"I was a scholar before I met you, Erin!"

Day 2 on the Emerald Isle. Hints of Belfast but mostly Derry. Hence the Derry Girls reference in the title of this blog post.

We started the morning at Carrickfergus castle just north of Belfast. Built in the 12th century, the castle sits on the sea with historic elegance, many of its stone walls green with moss. It was home to King James for 10 days, has been under siege by Scots and Brits, and was even a military base for American soldiers in the First World War. Being born near the Pacific and raised by parents who grew up on opposing coasts, I've always loved the sea. The salted air and glimmering view tied this pit-stop together with a dazzling bow; a gift from my blood for returning to its home.

We made our way along the coast to Bellaghy, home of the Seamus Heany HomePlace. Heany has been one of my favorite poets for a couple of years, so to be completely immersed in his work was wonderful. His capture of humanity through themes of nature, relationships, loss, and inanimate objects so perfectly reflects why art is so universally touching. I got teary eyed at basically every-other poem, and to hear Heany's voice recite his pieces enveloped me in his story.

Below is a poem I wrote at the HomePlace at a stop with a wheel that encouraged visitors to spin the wheel three times, collecting three separate words, and write a poem involving those three words. Then, there was a space on the wall to leave your work for others to see. I've bolded the words I spun:

My nose burns with the threat of tears.

You will read this—

the word of a stranger,

the snap of my pen

—and choose a voice for me.

How do I sound?

Like the crackle of a fire?

The song of a robin?

Do I remind you of home,

or of someone you once knew?

Does my writing look foreign,

or maybe like your own?

The cry of a girl,

the croak of a frog.

Who am I if unknown?

Who are you if (to me) all-knowing?

Above is a collection of words Seamus Heany frequently used in his writings. I especially appreciated this because I, too, am a collector of words. Currently, my notes app list titled "words‼️‼️" has 193 words/phrases/sayings that I find wonderful or interesting.

After Bellaghy, we made a quick stop in a corner store for lunch and then moved toward Derry. There, we met with Sue Divin, a young-adult author working in community relations. She focuses her stories around building empathy through tales of divide and differences. She gifted copies of her two books, Guard Your Heart and Truth Be Told, to Marian and I get to read the former first! She is wonderfully well spoken and spoke of Northern Ireland's cultural struggles with grace and kindness, reminding us Americans that the entire world has room for open-heartedness.

Sue gave us a quick mini-tour of the Derry wall, and then we had dinner at our hotel. Tomorrow, we go to Donegal, where I get to see some family members and soak up the county of my maternal genes. It's been a lovely day, filled with memories called upon and memories created, and a sense of welcome settles into my bones on the island of my heritage.