You know, I was almost concerned that I’d have no monster shenanigans to share this week! Winter is yet to release its grip on Dublin, and with plenty to keep me busy inside Beastie Towers, getting out and about has been pretty far down my list of priorities.
Fortunately, Paddy and Plunkett have bailed me out yet again! It takes a lot to keep this intrepid pair indoors, and last week saw them hopping on a train, then a bus…
… And heading north to Glenarm, where the sun is apparently still making an occasional guest appearance!
Plunkett was especially keen to check out Glenarm Castle. He loves a good castle! That’s it in the background there.
Glenarm Castle is owned by the Earls of Antrim, whose ancestors built Dunluce Castle.
Look familiar? The craggy ruins of Dunluce (albeit with a little digital alteration) pop up in Game of Thrones as Pyke, the home of the Greyjoy family!
However, it was this place that caught Paddy’s eye… A castle on a more Beastie-like scale! (And one that still has its roof!)
The pair had to have a closer look!
And Paddy checked if anyone was at home.
“Paddy! Stop kicking the gate!”
“Awwww, Plunkett! I’m pretty sure this place is MY ancestral home!”
Fortunately, Plunkett was able to win Paddy back around by mentioning how close they were to the sea. It’s just a short toddle downriver from here!
And Glenarm village is looking especially pretty today. Check out that sky!
The boys enjoyed having a good look around the harbour, which was originally built to ship out limestone from the local quarry to Britain.
The quarry has closed now, so when the sea wall was damaged in a storm about 30 years ago, it was rebuilt to create the marina you can see here today! Then…
“Hey Plunkett, what’s that?”
“Well, over there is Straidkilly Nature Reserve, one of the last places you’ll find wild red squirrels in Northern Ireland…”
“… And THAT is the old police station, which my guidebook says is now a B&B!”
“You know, Paddy, I think that might be more your kind of place than the castle…”
Unfortunately, the photos stop there – so there is no evidence of how Paddy reacted to Plunkett’s suggestion that a night in the cells might suit him better than a weekend of being lord of the manor. Let’s hope Plunkett didn’t end up taking a surprise swim!
What did you lot get up to over the Easter weekend? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments, especially if there were monsters involved! We’ll be back on Friday with the latest Beastie news… Oh, and if you missed it, April’s free calendar page is in the store now! Don’t forget to pick up yours!
I demand some photos of Beasties in Jail (is that like Pigs in Space from the Muppet Show)! These two get to have the most fun, and how exciting to see blue sky (yay!!!). Oh, if Ireland needs any red squirrels, I can bring a sackful with me – they’re invasive here (just like our grey squirrels are the invaders over there). Maybe a rodent-style hostage swap?
Sounds like a plan! I had no idea that our squirrels were over there wreaking havoc… They’re always portrayed as being the innocent victims here, because they’re smaller and (allegedly) less boisterous! The Phoenix Park is full of their grey counterparts, so bring an extra suitcase with you and take a few back home with you if you like!
As for putting Paddy in jail… Well, I’ll have to catch him first! š Excellent Muppet Show reference, too!
There’s some weird breeding program going on in my garden that’s producing squirrels that look half grey and half red. They’ve either come to a truce or they’re trying to breed one another out of existence. Battle of the Genetics! I can’t wait to board the plane with a sack full of squirrels šš
What does that make them? Gred squirrels? Also, I now have a charming mental image of you and Mr Husband travelling over on a plane where every other seat has been booked by a piebald squirrel. š
Paddy kicking the gate!!! Another wonderful post filled with lots of fun photos! Your blog is such a treat š
Thanks, Tierney! Although I’m thinking we maybe shouldn’t comment too much on Paddy’s gate-kicking antics… We don’t want to encourage him š Glad you enjoyed the trip, thanks for joining us! š
Before you asked me if those cliffs looked familiar, I thought, ‘These cliffs look familiar!’ Soooooooo pretty. Ummmm… I’m a lil worried about the trail off of pictures… are you sure the boys are okay?? Have you heard from the since?? Has a one of the many museum guards they have harassed over the years finally caught up to them?!
I spent Easter with the country cat, Grimsy. Please don’t tell Sinead tho, as I left her at home to cat-sit J&E. Needless to say, we returned home to quite the mess, and Sinead cowering up on a high shelf. Of course, she acted like things were totalllllly under control as soon as she saw us…
Erk! Well, I can’t help but admire Sinead’s optimism. In terms of comparative body mass, it’s like one of us taking up elephant-wrangling. As for Paddy and Plunkett, don’t panic! They made it home, and they’re still friends… So museum attendants of the world beware! š
Your Easter break sounds totally lovely, by the way! Thanks for dropping in š
Ooohhhh good.. so glad to hear they’re home safe! Yes, it was a lovely time in the shire, thanks! Now back to conquering reality….
Yay! (That’s for the Shire, not for reality. Reality is very much overrated.)
;I’m so glad you said why Dunluce was so familiar, otherwise I would’ve sat here all day trying to work out why I recognise an old castle in a country I’ve never been to!
I’m glad the boys managed to get out for an adventure over the weekend, we had utterly terrible weather in Scotland. I was forced to stay at home and do some crafting for four days straight, what a hardship.
Oh no! I’m sure you hated every minute of it! š
And I had a similar reaction the first time Pyke popped up on the show – I was looking at it and trying to figure out why I felt that I’d somehow been there myself! But GoT did so much filming in Northern Ireland that I’m quite used to seeing familiar places moonlighting as Westerns now! š Cheers for your comment!
Sorry to hear that winter has been hanging on a bit too long – we had snow the other day, so we’re in no better shape, Spring-wise! Great pictures of Glenarm village / castle! What a stunning structure with a gorgeous green door. Is the castle inhabited, or open to the public? (maybe this reflects my North American experience, where the ‘castles’ I’ve seen here are public attractions). š Your pictures do such a wonderful job of capturing all that coastal beauty. Lovely trip!
Why thank you, Shirley! The castle itself is open to the public (I believe) and has a lovely walled garden in its grounds. Better still, Paddy’s beloved “mini-castle” is available to book as a holiday rental! I had a look at the website when I was writing this post (because research is very important) and it looks incredible! Spring is looking a little springier today at least… Hopefully you’re getting the same! Thanks for calling in! š