"If stones could speake"

Our day seemed to be full of roundabouts and turning around to cover the same ground twice due to traveler's mishaps like lost wallets and the misreading of road signs. We've fondly dubbed our GPS Fiona, and when she kindly says "recalculating…" I know I've made a mistake and she is spinning her satellite mind to find a save. The one great thing about a roundabout is that most times you can keep circling until you sort out the right signpost and then come at it again, being mindful, of course, of the traffic flow at all times. Today we left Antrim to visit Derry before heading to Donegal—another beautiful day.

There is an inscription on the information plaque at the Ferryquay Gate when you enter the Walled City of Derry that reads "If stones could speake." The words are part of the foundation stone of St. Columb's Cathedral, Derry's oldest surviving building and obviously refer to the the rich history of the town with two names—Derry and Londonderry—from its founding in the 6th century as a monastery to the more recent history in the 1960s civil rights movement and the Battle of the Bogside. Yet, as I reflect back on our tour of Kilmainham Jail, the ruins of old castles we've seen along the road, even the wee stones we plucked from Whitepark beach, I realize that stones all over this Emerald Isle, whether worked by human hands or by nature or by the spirits, have stories to tell. It is our job to listen.

Today we had the honor to listen to Kevin, one of the Bogside Artists whom we met in the People's Gallery in Free Derry just outside the Walled City. The Bogside district was a battle zone during the 1960s Troubles and has a rich history of struggle. The Bogside Artists grew up in Derry during the Troubles and lived first hand the tragedies and struggles of the working-class revolution for civil rights and freedom. He recounted for us much of the history of the Battle of Bogside and how as grown men, he and the two other artists, came up with the idea of the Bogside Murals to record history and commemorate key events in the Troubles. There are 12 murals throughout a stretch of Rossville St. in Bogside, known as Free Derry. Up close or from the Walled City, these murals, all on gabled sides of housing complexes, are striking and moving. Talking with Kevin was a humbling experience and we walked away awed and hushed. For more information on the Bogside Artists: http://www.bogsideartists.com/