After a delightful morning being entertained by Maria and Jerry, our B&B hosts, we loaded up the car and decided to take a relatively quick trip to Monasterboice which was located relatively close by. Across from the small car park, and next to the entrance to the grounds, stood a lovely garden of various types of roses.
Walking into the cemetery, it wasn't difficult to spot the famous high cross, regarded as the finest in all of Ireland.
If you recall, Marty and I had stopped to see a high cross off the side of a lough earlier in our trip, but the details of the biblical scenes had pretty much worn off that one. Not so for this one, as you can see here.
We were handed a "cheat sheet" that detailed everyone of the carvings on not only this cross, but a second cross that stands just at the foot of the tower. Both the Old and the New Testaments are featured.
Marty managed to use the wide angle on his phone to capture this full image of the tower, which stands 35 meters high.
This structure was used as a watchtower during times of Viking attack. It was constructed in the 10th century.
We certainly found it to be amazing to be standing among such preserved treasures from long ago.
From there we headed to Millmont Abbey which was significantly larger than the one that we had seen yesterday. There were several interesting features, including an octagon shaped room, right in the middle.
Like yesterday's monastery, this one was also dissolved in the 1500's and was converted for use as a manor house. Much of its stone was used to build a mill nearby on this land. But, the outline of the Abbey and several of the structures enable one to imagine just how impressive this building was at one time.
By now it was time to venture towards Swords, where our B&B is located. We headed East, just to get a quick peek at the Irish Sea. We saw some Irish Sea Gulls
and lots of boats in the harbor.
And some brave families venturing out into the water.
Today was not nearly as hot as yesterday. I'm willing to bet that beach was filled with swimmers yesterday attempting to cool off!
We finally arrived at Swords, checked into our B&B, and headed into the town to return our rental car. All went smoothly, and we stopped for a 99P cone as a treat.
Let me just say....it was delicious!
Just around the corner was Swords Castle, so we popped in to take a peek. After all, it was free for the viewing, so why not?
We even managed to maneuver the curved steps in the turret to check out some of the interior rooms that were on display.
Afterwards, we walked around a bit, enjoying the beauty of the flowers that seem to be just about every where in this town.
Marty spotted a music store, and decided to pop in and buy an authentic Irish Tin Whistle.
Now that should lead to some interesting times.
Then, we headed to a local pub which had become highly recommended by Bridie.
The ambiance is charming, and the dinner was quite tasty. It was our last dinner here in Ireland, and I finally decided to order the fish and chips. Perfect!
I leave you with a photo that I spotted in the bar.
I'd say that pretty much sums up Marty's take on life: Guinness and fishing. Both in Ireland would be even better!
And so, here we come to the end of our Ireland adventure. Tomorrow we head to the airport to hopefully get through all of the commotion without any issues. I hope that you've enjoyed following our travels!
Until next time....
👏👏👏👏
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