during our 10 day stay in ireland we took a day tour from dublin to northern ireland. northern ireland is a part of great britian and there is still tension present from the fighting between catholics and protestants. on this tour with wild rover we were in a large tour bus with a driver and tour guide. we learned a lot more about the history of ireland, northern ireland, and how the island got separated into two countries.
belfast
our first stop was in belfast which is one of the hardest hit areas of the “troubles” which are conflicts between the protestant english and catholic irish. here we took a “black cab” tour with a local where he showed us around town, told us the history, and shared some of his personal history and involvement in the troubles. there are many murals throughout the catholic side of town to honor those who gave their lives fighting for one ireland.
black cab tour belfast 
peace wall belfast
in belfast there is still a peace wall. these walls were put up to separate the protestant side of town from the catholic side and gates were closed at curfew every night. the walls still exist and separate this city. on our tour it was often compared to the berlin wall. many famous people have signed this wall wishing for peace in belfast and all of northern ireland.
peace wall belfast 
peace wall belfast
instead of doing a black cab tour, we also had the option to spend this time in the titanic museum. belfast is where the titanic was built and the museum sits on the harbor. we all met back up at this museum and headed on to our next destination.
giants causeway
our next stop was at the giants causeway. we were given quite a bit of time at this location which was great since the weather was beautiful for the most part. the giants causeway is a series of hexagonal basalt columns formed by an ancient volcano, but scientists still don’t know why they took this particular shape. the irish are famous for being story tellers though, and legend has it that fin mccool, the giant, used these stones as a walkway to bridge the gap to scotland to fued with the giant there. i think either option is a possible origin story
giants causeway northern ireland 
giants causeway northern ireland 
giants causeway northern ireland
this day really felt like we were in ireland getting to see the countryside and that beautiful green grass
quick rain shower at giants causeway 
giants causeway
carrick a rede rope bridge
our next adventure took us to carrick-a-rede rope bridge. this is an old fishing bridge that is 20meters long and 30meters above the crashing atlantic ocean. i have to admit i was a little scared, but i made it across to the tiny island and back in one piece!
carrick a rede rope bridge northern ireland 
carrick a rede rope bridge northern ireland
there were also beautiful white cliffs on our walk from the parking lot to the bridge that we got to stop and admire.
dublin
from here we headed back to dublin. this was a full 13 hour day and the time flew by thanks to all the beautiful sights and commentary by our tour guide. we met back up with my cousin and ate dinner in the temple bar area and experienced a little dublin nightlife. this was actually my birthday and the band at the pub sang happy birthday to me!
i haven’t taken many guided tours like this, but it is a very nice way to see a lot in one day without having to do all the detailed planning yourself. wild rover tours did a great job and gave us enough time at each of the attractions for us to enjoy and not feel rushed. touring northern ireland this way also saved us a lot of driving while still getting to see and do everything we wanted! i would recommend checking it out if you are looking for a jam packed day tour from dublin.
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have you been to northern ireland? what was your favorite part?
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