Archive for the ‘Ireland’

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    Ballygally Castle of Antrim
    The Ballygally castle sits on the beautiful coast of Antrim, and is said to be just about 26 miles from Belfast. It is said to sit on the sandy and soft beaches of Ballygally Bay. The construction of the castle dates back to the year 1625, and this is said to be the only 17th century building which is still being used as a residence. The house is said to be haunted by a friendly ghost. If you’re game enough for it, you could try visiting the ‘ghost room’, which is in one of the towers of the Castle. In today’s date and age, the Ballygally Castle Hotel is dubbed as being one of the jewels in the Hastings Crown. The Hastings Hotel Group brought it over in the year 1966. Since that time, there have been a number of renovations and extensions that have been instrumental in transforming the castle into the charming hotel that  [...]
    Posted at November 19th, 2010 at 05:11 am
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    Traditional Irish Music When in Ireland
    Traditional Irish music is said to have almost the same sound and essence that it may have had around 200 years back. Technological advancement and leaps and bounds of society seem to have left this one aspect of Ireland unchanged, and for the best. This sort of music is said to be a diverse form of folk music and is known to have its own variations based on which region of Ireland it belongs to. Most of the music was created as music meant for dancing; but then again, there was a substantial chunk that was created as part of a ballad tradition that also exists. The Experience of Traditional Irish Music When In Ireland: If you have to think of an Irish evening of entertainment, there is but one term that will come to your head ‘the session’. The Irish music session is an informal gathering that brings together amateur musicians.  [...]
    Posted at November 10th, 2010 at 06:11 am
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    The Giant’s Causeway, Ireland – More Than Just Myths
    Dark o’er the foam-white waves, The giants’ pier the war of tempests braves, A far projecting, firm, basaltic way Of clustering columns wedged in dense array; With skill so like, yet so surpassing art, With such design, so just in every part, That reason pauses, doubtful if it stand The work of mortal, or immortal hand. (Taken from the poem ‘The Giant’s Causeway’ by William Hamilton Drummond) This formation along the coast of Antrim may have left the ancient Irish baffled; and why wouldn’t it? For long now, even modern scientists have been baffled by this formation. Thackeray, when he visited the region, was impressed by the strangeness and the vagueness of this place. These were his exact words – ‘When the world was molded and fashioned out of formless chaos, this must have been the bit over – a remnant  [...]
    Posted at October 8th, 2010 at 06:10 am
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    Irelands within Ireland
    History has it that the Celtic tribes arrived here on the island somewhere between the years 600 – 150 B.C.  King Brian BORU ended up defeating the Norsemen who tried to invade this region in the later part of the 8th century. English invasions set foot here in the 12th century and this marked the beginning of a 7 century long struggle between the English and the Irish. In 1921, 26 southern countries got freedom from UK. This was how Ireland, of its own, was born. This country is today well known for the Giant’s Causeway, Glendalough, The Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park and the Cliffs of Moher. There are some off-the-beaten-path options that include uncovering some ancient ruins, or visiting prehistoric tombs or frolicking on some gorgeous, yet isolated beaches. Here are some examples of towns of Ireland that embody Ireland  [...]
    Posted at September 1st, 2010 at 10:09 am
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    Like a rolling stone
    It might be classified as a wonder of the medieval world, but there is something about Stonehenge that keeps on drawing in tourists by the thousands every single day. The iconic stone structure located on the Salisbury Plain in England has even been granted the status of a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The recent discovery of what seems like a ceremonial monument near Stonehenge has heightened interest in structures like Stonehenge even more, but Stonehenge is not alone. If that does hold interest for you, consider these archaeological sites as well scattered all across the British Isles and Mainland Europe. Some of them have gained mythical status, but all of them are popular tourist destinations. Newgrange Burial Tomb, Ireland Archaeologists refer to a monument such as this as a passage-grave and experts peg its year of construction  [...]
    Posted at August 4th, 2010 at 09:08 am