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!
