A fantasy come true: My experience in Northern Ireland

When I watched the first few episodes of Game of Thrones, I never would have believed that ten years later, I would be standing in the very locations where the magic happened.

On the second day of my Chevening trip to Northern Ireland, I found myself on top of a cliff facing off to the Atlantic in what I had by then come to know as typical British weather – on and off rain!  Around the steep drops on both sides, I could see the ruins of what must be one of the best mansions in medieval Europe – Dunluce Castle. Built in the early 14^th century, it became home to the McQuillans as they ascended to lordship. Through years of regional conflicts and intermarriages, the building fell into decay. But it has remained a symbol of power and, of course, a legend of House Greyjoy in Game of Thrones.

The next stop on the tour was the famous Giant’s Causeway. By the time we reached its middle section, the rain had really started to pour. Considering my poor balance (especially on slippery stones), due to cerebral palsy, I gave up a strong desire to feel what it would be like to be a giant and claim the mystical hexagonal terrains, aided by my father. I would not risk my life or, worse, my dissertation for that! But a mere look at this World Heritage Site where Renly pledged to avenge Ned’s death to Lady Stark was all worth it.

The excursion culminated with the Dark Hedges, where I gasped at the magic of squiggly wiggly swirly whirly beech branches while chit-chatting with fellow Cheveners from all around the world – Algeria, Iran, Iraq, India, and many more countries I can’t spell! For a ‘recluse’ shunned away from social life because of her disabilities, every moment spent with real people, not just text bubbles on screens, was a personal treasure to keep and a subtle reminder that we have a long way to go before disability, or rather the social conception of disability, stops fuelling (unconscious) biases and injustices.

I could go on about how much I enjoyed the previous day when Professor Dominic Bryan talked through the troubled history of Northern Ireland and the present peace-making politics, and when MLA Kellie Armstrong led us on an unforgettable tour of the Stormont Assembly, the now collapsed Northern Ireland Parliament. But I’ll finish simply by saying, for me, these experiences mean one thing – a fantasy come true.