Chasing Summer –

Stormont

The Parliment building for Northern Island can be found in north Belfast in Stormont. Northern Ireland’s political turmoil in the 1960-1990s made for some times of trouble, as they are called.

Basically, the supporters of remaining part of the UK were primarily Protestants, and the nationalists, or those who favored a separation from the UK, were overwhelmingly Catholics. Those who were seen as less loyal, usually Catholic, were discriminated against in terms of employment and housing, which led to even more unrest and finally violence throughout Belfast. This is a gross over simplification, but in the interest of brevity, I’m keeping it as is.

Even though much of the violence ended in the late 90s and Belfast itself is dramatically safer and more mixed, there are still lingering tensions, and the Assembly has been suspended for the past several years.

Grey Abbey

Grey Abbey is the only abbey in Ireland that was founded by a woman. As I was visiting, I kept thinking that I’ve heard of it before as a setting in a book, but I couldn’t figure out which one. Grey Abbey – Greyabbey – Discover Northern Ireland

One of the most interesting things about the Abbey is the chapter room. As you can imagine, 30 men all living together would have their squabbels and tensions, so a room in the abbey was constructed as a communication hub, . All the monks would meet in this room in the morning, and any news or information was shared.

It was also a time to settle any complaints or grievences. The Abbot would listen to both sides of the complaint and settle the issues that arose. Once done, he would read a verse for the day. Hence, the saying – Chapter and verse. Is this actually true or just a tale from the volunteer guides? I don’t know, but it sounds good.

Donaghadee

Donaghadee is a picturesque coastal village located in the Ards Penisula. The bus stopped for an Irish coffee at Pier 36. I don’t like coffee, but I do like Irish, so I had one anyway.