Ireland is a nation that has been on my heart for a very long time. I remember back as far about the age of 10 having a really strange desire to visit this country, and I never really knew why. Perhaps it was because this is the land of my forefathers, (my great-grandfather was from
County Galway in
Ireland), or perhaps it comes from something deeper…something spiritual.
When I stepped off the plane at Dublin Airport, the feeling was something that I cannot express. After 14 years I was finally standing on Irish soil.
My first four weeks in Ireland were spent travelling around with my family, getting a feel for the land, the people and their culture; they also wanted to see the country that I will be calling home 6 months.
We spent the first few days at a small village outside of Dublin, called Swords, before heading up to stay for a few days at the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) base in Northern Ireland (40 mins from Belfast) where I will be living and working while I’m here. It was great to meet some of the staff and people that I will be sharing the next 6 months with, and to get to know them a bit before commencing my work with them when I returned on October 1st.
Ireland is an amazing country, an ancient land whose haunting song touches me deep inside. There is something very different here that I have not felt in the other places that I have been, although I cannot pinpoint exactly what it is.
Historically, it is incredible. Never in my travels have I seen so many old castles and manors, most of which are falling down or in ruins. I have visited some of Ireland’s most ancient heritage sites and stood in the place of many historic battles.
I travelled to the fields where the Battle of the Boyne took place in 1690. This battle was between William of Orange (Protestant) and James II (Catholic) as they fought for what amounted as the throne of England and for control over Ireland. The guide showed us the weapons used, how to load the muskets and the cannons (which could fire up to 1 kilometre), and explained the reason for the battle and how it determined much of Ireland’s future. This battle is often seen the beginning of the conflict that still affects Northern Ireland today.
We also visited Newgrange, a Neolithic burial mound which is 1000 years older than
Stonehenge and 500 years older than the Pyramids at
Giza. Scientists have dated the mound at around 5000 BC. The tour took us inside the tomb and we were absolutely astounded. The chamber was built up by placing rock slabs in an overlapping manner angled so that the whole thing was like a pyramid, but without the point. A huge cap stone was placed on the top and then the whole mound covered with 250 tons of earth. Many of the rocks had been transported from 80 kms away. The tunnel leading to the chamber had been designed in such a way that on winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, the sunlight penetrates up the entrance of the tunnel flooding the whole burial chamber with brilliant orange rays of light.
The rocks have beautiful carved designs and Newgrange is only one of many burial mounds throughout the country. The people who built these mounds were the first farmers in
Ireland. They cremated their dead and then took the ashes and placed them in stone basins on alters in the mounds. In many other places throughout this country you can also see hundreds of Dolmens, standing or balancing stones, which are also ancient burial sites for cremated dead.
In addition to these there are thousands of Celtic hill and ring forts, most of which date back to around the time of Christ. History is everywhere, in fact many of these sites are unprotected because there are just too many for the government to try and preserve them all. It is not uncommon to see cattle and sheep grazing in and around castles and forts, etc. If this ancient land could speak, it would tell some amazing stories. Ireland truly is an enchanting and mystical land.
One of the most beautiful areas of this amazing country is the county of Kerry in the south west of Ireland, in particular the Dingle peninsular. Dingle is a tiny village on the peninsular that is full of Irish culture – it is an entirely Irish Gaelic speaking village, with traditional Irish music in every pub, and you will often see people riding around in horse drawn buggies. Dingle is the most magical traditional Irish town and well worth a visit.
Probably one of the highlights of my travels in Ireland so far is discovering several castles that belonged to my family in the county of Galway (my great-grandfather came from Galway). We had about 9 castles at one point, but only about 4 or 5 are still standing. My family and I visited several of them, but most are now just ruins.
Our Castles
Northern Ireland
Whilst Ireland is a beautiful country with green hills and ancient ruins, it is also a broken and hurting land. Northern Ireland is torn apart by violence and disunity, and even though the conflict in the north has now been declared officially over, the tension has far from dissipated. As you walk through the streets of Belfast, you can feel the tension in the air. It is a community torn apart by flags and politics. Many parts of Belfast have amazing political (and often frightening) murals, which depict just a fraction of emotion and fear behind the powder keg that is Northern Ireland. It is truly a place that is impossible to understand until you visit it, and even then you can’t even scratch the surface of what is really going on here.
This is nation gripped by fear! It is not uncommon to see a razor-wire and 3 metre high walls or fences surrounding primary schools. Irish Tri-colour and Union Jack flags (as well as the various orange/white/green or red/white/blue coloured paint on the pavement or walls) let you know whether you are in a Catholic or Protestant area. The police drive around in big military-style armoured cars. Nearly everyone here has lost someone, or knows of someone who was killed as a result of the conflict. Considering the entire population of Northern Ireland is only about 1.7 million, (Northern Ireland is a separate country to the Republic of Ireland) it is incredible burden for such a small nation to bear.
Belfast
Hundreds of years of hatred, fear and violence is not an easy thing to reconcile, but there are numerous organisations here working with the community and slowly things seem to be getting a little better. YWAM Northern Ireland (the organisation I am working with) is focused on working with both sides of the community towards bringing reconciliation. It is a long and arduous task but I believe the key is with the young people of this nation.
So I ask that you all could be holding Northern Ireland up in your prayers; please pray for healing and forgiveness, for the people and leaders of this nation, and for the generation that is rising up, that their hearts will be open to God and through him, a unified community in Northern Ireland.
More Ireland Pics
