Day 12 – Sligo to Drogheda

After a leisurely morning, we are on the road around 9:30 and headed for our final destination.
 

Almost by accident, we discovered Glencar waterfall.
It is mentioned in the WB Yeats poem “The Stolen Child”.

Although we had not planned on going into Northern Ireland, the GPS made the decision that it was a better route today and who are we to argue with the GPS?  Northern Ireland…hmmm…there’s something about it that you just can’t put your finger on…but it’s just not as cute?  Quaint?  Sure, we only saw about a 45 minute slice of it…but it just wasn’t as appealing as what we’ve been seeing.  Km/hr became miles/hour, it’s a bit dirtier, the road signs aren’t as interesting, and the drivers are noticeably less courteous.
Since we were driving through Enniskillen , we decided to stop at Enniskillen Castle.  It was built c. 1400 by Gaelic chieftains.  It originally guarded one of the few passes into Ulster and defended the area from attack.  In the 17th century it became and English garrison fort and later served as part of a military barracks.

Back into the Republic of Ireland and our first stop is in Kells.

We visited the Round Tower at Saint Columba’s Church and got some good pictures of the High Crosses.
 

The round tower was part of the Abbey of Kells (c. 6 AD) which at one point housed the Book of Kells. 

The Abbey was restored a couple of times and eventually replaced with the present church which was built in 1778.
This cross was actually outside the tourism office.

After Kells, we found Slane Castle.
Another very large tree.
Built in the 19th century, it is now a wedding destination, dinner/meeting venue, freestyle motocross event location, and has hosted outdoor concerts by Madonna, Queen, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, U2, Bruce Springsteen REM and many more.

 
 
No trip to Ireland would be complete without visiting at least one prehistoric megalithic site, right?

 

So we took all the back roads and found Bru na Boinne.  It dates back as far as 3500 BC and is a complex of Neolithic chamber tombs, standing stones, henges, and other prehistoric enclosures.  It predates the Great Pyramids!

Unfortunately, since we came in the back way, we had no way of knowing that you had to buy entry tickets and that they didn’t sell them on-site – we would have had to spend 30 minutes back tracking to the visitor center, purchase tickets, and then get bussed up to the site.  Uh-uh.  So we contented ourselves with taking pictures from the perimeter.
We finished our journey by driving into Drogheda... ...and checked into the “d Hotel”…very nice.


Our packing popcorn light.
"Whatever you desire:" Hmmmm..


Footbridge across river outside our hotel.
 

Drogheda is an industrial and port town.  It has been settled since 3200 BC, was a trading post during Roman times, and was officially founded as a city in 911 by the Danes.

After unloading the car and consulting a town map, we hit the streets and visited the local sites.


He's not waving...he's trying to get John to give them money.
Random cool door.

Millmount Tower was built in 1182 by a Norman knight on a prehistoric mound.

The fort served as a key feature in the defenses of the city.

St. Laurence Gate is one of the best preserved Barbican gates around.
It was built in the 13th century and served as an advanced gate protecting an inner toll gate in the old town walls.

 
  Magdalene Tower is located at the highest point of the town and is all that remains of a once important Dominican Friary built in the 14th century.

Boyne Viaduct (a railway bridge) was the seventh bridge of its kind in the world and when it was completed in 1855 and was considered quite a wonder for its time.

 



In looking for a good pub, we found Kennedy Motorcycles.

Founded in 1949 by James Kennedy.

 The place is still run by the now 84 year old guy James who proudly showed off the original newspaper clipping announcing the shop’s opening and invited us to poke around and take pictures.
We finally found that pub we were looking for - Admiral’s Lounge.
We enjoyed a pint before moving onto The Laurence Inn for another pint. 

The bartender was half crazy (and VERY funny) and we met a local lady there with her daughter and a friend and spent some time comparing Ireland and the States as well as exchanging stories about raising kids.

Hunger was calling, so we ducked into an Italian joint for some really bad wine and some really great pasta. 

Since we were flying home the next day, we needed to spend some time back to the hotel repacking in preparation for the journey home.  And to catch up on some email (since we actually had FREE WiFi at the hotel).

Intentions of a short nap almost turned into all night…but we woke up around 9:15.  A quick shower and we dressed ourselves up a bit and headed out into the night.

The town was DEAD.  Ended up at The Laurence Inn for a pint before deciding to try and find music.  The bartender and bouncer both said that there was no music going on in town.  What?!?  No Irish music in Ireland on a Friday night?  We knew there was music scheduled at the hotel…so we headed back there.  Two guys with guitars doing cover songs…badly.  So bad, it became a little funny.  We were sitting at the bar watching really bad bartenders mix really bad drinks – I’ve never seen somebody muddle mint  into oblivion like they were really really pissed at it.  The topper was a lady who ordered a brandy with a red lemonade side - - - the bartender explained that the idea was to mix the red lemonade into the brandy.  Ummm…yuck.
A fuzzy picture of the "band".

Drogheda is really a nice little town that is quite confused because it is in the process of becoming a not so nice little town.  The melting pot effect has obviously diluted the Irish influence in the town and it has become a bit dirty and a bit unappealing.  As one local lady explained to us…it’s the US influence catching up with them.  Not a good thing.

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