It’s been many months since the last Killultale. But I’m back because I just had to show you this place.
When Babymac* and I were little, Nanny McMillan used to sing, ‘Oh I do like to be beside the sea-side, oh I do like to be beside the sea…‘
Since she was usually handing out picnic food or ice cream at the same time, we just sang along in agreement. Today she would have been in her element. We spent the whole day by the sea, climbing sand dunes, picnicking, collecting shells and generally getting windswept and salty.
We love visiting the village of Dundrum for the occasional weekend or wee holiday. Within a 5 minute walk there’s a C12th ruined castle, the shore, a disused railway line for exploring, Squid Shack for epic food, and the wonderful Murlough National Nature Reserve.
Simon and the boys have been here all week for Boys’ Holiday. I am absolutely not, under any circumstances, allowed on this annual trip, for obvious reasons. However, once it got to Friday and the weekend weather promised to be good, they pronounced Boys’ Holiday over and I was allowed to join.
Dundrum** – a tiny, picturesque village – is set back in a sheltered bay at the foot of the mountains.
The scenery here is hard to ignore and we love it. The Mourne Mountains, N.Ireland’s highest mountain range, seem to rise up out of the Irish Sea. Anyway. I’ll stop wittering and just get on with the photo-journal of our day.
Don’t all book your hols at once…though we do, of course, look forward to seeing as many of you as we can squeeze in during the coming year (COVID permitting!).
PS. despite Babymac not being here in person, she played a key part in getting the day underway…
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*my sister in Bicester
**birthplace of famous people like my fellow Collegian Patrick Kielty. Actually, he’s it.
Killultales 
Dear Sarah
Greetings from Oxford!
Good to hear from you and to see you all looking so well.
And thank you so much for the Dundrum/Murlough photos.
Dundrum was where my Mum had her first teaching post, during the war. It was on a train on the now-disused railway line that my Mum and Dad first met (the child that Mum was escorting back to Belfast offered Dad a sweet, and conversation went from there). One of the best holidays of my childhood was in an estate cottage on the Murlough estate. You will gather from this that it was a deep pleasure to see your pictures!
Glad it was such a great time out.
Love
Jane
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PS If you happen to see Ruth and Keith Gardiner at church, do please greet them from me!
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Always lovely. We’d love to visit the places you talk about. The boys must be bigger now. Mine is going to a secondary school next year. When we met in the summer camp they were little. 😊
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Ah looks lovely, I look forward to visiting with you one day.
This was my view yesterday afternoon.
Sent from my iPhone
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So lovely to hear from you and see your smiling faces. It looks beautiful!
Sending love from Bicester
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