You might wonder why this blog post starts off with a photo of a cuddly hottie warmer but as Amy and I arrived Karen had thought of everything. Karen is my grandmother's sister's grand-daughter who still lives in Londonderry where Dad was born. We used to be penpals way back when we were kids but lost touch as we grew up only to be re-kindled through contact with Karen's daughter
Rachel a few summers ago in New Zealand.
Diana, Karen's sister picked us up on Friday morning and took us on a tour of Londonderry starting at 29 Violet Street, Waterside, where Dad was born. It was a bit tearful for me as I stood with Amy in this place that held so many memories for Dad. The place was empty and had been vandalised with a broken window at the back but it was still good to be there with No30 Violet St where Aunt Margaret was still well kept and lived in.
We thought of how the street must have been when Dad was a boy. It was good to be there.
Next stop was the Glendermott cemetery where Dad's mother was buried. Stupidly I left my iPod back at Karen's so didn't have the photo that Dad had taken of the exact spot but we did find plot 889 but the photo looked a little different when compared- never mind- the thought was there and we were definitely close.
Diana picked up Simon early from school and we met with Patrick for lunch at Badgers, a little Irish pub. It was great to meet the boys- they were great.
Next we walked the walls of Derry- a must do if visiting. It was great to see the sites and relive some of the history of the siege of Derry. This is the St Columb's Cathedral built in 1628-1632 and where Elvin, Karen's husband sings in the choir every Sunday.
From the wall we looked down on Bogside Derry, the site of the Bloody Sunday Massacre- beautiful in its own gritty way.
Bernadette Devlin helped stir the Catholic IRA to arms.
While across the Foyle River the loyalists made their own murals.
The walls were scattered with cannons from the dark days.
This photo is a bit burnt out but I like it all the same.
This is the Guild Hall with the big cannon- Roaring Meg. After the walk around the wall Amy and I had a good look around the Londonderry Museum and Diana took us home for a cuppa and a chat.
You might wonder why this blog post starts off with a photo of a cuddly hottie warmer but as Amy and I arrived Karen had thought of everything. Karen is my grandmother's sister's grand-daughter who still lives in Londonderry where Dad was born. We used to be penpals way back when we were kids but lost touch as we grew up only to be re-kindled through contact with Karen's daughter Rachel a few summers ago in New Zealand.
Diana, Karen's sister picked us up on Friday morning and took us on a tour of Londonderry starting at 29 Violet Street, Waterside, where Dad was born. It was a bit tearful for me as I stood with Amy in this place that held so many memories for Dad. The place was empty and had been vandalised with a broken window at the back but it was still good to be there with No30 Violet St where Aunt Margaret was still well kept and lived in.
We thought of how the street must have been when Dad was a boy. It was good to be there.
Next stop was the Glendermott cemetery where Dad's mother was buried. Stupidly I left my iPod back at Karen's so didn't have the photo that Dad had taken of the exact spot but we did find plot 889 but the photo looked a little different when compared- never mind- the thought was there and we were definitely close.
Diana picked up Simon early from school and we met with Patrick for lunch at Badgers, a little Irish pub. It was great to meet the boys- they were great.
Next we walked the walls of Derry- a must do if visiting. It was great to see the sites and relive some of the history of the siege of Derry. This is the St Columb's Cathedral built in 1628-1632 and where Elvin, Karen's husband sings in the choir every Sunday.
From the wall we looked down on Bogside Derry, the site of the Bloody Sunday Massacre- beautiful in its own gritty way.
Bernadette Devlin helped stir the Catholic IRA to arms.
While across the Foyle River the loyalists made their own murals.
The walls were scattered with cannons from the dark days.
This photo is a bit burnt out but I like it all the same.
This is the Guild Hall with the big cannon- Roaring Meg. After the walk around the wall Amy and I had a good look around the Londonderry Museum and Diana took us home for a cuppa and a chat.
No comments:
Post a Comment