InterTrav

08/11/2026

07/24/2026

FREE Heritage Week Talk: Thursday 20th August 19.30

What the ÉIRE 7 sign is all about: the Coast Watching Service, Dalkey and the Second World War by Dr. Michael Kennedy – Executive Editor, Documents on Irish Foreign Policy, Royal Irish Academy.

The Éire 7 sign at Hawk Cliff in Dalkey is a restored World War II ‘neutrality marker’. Originally built in 1943 by local Coast Watchers, it was buried for decades until rediscovered and excavated in 2018 by Dalkey Tidy Towns.

The excavation, extensive volunteer restoration work, and the history behind the ‘Éire sign’ are extensively detailed in the Dalkey Community Council newsletter archives.

Following the recent publication of the booklet on the Éire Sign 7 here in Dalkey: ‘Irish Defence Forces/Coast Watching Service/1939 -1945’, there is much interest in the history and preservation of these ‘neutrality marker’ signs at other coastal locations around Ireland.

Dr. Kennedy will talk about the Dalkey area during the Second World War, about the wartime Coast Watching Service at Lookout Post No. 7 in Sorrento Park and about the ‘Éire 7’ marker at Hawk Cliff, the wider context of which can be found in his book, Guarding Neutral Ireland.

https://dalkeycastle.com/book

Heritage Week The Heritage Council

06/23/2026

‘Tis a soft day!

It rains in Ireland approximately 150 to 225 days a year depending on which part of the country you are in and how honest you want to be about it. 🌧️ The Irish response to this meteorological reality has not been denial or despair but something more characteristically useful, a collective philosophical acceptance so complete and so long-practiced that it has become its own form of wisdom.

The Irish do not apologize for the rain. They do not expect it to stop. They have developed an entire vocabulary for describing its different forms, from the grand soft day which means it is raining gently and this is actually quite pleasant, to the fierce day which means it is raining sideways and you were a fool to go out in it, to the desperate day which means conditions have exceeded the available vocabulary and further comment is unnecessary. They put on a coat, they say something dry about the weather, and they proceed. The umbrella, if carried at all, is carried with the air of someone who knows it is probably going to turn inside out in the wind and has made their peace with this outcome.

What the Irish have discovered about the rain is that it is remarkably good for conversation. 💚 Standing in a doorway with a stranger while the sky decides what it wants to do next is one of the more reliable ways to have a genuine exchange with another human being. The shared situation creates an instant equality. Nobody is more or less equipped for the rain. You are both just waiting it out, and while you wait you might as well talk. The Irish discovered long ago that this is actually how most of the best conversations begin.

06/17/2026

Day 5 – June 9, Part 1

We left Belfast and headed north along the Antrim Coast and Glens toward Giant’s Causeway.

Along the way, we made a quick stop at Carrickfergus Castle, which has stood guard over Belfast Lough for more than 800 years. Our guide mentioned a “life-size” bronze statue of King William III nearby. When Jamie and I stepped off the bus and saw it, we couldn’t stop laughing. 😂 Not as “king-sized” as one might expect. 😬

From there, we continued along the Antrim Coast and Glens. This area is designated an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), and it was easy to see why. The coastline, rolling green hills, and little harbors along the way were beautiful. (Just don’t start counting the many sheep. 🐑😴)

We also stopped at Carnlough Harbour, a charming little fishing village that was every bit as picturesque as you’d expect.

Eventually, we reached Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its thousands of interlocking basalt columns formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago. Science explains it as geology. Irish legend says the giant Finn McCool built it. Either way, it’s incredible.

The weather forecast was originally bleak, but we got lucky and had gorgeous weather, which made the experience that much better. The landscape almost doesn’t seem real. Photos can almost capture the beauty, but they can’t capture the feeling of standing there.

After exploring, we stopped in Bushmills to pick up lunch and enjoyed a picnic on the coach ride back to Belfast.