An hour's flight from London Heathrow Airport to Belfast brought us to another lure of antiquity. I was not able to get the window seat in the plane but I had a glimpse of lush verdant mantle of the earth as the British Airways hovered above the isle. As we deplaned at Belfast airport in Northern Ireland, I was excited to see my daughter and her family after many years of absence and to bask on the true colors of nature. These two things thrilled my soul after a long travel. From the city to Downpatrick where my daughter lived, the view from above began to take shape.
The
long winding narrow and well paved road looked like white ribbons blown by the
wind between vast landscapes of green. It was lined on both sides with miles of
neatly trimmed shrubs which thick fine foliage resembled green soft fur blanket
folded in squares, triangles, or rolled like posts. Far away were white dots of
sheep and cows that grazed leisurely on the green grass.
The
houses have practically similar architectural designs. The walls were made of
bricks in elegant shades of reddish brown, beige or gray, the roofing in dark mahogany,
windows in white trimmings and doors in varied colors of red and yellow. Some
houses lined the streets in towns, others stood forlorn in spacious areas along
country roads and still others were neatly arranged in subdivisions. In one
swept of a glance these houses were executive looking as they blended elegantly
with the green landscape. The simple single-storey houses ensconced beautifully
on green hills and slopes reminded me of the lyrics of the song:
"Oh, give me a home where the buffalos roam
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word
And the sky is not cloudy all day."
The
summer sun was shining brightly when my husband and I arrived at Downpatrick. Unpredictable
drizzles and cold winds did not dampen our spirits to move from one county to
another. Spring has left us with varied hues of flowers and verdant sights
"down the mountainside, from glen to glen” and even by the lough. The
sight was spirit lifting.
I
found Downpatrick a historical ancient town which presently breathe a medieval
atmosphere. Life was not so hurried, a perfect place for families to walk
around. The town’s patron saint was St. Patrick. Researching of his real
biography, he came from a Celtic Christian church which day of worship followed
the Jewish tradition. Anyway, we visited the Down Cathedral now used by the
Protestants for their services. I saw the churchyard immortalized by Thomas
Gray in his poem “Elegy on the Country Churchyard”. It was believed that St.
Patrick’s remains were buried here. The church was built in 1183 but remained an
imposing building on an elevated spot overlooking the town. The Down County
museum which occupied the same hill with that of the cathedral had numerous
documents of antiquity. We drove to the ruins of the Inch Abbey built in 800
A.D. Its location was away from the maddening crowd to make meditation and
worship free from the cares of the world. Only part of the walls and the seat
of the choir survived the ruins. Beside it was the cemetery or churchyard as
was found in every church. The whole area was still preserved for the present
generation’s heritage.
The well known castles in Ireland were so imposing and
picture perfect. The Castlewellan castle with its vast collection of trees and
shrubs near the gate of the Peace maze was a beautiful castle on a hill covered
by green lawn which looked like a full ballooned skirt where its hemline delicately
touched the lake. The Wilmont House built in 1760 was located in an area named
as the Sir Thomas and Lady Dickson Park. One attraction was the 40,000 variety
of roses which luckily we have witnessed the blooms before they were weathered
by strong winds. The Castle ward was home to the Ward family in 1570. It used
the 17th century Gothic windows based on record. It has 332 hectares
of landscaped gardens, no wonder we were not able to cover the whole area on
foot before it was time to go home. Killyleagh castle restored to its present
form was first built by the Norman Knights in the 12th century. The
castle was surrounded with fortified walls. Now the inner court was used as
venue for different activities in town. The Belfast castle was so lovely in its
ancient state. Even the comfort rooms were so luxurious yet old. The fixtures
inside the castle brought us back to the memories when only the rich could own
them. Now the castle could be a coffee shop, hotel and wedding venue. The Carrickfergus
in County Antrim was built in 1177. It used to be a symbol of might and power
until the collapse of Ulster. The ruins of the Danluce castle and the Quoile
castle were still preserved. The Ulster and the Folk museum had documented all
of antiquity that it was easy for us to understand history.
After every tour of these places I went home tired but awed with the splendor of them all. I just love to experience the stress free world of the medieval age if not the very ancient. Sitting by the fireplace, doing some embroidery and musing on the state of all the castles which siphoned the wealth of the kingdoms only to collapse and abandon by time. I thought of the power and strength of leaders which seemed invincible and some subjects were killed under their rule. Now they were sealed up in tombs never to return to power. Some had statues in public places. I never saw a tomb that was empty because the occupant has beaten the sting of neither death nor a statue that kept on marching to lead. Castles collapsed, powers waned and leaders died.
But I knew of one leader in antiquity who defied death. He
was buried and after three days He rose again and ascended to heaven to prepare
an eternal castle for you and me. He is so powerful but loving. He is my Redeemer.
I know He is alive. I can now face tomorrow with Him.
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