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Today my Aunt Nora contacted John Hume to see if we can meet, so the younger ones could get a chance to speak with him.
See, John has spent most of his adult life trying to bring both the Catholics and Protestants together for a peaceful Ireland. He held a seat in the European Parliament and in 1998 he was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, this he shared with another gentleman from Ireland, David Trimbull.
Back to Derry to meet John, he suggests we all go with him to Beech Hotel. The hotel was used by the Americans during World War II for training exercises for there troops station in Derry. The hotel was also used to house the captains of the surrendered German U-boats.
Walking into the hotel with John was not what I expected, in the small lobby were these pictures hanging on the wall. With a closer examination I see President Bill Clinton and other U.S. dignitaries with John at their side. They too were brought to this place to have tea like us. To talk to John you would never know his role and status but once you look around and hear the talk on the radio you see the important role he played in the signing of the Peace Accord.
The group splits up and Julie, I and the kids venture out on our own. We end up at an old fort. Dunfree Fort is position at the mouth of Lough Swilly. Built by the English to protect the harbor during World War II. Some of the old guns/cannons still remain today the outpost looks like a castle built on the rocks.
Getting late we head back to the house need to start packing up for tomorrow we leave for Liverpool England.
That evening Linda our host from the gathering several nights ago stops to chat and say good-bye. Before long it’s close to 12:00 midnight and she leaves for home. It’s easy to lose track of time because the sun stays up till 11:00 PM and night never seems to become completely dark. We need to be on the road to Belfast City airport by 7:00 AM.
See, John has spent most of his adult life trying to bring both the Catholics and Protestants together for a peaceful Ireland. He held a seat in the European Parliament and in 1998 he was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, this he shared with another gentleman from Ireland, David Trimbull.
Back to Derry to meet John, he suggests we all go with him to Beech Hotel. The hotel was used by the Americans during World War II for training exercises for there troops station in Derry. The hotel was also used to house the captains of the surrendered German U-boats.
Walking into the hotel with John was not what I expected, in the small lobby were these pictures hanging on the wall. With a closer examination I see President Bill Clinton and other U.S. dignitaries with John at their side. They too were brought to this place to have tea like us. To talk to John you would never know his role and status but once you look around and hear the talk on the radio you see the important role he played in the signing of the Peace Accord.
The group splits up and Julie, I and the kids venture out on our own. We end up at an old fort. Dunfree Fort is position at the mouth of Lough Swilly. Built by the English to protect the harbor during World War II. Some of the old guns/cannons still remain today the outpost looks like a castle built on the rocks.
Getting late we head back to the house need to start packing up for tomorrow we leave for Liverpool England.
That evening Linda our host from the gathering several nights ago stops to chat and say good-bye. Before long it’s close to 12:00 midnight and she leaves for home. It’s easy to lose track of time because the sun stays up till 11:00 PM and night never seems to become completely dark. We need to be on the road to Belfast City airport by 7:00 AM.
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