapers for ORBJ – good thing the place had a washing machine as we arrived too late to go shopping on Friday.  I slipped and fell on the back steps trying to take out the compost.  Eventually, I managed to get the kids in the car and drive without LBJ’s assistance / navigation to our meeting spot (a parking lot) near work.

The kids were a little cranky, as was I, and LBJ did not get her afternoon coffee.  A pit stop for coffee, a playground, and a snack helped, but it meant that we arrived after 7pm.  We arrived at the outskirts of Kilkeel, where our rental is on the other side, to learn that the main route through down is closed due to a band parade.  I need to learn more about these parades, but my sense is that this parade, by the Mourne Young Defenders, is a chance for youth to show their partisan spirits.  In this case, I think they are Ulster Scots.  We noticed a lot of Union Jack flags around, which is not necessarily great for our car with Dublin / Ireland plates.

While there, I read a newspaper article detailing a recent “merger” of three extremist republican groups (i.e. groups wanting to unite Northern Ireland and Ireland), although the article implied that the groups did not have much sway.  Still, it hinted at the possibility of random violence.  This saddened me, especially since everyone I met was very friendly and helpful, and the place was quite beautiful.  Still, I got the sense that towns (or at least neighborhoods) were deeply divided, even now, between Catholic (Republican) and Protestant (Unionist).

Anyway, the second set of police was able to direct us around the parade and we eventually found the rental without further difficulty.  We even had a greeting party of several sheep.  Later in the weekend, I mistook their bleating for a car alarm – clearly, I’ve been living in cities for too long.

More on the holiday, including pictures, in the next post.