We boarded our bus this morning in the midst of a light rain which continued throughout most of the day. Our first destination was the tiny village of Ardara, County Donegal, specifically Triona, workshop and shop of a family long in the weaving business, and designers and creators of fine Donegal tweed goods.
These coats, sweaters, dresses, and even purses made of handwoven tweed fabric are simply beautiful. Many in our group purchased small items (socks, wallets, newsboy caps) and large ones (capes, ponchos, one beautiful Aran sweater, and at least two men's sport coats). The hubs couldn't resist, and finally bought himself something - a fine herringbone tweed jacket in black and grey. He continues to be a perfect 40 Regular, and the coat looks as though it were tailored for him. He will wear it to the farewell dinner Friday evening, and I'll take a photo!
From Ardara we continued to drive through County Donegal to Donegal Town, where we stopped for lunch and a bit of a browse. Home to Donegal Castle, the town has a population of only 2600. We had a great, leisurely lunch, then back on the bus.
As we neared Derry, we could glimpse the city through the trees that line the River Foyle. Since the day continued to be gray and misting rain, the view was dramatic: houses and other buildings straggling up the riverbank, with church spires poking into the clouds and the brooding city wall separating the very old from the not-so-old.
The hubs and I agreed that we may never have visited a city that has an intact wall completely circling the original settlement. The old part of the city dates back to the early 17th century. Visitors can walk the entire circumference, passing seven gates and several restored cannons. The wall is high and broad, and one can walk along the top or around the base in the dry moat. Inside is the old city, which was bombed numerous times in the years of the Troubles, and which is now being renewed and energized for both residents and tourists.
After we checked into our hotel, we met our tour manager in the lobby and boarded the bus for a brief guided ride around the city with Ronan, a local guide. Ronan's calm recitation of the history of Derry, with equal attention given to the issues of both sides, was comprehensive and powerful. After a brief bus ride, we disembarked and continued on foot, walking a portion of the wall and learning as much as Ronan had time to teach us. We are very lucky that we will be here tomorrow and will have a chance to return to some of the places we found the most interesting and take our time to read about them.
After a lovely dinner with friends, we have returned to our room and headed for bed. Tomorrow morning we visit the northernmost tip of Ireland, out the Inishowen Peninsula to Malin Head. We expect it to be spectacular. Tomorrow afternoon, free time in Derry, and we will explore.
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