Newtownstewart (Northern Ireland) | Into the United Kingdom - Day 11

This part of Ireland has a distinctive English feel to it. Gone are the tiny cars, stone walls that divide pastures, the euro, the metric system, as well as the abundance of sheep of County Donegal. They are replaced with mid-sized cars, like the Audi A6 hatchback, a boat compared to the Toyota Auris. Shrub, hedge, and tree rows divide pastures and property boundaries. The British pound and imperial system rule the land and people speak the Queen's English here. There is also a much bigger agricultural presence here, many of the pastures are hayed, while horses and cattle are more common than sheep. 

I arrive at Newtownstewart (newton-stewart) a tiny postage stamp of a village around 230 pm. The entire plat for the village is smaller than a section, consuming only 540 acres [219 ha]. Hamilton (one of my hosts for the night) meets me in town and picks me up in his BMW X3. "The town was originally called Lislas. Under the Plantation of Ulster, Sir William Stewart came to the area and renamed the town, hence New Town Stewart," he says each word with emphasis. Hamilton is an older gentleman and quite a history buff. Following the Nine Year War and the Flight of the Earls, King James I attempted to colonize Ireland thereby stretching the influence of the Crown and Protestant religion into Ireland. This was known as the Plantation of Ireland, which effectively marked the end of the Gaelic order in Northern Ireland. Below is the remnant of Sir Stewart's castle in downtown Newtownstewart. 

You now understand why the Annals of The Kingdom of Ireland written by the Four Masters were so important. Many of the Earls (Irish Nobility) left Ireland following the Nine Year War taking with them all the history of the Gaelic order. Originally, the Earls left to seek help from Spain, however, they never returned and remained in exile in Spain. 

"See that yellow building on the corner?" says Hamilton. "That used to be a bank. The banker, William Glass, was robbed and murdered by his close friend, A Royal Irish Constabulary Officer (i.e., police officer), Thomas Montgomery in 1871," he continues as we drive by. He tells me an abridged version of the story, which you can read here, W Glass Murder  Montgomery was eventually found guilty and was the last man to hang on the gallows in Omagh (Om-Ah) in 1873. His last words? "Does hanging hurt?"

The ride is short to Sonia and Hamilton's farm. "Here's my driveway. Those are my horses. But you need to see this", he says. A few hundred feet (~60-100 m) later, he stops the car. "See that!" he says with excitement. "An Irish mile marker. There are very few left in this country. An Irish mile is longer than an imperial mile," he says. 

Surrounded by grass on the west side of the road is the marker, with the number 21 on it. The stone is about the size of a laptop and easy to overlook above the roadside borrow. The 21 refers to the number of Irish miles from this location to the town of Londonderry to the north. An Irish mile is 1.27 times longer (2.048 km) than the imperial mile we use today. "It's actually almost 27 miles to Londonderry, not 21, from here", continues Hamilton. 

We turn around and head to the house. I find myself really enjoying spending time with locals, like Hamilton, and uncovering these nuggets of history. Bob Sanders, friend and colleague from Ducks Unlimited, and I used to chat frequently about this very thing, the importance of making time to follow what he called "social threads." These conversations are the things that truly enrich our lives.

At the house, Sonia, his wife of 33 years, and their young little red-headed granddaughter, Georgie, meet us at the door. The interior of the farmhouse is beautiful. Mahagonny trim and doors really enhance the decor. The house is decorated with old porcelain pieces, antique furniture, and family photos. "We've been in the house for a little over 25 years now. I would probably change a few things if we could build it again. Mostly layout, I would love to have a vaulted entryway. And we have a sitting room we never use, like a formal living room," says Sonia as she leads me up to my room. My room sits on the corner of the 2nd floor with huge windows on the north and east walls. Spectacular view from here. Below is the view from their front yard looking northeast. It is the first time I've seen more blue sky than clouds since I left Colorado.  

Hamilton and Sonia stand outside their doorway for a picture, before I head off the next morning. We spend a good deal of the morning chatting about travel, the French Rivera, Canada, etc. Before leaving, Sonia invites me to stay with them again, the next time I'm passing through the country. She tells me to book directly with her, not through Airbnb. "It'll save a few pounds in cost," she says.