Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [486]
Monasterboice
Crowing ravens lend just the right atmosphere to Monasterboice (admission free; sunrise-sunset; ), an intriguing monastic site containing a cemetery, two ancient church ruins, one of the finest and tallest round towers in Ireland, and two of the best high crosses. The site can be reached directly from Mellifont via a winding route along narrow country roads.
Down a leafy lane and set in sweeping farmland, Monasterboice has a special atmosphere, particularly at quiet times. The original monastic settlement here is said to have been founded in the 5th or 6th century by St Buithe, a follower of St Patrick, although the site probably had pre-Christian significance. St Buithe’s name somehow got converted to Boyne, and the river is named after him. It’s said that he made a direct ascent to heaven via a ladder lowered from above. An invading Viking force took over the settlement in 968, only to be comprehensively expelled by Donal, the Irish high king of Tara, who killed at least 300 of the Vikings in the process.
The high crosses of Monasterboice are superb examples of Celtic art. The crosses had an important didactic use, bringing the gospels alive for the uneducated, and they were probably brightly painted originally, although all traces of colour have long disappeared.
The cross near the entrance is known as Muirdach’s Cross, named after a 10th-century abbot. The subjects of the carvings have not been positively identified. On the eastern face, from the bottom up, are thought to be the Fall of Adam and Eve, the murder of Abel, the battle of David and Goliath, Moses bringing water from the rock to the waiting Israelites, and the three wise men bearing gifts to Mary and Jesus. The Last Judgement, with the risen dead waiting for their verdict, is at the centre of the cross, and further up is St Paul in the desert.
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DETOUR: THE COAST ROAD
Most people just zip north along the M1 motorway but if you want to meander along the coast and see a little of rural Ireland, opt for the R166 from Drogheda north along the coast.
The picturesque little village of Termonfeckin was, until 1656, the seat and castle of the primate of Armagh. The 15th-century castle (admission free; 10am-6pm), or tower house, is tiny and worth a five-minute stop.
About 2km further north is the busy seaside and fishing centre of Clogherhead, with a good, shallow Blue Flag beach at Lurganboy. Try to ignore the caravan parks and concentrate on the lovely views of the Cooley and Mourne Mountains instead.
The 33km route comes to an end in Castlebellingham. The village here grew up around an 18th-century crenulated mansion, and generations of mud farmers served the landlord within. Buried in the local graveyard is Dr Thomas Guither, a 17th-century physician who allegedly reintroduced frogs to Ireland by releasing imported frog spawn into a pond in Trinity College, Dublin. Frogs, along with snakes and toads, had supposedly received their marching orders from St Patrick a thousand years earlier.
From here you can continue 12km north to Dundalk along the suburban R132 or join the M1 and zip off.
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The western face relates more to the New Testament, and from the bottom depicts the arrest of Christ, Doubting Thomas, Christ giving a key to St Peter, the Crucifixion, and Moses praying with Aaron and Hur. The cross is capped by a representation of a gabled-roof church.
The West Cross is near the round tower and stands 6.5m high, making it one of the tallest high crosses in Ireland. It’s much more weathered, especially at the base, and only a dozen or so of its 50 panels are still legible. The more distinguishable ones on the eastern face include David killing a lion and a bear, the sacrifice of Isaac, David with Goliath’s head, and David kneeling before Samuel. The western face shows the Resurrection, the crowning with thorns, the Crucifixion, the baptism of Christ, Peter cutting off