Ireland Redux Part VI: Navan Continued

The second day in Navan was set aside to visit Newgrange, a famous passage tomb.  After another hearty Irish breakfast of cornflakes, fried egg, bacon, sausage, toast, and coffee, we headed out for the Bru na Boinne Visitor Center (I would put the appropriate accent marks in, but I don't know how).  Well, as per our usual experience, we got lost.  About forty-five minutes later we nearly gave up when I turned onto a motorway and suddenly signs pointed the way (we discovered that signage in Ireland is hit-or-miss, especially in Dublin).  Relieved, since I really wanted to check Newgrange out, we parked and began a long walk to the visitor center from the parking lot.  

It was chaotic inside.  One of a handful of employees pulled us aside (likely to take pity on us because we looked so bewildered), and slapped two stickers on our shirts as we requested the three hour tour: Newgrange and Knowth.  Each sticker denoted the place and time the bus for each site left.  We weren't home free, though.  We still had to purchase the tickets and take another five minute walk to the bus terminal.  Luckily there was time.  

The drive to Newgrange was a short one, and I marveled at how cool and skilled the driver was on the skinny, bumpy roads.  As we piled out of the bus, Newgrange stood in the distance, 5000 years old with stories to tell.  

Well, in this case, the tour guide told the stories, and she told them well.  Most of the front of Newgrange is a reconstruction, but as true to the original as archeologists can tell.  We were able to go inside, but only after the color of our stickers divided us into two groups, since it is a narrow passage with not enough room for more than a handful of people.  My sister and I were in the second group, so we had several minutes to wander and shoot photos.

  When our turn came, I knew my sister would be nervous about the tight fit, but it wasn't so bad.  It was so much cooler inside than outside (Ireland had a "heat wave" during our week there of 70 degree temps).  The narrow passage opened up into a room with three small chambers.  The guide spoke about the possible uses of the chambers, pointed out some carvings, then smooshed us all into small groups on either side to demonstrate the approximate effect of the sunrise at winter solstice where the sun shines through the roof box (second photo above) and illuminates the whole passage, only one time a year.  Since only a few people can be in the passage mound at a time, they hold a lottery every year to select a lucky few to observe this incredible moment.  For us there was a light bulb to give us the general effect, but it was still pretty neat.

We had about a half hour between tours, so after returning to the visitor center, it wasn't long before we were boarding another bus destined for Knowth.  Knowth is larger than Newgrange, and has several smaller mounds, called satellite mounds, built around it.  Like the first tour guide, the Knowth guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining.  A young man, whom we had seen at Newgrange, walked along with our group and it wasn't long before we realized he was only acting as tourist, as at one point the guide had him (because he "volunteered") go into a hole in the ground and come out further along the path.  I can't imagine they would let just anyone do that, considering the potential liability risk (insurance agent inside of me talking here).  

Again we were able to go into the passage mound, and it was pretty incredible to see the layers of dirt and rock that had been carefully created to hold this structure up.

And though the edges of the mound had fallen over time, the ditches that were used in defense were still intact.

The "official" tour ended and we were on our own to explore.  We walked up to the top of the mound for a lovely view.

I admired the mowing techniques of the mounds...

...and just continued snapping photos until the bus arrived.

I really enjoyed Knowth.  I can't pinpoint why, but I did.  


We ate lunch at the visitor center then headed back to the B&B.  Again we rested before dinner, then headed out to a pub nearby, the Courtyard.  The entertainment book at the B&B suggested that there would be live music at the Courtyard, but we must have gone too early or there wasn't anything scheduled for that night, because except for the conversation and the television, the pub was quiet.  We had a delicious dinner, a couple of pints, and headed back to get some sleep before we started on the last leg of our journey before returning to Dublin to fly home.

Ireland Redux Part V: Navan

Reluctantly, we got back in the car on Wednesday.  We looked forward to the next leg of our journey, but the driving part was, well...

I had directions printed up through AAA and was determined to have no problems getting to Navan, County Meath, which was just over an hour away.  But, twenty minutes into the trip, we took a wrong turn and ended up in this nice, newly-developed area called Blanchardstown.  Since it was lunchtime, we stopped at KFC for a bite (yes, not authentic, but whatever).  I stared hard at the directions while I ate, thinking if I concentrated enough I would figure out how to get back on track.  Foolish, I know, so before we left I relented to the practical side of myself and asked the young men at the table beside ours for directions.  

It seems that we were headed the right way, after all, so a half hour later, we found our B&B without a hiccup.  The hostess' daughter checked us in as her parents were on their own holiday.  We got a spacious room with enough beds to accommodate a family, and a door between me and my sis should the need arise for solitude (which it did after a little argument the following day).  We rested then, since it was up the road, headed out to the Hill of Tara, the royal seat of the High Kings of Ireland. 

The roads to Tara were narrow and curvy, which spiked the stress level in the car, but we found our way without incident.  We made our way across the green, dodging sheep dung (they shared the same ground as the monument), and spent some time admiring the scenery around this ancient place.  

 After about a half hour wandering the area, we headed back to the parking lot.  Large crows weighed down the branches of the trees cawing at us.  It was loud and highly disconcerting.  A nice break from that noise was a gentleman sitting under the bus stop sign singing as he waited for a ride.

We checked out a gift shop, but then braved the narrow lanes back to the B&B where we rested again.  We spent more time than necessary vegging in our rooms, but we were that reluctant to get in the car again.

Once dinnertime rolled around, we walked into Navan to check out places to eat and ended up at a take-away/cafe.  Small and close, it's menu had simple fare.  I dug into a shepherd's pie, with which I ordered fries, er, chips.  That was way too many potatoes.

Afterward, we had a pint at the Stonehouse Inn.  We opened the door, expecting there to be a few people as it was late evening, but there were two men and the bartender watching and betting on horse races.  One chatted with us while we enjoyed our pints (my first Smithwicks, which went down smooth), but then it was time to go back to the inn for the night.