Ireland Vacation - Drive to Dublin and Ferry home

We checked out of the B&B this morning and went for a walk on the path the runs along the top of the cliffs above Tramore.

During breakfast I mentioned to the owner that I really liked Neolithic items (mounds, dolmens, etc) and other ruins. He gave us a brochure that he point together that gave directions to various Neolithic items and ruins in the area. Most of them are on private property so we couldn't walk up to them but it was pretty amazing to think that you could have something that old on your land.

We then made out way to the N9 to drive back up to Dublin. Our first stop of the day was Jeropint Abbey near Kilkenny. We walked around the abbey for a while. The abbey is famous in Ireland for the stone carvings that are on the columns that run around the courtyard. The abbey was built around 1160 by the King of Ossory, Donal MacGillapatrick, for the Benedictine monks. In 1180 it was taken over by Cistercian monks from Baltinglass Abbey.

We got back in the car and made our way to Carlow. Near Carlow is a famous burial chamber called Browne's Hill Dolmen. It dates from 2500BC and it's capstone weighs 150 tons. The area around and beneath the dolmen has never been excavated.

Our last stop of the day was about 30 minutes north of Dublin near Drogheda. The monastery of Monasterboice dates back to the 500s. However all the is known about the life there is a list of the abbots. Monasterboice is famous now for the amazing Irish High Crosses that lie among the gravestones of the current day cemetary on the site.

It was a long day in the car and we finally got a taste of the Dublin traffic around the ring road. We made our way back to the B&B that we stayed in earlier in Dublin for our last night there. We went to a local restaurant for dinner and just went back to our room.

The ferry ride back was very different than the trip over. Our ship this time was the Ulysses the world's largest car ferry. The trip took about twice as long and, since the ship travelled much more slowly, the time on the observation deck was pleasant.

The rest of the trip home was uneventful. Overall it was a nice vacation and one that we'll remember for a long time. If you don't have access to the pictues on snapfish leave a comment here.