Showing posts with label Ulster American Folk Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ulster American Folk Park. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Cottage and Castle

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Ulster American Folk Park 1

Almost six hours driving yesterday on the tour of Ireland's byways to get to the next destination. We stopped at the Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh, Northern Ireland. It is a detailed recreation of the lives of the people of the region, before and after they emigrated to the United States. The picture above is an effigy of one of the Mellon family of this area, posing for us in Vermeer-y light. The old man, Thomas, emigrated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he founded the now-huge Mellon Bank and was the co-benefactor of Carnegie-Mellon University in that city, along with the Scottish industrialist, Andrew Carnegie.

We've been staying in modest places on this trip. As we swing back toward Dublin and our flight home Saturday, we're blowing it out a bit. Three nights at
Ashford Castle, the baronial home of the Guinness Family, now a snooty baronial hotel. OMG, it would be nice to live like this. We're going hawking today, and I'm not talking physics.

Ashford Castle 1