2/49 – The Final Word (for now) – 05-14 Oct 2024

So I’ve completed the journey; I’ve visited every place called Belfast, that I could find, in Canada and N America! Some were more substantial than others, and some were sad, or virtually non-existent, remnants to their former selves. A couple I discovered in name only and as they didn’t appear on any map, didn’t get a visit. One, Belfast Cemetery in Idaho, was definitely a dead place; it didn’t even look like a cemetery on the map and so far off my track, that I elected not to go there.

Some were, undoubtedly, named after the Mother City, while others were named after Belfast, Maine. For others the origin of the name is shrouded in mystery or folklore. In one instance, the town was named, and though it never materialised, the area is still called Belfast and recognised as such by its inhabitants. Belfast, Maine and Belfast, New York, are the largest thriving Belfasts, and can definitely be accorded the status of a town; many of the others could be described as hamlets and the remainder are crossroads or junctions where once there was a town.

There were some similarities linking the places. Many were founded or named by immigrants directly from Ireland, while others were named by those who had been local for a while. Sometimes there was a story behind the name, as with the bell getting stuck fast in PEI’s swamp, or the coin toss in Maine. For the most part though, it seems, they got the name because someone was nostalgic for and needed a reminder of the home they had left behind, and maybe hoped to recreate.

Whatever the case, the people who live in Belfast, or whose ancestors lived in them, are proud of their history and of their Irish heritage. “Céad mile failte” was certainly the order of the day; I was made welcome in every location, with folk going out of their way to meet me or to find information for me, and I thank them all. It was the people I met that made this journey so memorable, and not just those in Belfast, but those who helped me succeed in whatever measure in reaching my goal.

So now the question is when exactly does Part 2 end, and Part 3 begin? Well, that’s a good question.

While enjoying Mona’s hospitality, which included trying to get myself back into shape at her gym,

eating and drinking well

and rocking the night away,

And planting some trees as part of Mona’s conservation efforts, which includes working with neighbours to plant in their own gardens

I started the task organising Part 3. More complicated than I expected, this involves, cleaning the bike, organising the shipping and legalities of sending it to New Zealand, and of course planning my own travels back to Ireland and France while the bike crosses the sea.

Talking of the bike. It was running well as I arrived in Fresno and continues to do so. It doesn’t like the heat – it was upper 30s C here – and oozes oil from a spot I have yet to definitely locate. I think it is the cylinder head gasket, but can’t be sure; it’s still not much, and while annoying, not enough to worry about. I decided that this was not the time or place to start dismantling things, so it will go to New Zealand as is and if needs be, I’ll sort it out there. I have a feeling though, that in true Honda fashion, it will just keep on going and wreaking it’s revenge on me by quietly covering my lower leg with oil.

While wading through all this administration, one of Mona’s housemates, who hosts a weekly local TV chat show, invited me onto the show, Everything Sparkle at 21:20. This latest, new experience – being interviewed in a real TV studio with lights, cameras and hooked-up microphones – seemed to me to be a as good a cut-off as any. So with thanks to Sparkle Soojian, I’ll draw the curtain on N America and see you all again down under.

Everything Sparkle – Go to 21:20

À bientôt!