Looking East from the new viewing platform at Magheracross - the ruins of Dunluce Castle in the foreground and Benbane Head (Causeway territory) in the distance:
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| The view changes, not surprisingly, depending on the light and on the day we were there, the light was good. There was a fierce wind, mind you, but that's hard to capture on film when there aren't any trees or flags around. Via the 'Blad/150mm Sonnar, FP4+, Ilfotec HC and Foma 133 paper. |
Apparently there was a castle here in the 13th Century but the ruins you see here date from the 16th&17th Centuries. Dunluce served as the seat of the Earls of Antrim - either the McQuillans or the McDonnells depending on when you happened to pass by. Eventually, when the money dried up, it was abandoned to the elements - various bits fell into the sea and stones were scavenged for other projects. At one time, due to marriage, it was part-owned by Winston Churchill but he gave his share to the Northern Irish government in 1928. I had a walk around it a few years ago and to be honest there isn't much to see, but it's a pleasant enough place to dander about, sit on the stones and wonder what life must have been like back in the day. Fairly brutal, I'd imagine.
Maybe a nice place for a picnic? When the wind's not trying to throw you off the cliff, of course.
ReplyDeleteIt would be! And yes, you'd have to keep tight grip of your sandwiches.
DeleteFunny how when I was young you would see people picnic-ing everywhere. I guess there was no money around for 'eating in' and buying pre-made sandwiches was unheard of when you could take your own from home.
Nowadays everyone goes into the coffee shops for breakfast, lunch or brunch. I wonder if that will change once the current cost of living crisis starts to hit home. I was reading this morning that a cup of tea in Dublin is now over 4 Euros. I paid £2 for one the other day in a service station just outside Belfast and being the tight Northern Irish man that I am I couldn't help thinking Now did I really need that? I know they've overheads and staffing costs but at the end of the day that's £2 for a teabag in a paper cup of hot water...
Getting some fried chicken or a pizza was a rare treat when I was young. Road trips meant sandwiches and biscuits from home. When I first came to Korea, I ate out almost every day because it was dirt cheap and delivery was free. Not now. It's back to sandwiches from home . . .
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