Giants Causeway, Carrick a Rede, Dunluce Castle and Belfast

On our second day in Dublin, the ASICS team had a field trip to Northern Ireland. We visited some incredible places on a full day tour.

Carrick-A-Rede

Our first destination on the tour was a visit to Carrick-A-Rede, a famous rope bridge near Ballintoy in Northern Ireland. If you are a Games of Thrones fan, this was teh dramatic spot chosen for Renly Baratheon's Camp in season 2. It is where CatelynStark agreed to a treaty with Renley on behalf of her son Robb.

The Carrick-A-Rede bridge links the mainland to the tiny island which spans 66 ft and is 98 ft above the rocks below. The original Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge was first erected by salmon fishermen in 1755. I had grand visions of taking a selfie on this bridge but chickened out.

Looking down

Giant's Causeway
The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption during the Paleogene Period, around 50 to 60 million years ago. According to legend, the columns are the remains of a causeway built by a giant.

Dunluce Castle
Time for more "As seen on" Game of Thrones. The Dunluce Castle represents House of Greyjoy, ruler of the Iron Islands. This castle is a now-ruined castle on the edge of a basalt built in the late middle ages and 17th century.

Belfast

Our last stop on the tour was to Belfast, the capitol of Northern Ireland. The town is the birthplace of Titanic and features the Titanic Belfast Museum. We were so exhausted from a mix of jet lag and hiking all afternoon, that we found ourselves at Starbucks.