Photos by: Philip Galvin
IRELAND - COUNTRYSIDE 1 
NORTHERN IRELAND
The following pictures of Northern Ireland were taken on a one day bus tour from Belfast to Giant's Causeway.
1. Giant's Causeway(Unesco World Heritage Site)
The Legend
Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhail and Scotish big man Benandonner were hurling insults at each other until Fionn built a path of stepping stones to reach Scotland. The path was ripped up by Benandonner. The result was the Giant's Causeway.
Lava cools and cracks into hexagonal formation.
2. Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge
The expanse is 18 yards and the bridge will swing in the wind or when people are walking across it.
3. Road Side Attractions from GIant's Causeway to Belfast
Dunluce Castle
14th century stronghold. it was abandoned in 1641 two years after part of the kitchen collapsed into the sea during a storm killing serveral servants.
Old Bushmill Distillery Company
4. Northern Ireland Coastline
Our bus stopped in this seaside town before returning to Belfast
Carrickfergus Castle
12th century Norman Castke situated in a town of Carrickfergus in County Antrim on the northern shore of Belfast Lough.
It is one of the best preserved medieval structures in Northern Ireland. Until 1928, the castle played an important military role.
IRELAND
1. Kerry District Countryside
2. Ballycarbery Castle
This castle was build in 16th century but the site was actually used between 1398 to 20th centry.
3. Cahergall Stone Fort
A stone ringfort (cashel) built in 7th century AD for defending a farmstead.Walls are 4 meters high and 5 meters thick.
Entrance to fort
View from the Cahergall Fort
Quick historical references to Ireland.
400 BC Celtic tribes invaded Ireland
432 Christianity was brought to Ireland by St. Patrick
795 Vikings began to raid Ireland
1014 At Clantarf, Brian Boru defeated the Vikings
1541 Ireland's Parliament was forced to declare Henry VII to be a king
1603 Elizabeth I ended revolts in Ulster
1649 Oliver Cromwell crushed an Irish revolt against England. He took
many political rights and land away from Irish Catholics
1690 In the Battle of the Boyne, The English defeated James II and
Irish forces.
1801 Ireland became part of the UK of Great Britain and Ireland
1845-1847 About 750,000 people were killed by a potato famine
1916 In Dublin, the Easter Rebellion against British rule broke out.
1921 It became a dominion of Great Britain called the Irish Free State
1949 Ireland declared itself a republic
1955 Ireland joined the United Nations
1973 Ireland became a member of the European Community
