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| Scotland
and Ireland Tour
July 2006
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Thistle and Shamrock
Tour - The Presbyterian Journey:
from Scotland . . to Ireland . . to America
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Dr. Robb Frank's adult education class January 8 to February
12, 2006, was entitled A Hop, Skip, and a Jump: The Presbyterian
Journey to America and discussed the roots of Presbyterianism
in America. Maps, films, and books were used to learn how
Knox, Calvin, and others brought the Reformation from Europe,
developed the “Kirk” in Scotland, hopped over to
the Emerald Isle, and how Makemie (a fine Irish lad) brought
Presbyterianism to America.
It culminated in a "Thistle and Shamrock Tour," a
trip in which group of 22 members and friends of First Presbyterian
Church, led by Robb Frank and Diane Easter, traveled to Scotland
and Ireland from July 5-15, 2006, to learn more about our
Presbyterian roots.
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The 10-day trip included bus and ferry travel to the remote
and sacred isle of Iona where early monks
began illustrations of the gospels known today as The Book of
Kells. Sunday worship services were attended at St. Giles'
Cathedral, home church of John Knox, minister of the Reformation
in Scotland in the 1500s. We hiked along the Antrim coast
in Northern Ireland to the Giant's Causeway, a visually
intriguing geological phenomenon. In Belfast we heard Joe,
our bus driver, proclaim, "I'm not takin' me bus in thar!" as
we drove toward the July 12th Orangemen marchers. Later
we witnessed the marching and realized how a bus registered in
Dublin could have been unwelcome. There were many
other stops along the way including the The Old Bushmill Distillery
(where some of us voluntarily became taste-testers) and Inverary
Castle near Loch Lomand. We returned with new appreciation
for the quality and craftsmanship of Beleek porcelain.
The trip was highlighted by the excellence of our traveling
companions and everyone's willingness to try new food, check
out the corner pubs, and patiently wait for the dyed-in- the-
wool shoppers to get back on the bus! As tour guide
Ian McDonald would say, the entire adventure was "pure dead
brilliant!" |
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Helen White, Fran Brocker, and Jane Wilson on Loch Lomond
in Scotland.
Loch Lomond is the largest fresh water Loch, or lake, in the
UK. It is 24 miles long and five miles wide and at its
deepest point is about 600 feet deep.
This loch is the one described in an old song as
".. the bonnie, bonnie banks
O' Loch Lomond." |
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Scotland landscape between Loch Lomond
and Inveraray Castle.
Inveraray Castle is a castle in western Scotland. It is the seat
of the Chief the southern branch of the Clan Campbell, the Duke
of Argyll. The castle's construction was begun in 1746, commissioned
by Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll; and it was completed
in 1789 for John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll, and his wife,
Elizabeth. |
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Kathy Suhr, Fran Brocker, and
Helen White on the grounds of a church in Scotland.
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Robb Frank and Diane Easter at Stirling Castle in Scotland.
Stirling
Castle is at the highest navigable point of the Forth
and on the main travel routes both north-south and east-west.
This Castle, which pins the Scottish Highlands to the Scottish
Lowlands, first appears in recorded history in the 12th century.
It sits 250 feet above the plain on an extinct volcano and played
a major part in the Scottish struggle against English domination.
Mary Queen of Scots spent her childhood in the castle, and her
coronation took place in the Chapel Royal there in 1543.
Stirling Castle is the headquarters of the Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders regiment, although the regiment is no longer garrisoned
there. The regimental museum is located within the castle.
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| Jim and Kathy Suhr, Diane Easter, Robb Frank, Lorrie
Leahigh, Jack and Jane Wilson, Beth Frank, Sue Hervey, and
Carrie Frank in front of John
Knox house in Edinburgh, Scotland. |
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Our "elderly" companions
Helen White, Fran Brocker, and Ed Tweedie posing for a picture
during a stop in Ireland. |
| Group picture in front of Taylor's
Three Rocks in Dublin, Ireland, where the
travelers enjoyed a night of Irish singing and dancing. |
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Our thanks to Robb Frank
for the photos and Sue Hervey and Diane Easter for the information
about the trip!
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