Under Ben Bulben...

Sligo is known as Yeats country, after William Butler Yeats, famous Irish poet and playwright. The last 3 lines of his poem "Under Ben Bulben" form his epitaph and his grave can be found in the grounds of Drumcliff church, which is indeed at the foot of the plateau known as Ben Bulben.

The door handles on the church were a gift from the government of Western Australia - black swans.

What do you think this is? These fields appear along the roadside in many parts of Ireland and were particularly common in the Enniskillen area. Answer? They are peat bricks drying out in little bundles, having been cut into managable blocks from peat bogs. Once they are dry, they are stored in stacks for burning in fireplaces during the winter.

Belleek is in County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. It is the home of the Belleek Pottery company, which is famous for its fine basketweave china, which is handmade by local people.

We embarked upon a tour of the factory where we saw the beautiful items being made. The fine white clay is brought from Yorkshire in England and mixed with a gum and rolled to form the fine strings. They are then hand cut and placed on molds before decorating with hand formed flowers, glazing and firing. Some items are also hand painted. Beautiful!