Today we left our little cottage on the northern coast and traveled southward to Belfast, the largest city in Northern Ireland. We arrived early at Belfast Titanic, where the RMS Titanic was built, and visited the museum devoted to the ship, once called the “Pride of Belfast,” and her fateful voyage across the Atlantic. It was interesting to see the details of how the ship was built and designed, as well as what they know about the night the Titanic sank, and the stories of some of the passengers on board.
We then briefly drove through downtown Belfast, stopping to see a couple sites that were bombed during “the troubles,” a time of political unrest between the various Irish groups, some relying on Great Britain, some rebelling against it. We didn’t stay in the city long, however, as my grandmother is not a fan of busy cities.
We continued our journey south to the town of Downpatrick, and Down Cathedral, where Saint Patrick is buried. Patrick was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Ireland as a teenager. He eventualy escaped and returned home to become a priest, only to hear God calling him back to Ireland. He returned and began preaching to the almost completely pagan Island, and within 100 years Ireland was almost completely converted to Christianity. His is a grand legacy, and it was nice to visit the burial place of a man so used and anointed by God.
We ate dinner in Downpatrick, before hopping back into our car heading south into Dublin, where we will spend our final night before flying out tomorrow morning.
Thank you to all who have followed my family and I on our journeys through Northern Ireland. I wish you all the best as we come into the New Year.