Ireland 2024: The Northern Island Tour Part 4

 

Day 6 of the Northern Island Tour

It was the last day of the Northern Island Tour but we didn't slow down. We were a little sad all day knowing it was our last day in Ireland and we would be on an airplane the next day, heading home.

Where We Went

Downpatrick. We visited St. Patrick's Grave (Sts. Columba's and Brigid's remains are also here) and had a lovely talk/tour of the church. There were beautiful replicas of St. Patrick's Cross in front of the cemetery.

Replica of St. Patrick's Cross

Sts. Patrick, Columba, and Brigid were buried right around this marker.

The tile mosaics on the floor were designed after the Book of Kells

I loved the attention to every small detail, like the shamrock on the lamp/candle holder

View of the stained glass on the altar

Fragments of 2 crosses dating back to 1150

St. Patrick's Window

The baptismal font is the base of a cross dating back to the 10th-11th century.

An 18th Century Organ

Replica of the Town Cross. The original is in the Down Museum.

Down Cathedral is part of the Church of Ireland. Parts of the church date back to 1183 and was the site of a Benedictine Monastery. It fell into disrepair following the resolution during King Henry VIII's reign but was restored in the 18th century.

The plan was to take a ferry across Carlingford Lough and stop on the other side, but the ferry wasn't running. It turned out to be perfect; we stopped in Warrenpoint for lunch and a bit of free time. 

Memorial commemorating the passage between Warrenpoint and New Brunswick, Canada during the famine on the shores of the lough

We met another friend!

After a quick lunch at a deli, we stopped at another church. This was a Catholic Church and was a bit different than others I had seen.

St. Peter's was finished in 1840; it took 6 years to build.

We took another side trip into the Mourne Mountains to take in the view at Flagstaff Viewpoint. This gave us views of where we had been as well as Newry. The views were breathtaking; it was a great place to stop, reflect, and take some pictures.

View of Warrenpoint

Maritime Memorial

Pictorial Map of what is being viewed on the Point

Slieve Foy

My SIL & I with our amazing Vagaguide, Tomás

Our last stop was Monasterboice, famous for its High Crosses. Muiredeach's Cross is known for being the "finest High Cross" in Ireland, while the West Cross is the tallest High Cross. It was the site of a monastery founded by St. Buite who died in 521 A.D.; however, the oldest building is the round tower and the High Crosses, dating back to the 10th Century.

I believe this is the West Cross since it fits the description of the shaft being more worn than the head.

The North Cross is the oldest and plainest of the 3 High Crosses. 

Muireadach's Cross

Where We Stayed

Our tour came to a close, and my SIL & I headed to our hotel for the night. I've stayed at The Maldron before, and the convenience to the airport can't be beat. It was a little hard to get used to the small room after the hotels I stayed in during this trip, but it was only for 1 night so we managed. Our plan was to share the shuttle to the airport the next morning, but her flight departed a couple of hours after her original time so I was on my own. The airport was very easy to navigate, and going through customs before getting onto the airplane has definitely spoiled me. 

In Conclusion

Looking back over the Northern Island Tour, I'm glad I did it. I'm glad I experienced Northern Ireland. There are definitely places I would revisit, but some I would not. Even though this group was larger than my tour the week before, by the end of the trip we were all fairly comfortable with each other. Tomás did a great job of spending time with each of our "subgroups". His knowledge of the area and his flexibility to stop when he saw good photo ops really added to the tour. If you're looking to play it safe and go on a tour, Vagabond  is definitely the way to go. I felt it was personalized for each person and the groups weren't so big that you felt like you were in a big group and were forgotten about. I liked the tours so much that I booked another one not long after returning home!