Today was our last full day in Ireland. We took it really easy this morning, mostly because I slowed us down (Not true – Chuck). I’m not sure if I have a minor cold or if I’m allergic to something blooming in Ireland right now (or maybe some combination), but the ongoing congestion has made it necessary to take Benadryl at night, which makes it difficult for me to wake up in the morning. Luckily, we had already planned to be a bit lazier today, enjoying a slower pace on our last day.

We started out by heading to the Hill of Tara, an area full of monuments built by people long gone, from the neolithic farmers to the Celtic people that came after to the early Christians converted by St. Patrick himself. This site is said to be the site of St. Patrick’s first confrontation with the pagans in Ireland (we’ve seen so many sites of “St. Patrick’s first ____ in Ireland” on this trip that it’s difficult to keep them straight now). An old church (now turned visitor center) and cemetery stand on the grounds where an older church once stood (and likely another older one before that). Nearby, neolithic burial mounds and a passage tomb are sprinkled around earthworks used for inauguration rituals for the Irish high kings. In the middle of these earthworks is the “Stone of Destiny” that is said to “call out” under the foot of a chosen Irish king. (I touched it with my hand and heard nothing, but perhaps I should have taken my shoe off and tried with my foot. I also was not naked, which the film in the visitor center listed as a critical part of the ritual for identifying a true Irish king.) The sun was bright and warm again today and the grass and shamrocks every bit as green as the Irish travel brochures promise, sprinkled with little yellow buttercups. It made it easy to imagine the different ceremonies and rituals conducted across thousands of years as the beliefs of the people here changed over time.

We grabbed some sandwiches at the nearby cafe and did a little book shopping at a used bookstore where I found a copy of Irish Fairy Tales and Folklore by the beloved Irish poet W.B. Yeats before heading on to Kells to complete our St. Columba / Book of Kells journey that we started in Scotland in 2023 with our visit to Iona. I’ve lost track of all the St. Columba related sites we’ve encountered, but at the very least we’ve been to the ruins of the monastery on Iona where the Book of Kells was written, to the monastery at Kells (just today) where the book was taken when they fled the viking raids, to the old library at Trinity College where it’s now held, as well as a couple of the other monasteries that he founded during his time in Ireland. The man got around.

After Kells, we headed back toward Trim, stopping along the way at the ruins of Bective Abbey. We’ve observed that the Irish people are very clever. While many other countries demolish old, crumbling buildings and build something else in their place, Ireland lets them be. But they don’t stop there. They somehow convince us to pay them money to go see their old decaying buildings. And we do it. Sometimes we even reserve a spot ahead of time to go see their old, crumbling undemolished buildings so that we don’t miss out if the site is at capacity from the crowds of other people that want to see broken down walls. Bective Abbey was different in the respect as there was almost no one else there and it was completely free of charge to visit. There were also no posted rules prohibiting climbing and few areas marked as off limits, but instead just a list of warnings about what could happen to you as you explore a building that’s been falling down slowly over the last few hundred years. There wasn’t a ton of information provided on the significance of the site (which perhaps was why it was uncrowded and free to visit), but the cloisters were still mostly in tact, which always makes for picturesque ruins.

After Bective Abbey, we moved on to our next set of ruins – Trim Castle. This one had a hybrid pricing model – free to explore the grounds but pay a small fee to climb up into the keep and face that extra bit of danger. It turned out to be a pretty warm afternoon and we’re now somewhat unaccustomed to intense, direct sunlight. I’m also still not feeling well, so we opted to keep our ten euros in our pockets and make a quick lap around the castle grounds before heading back to the rental apartment for some rest.

As it was our last night in Ireland, a traditional Irish pub seemed like the most fitting choice for dinner. But it turns out, Trim doesn’t have much in the way of traditional pubs that also sell food. We found one on the outskirts of town and made the short drive out there for one last comfort meal and a pint of Guinness. We wrapped up the night with a sunset stroll along the river walk to yet another set of ruins (St. Peter & St. Paul Cathedrals) before calling it a night.

Today’s Highlights

• Standing on a grassy hill in bright Irish sunshine looking out for miles at the surrounding area
• Not being transported to another time or another world when I touched the Stone of Destiny
• Making friends with a rook while we ate our lunch
• Book shopping
• Looking at crumbling old buildings FOR FREE
• One last pub meal and a pint of Guinness
• Beautiful sunset stroll along the River Boyne

Tomorrow’s Proposed Adventures

• Returning a rental car
• Flights home