Ireland

Took off from Manchester at 8am yesterday - 35 minute flight into Dublin. Haha, how do Aer Lingus staff know that all passengers are on board? They do a head count. Anyway, by 9.45 I'd picked up my hire car and was on my way. I've got a Nissan Micra - the world's smallest car!! Only just fits my case, computer and camera in the boot. But it's easy to drive and cheap to run.
5 minutes down the road and I found myself in a town called Swords, complete with ruined castle. Photo op #1. It wasn't open yet though so I only saw the outside. I'm sure there are better ones to look at though.
I had intended to head for Galway and start touring from there. But, a few miles along I saw a sign to the Battle of the Boyne so headed there. Glad I did. I ended up on a tour (5 euros) of the passage tombs of Knowth. Fascinating place: one huge mound surrounded by 18 smaller ones. Megalithic art carvings on most of the kerbstones surrounding the main tomb. Apparently one-third of Europe's known megalithic art can be found at this one site.



From there I found myself in Drogheda, on the east coast. So much for heading west! The town itself looks a bit rundown but it was full of old churches, a fort and a ruined abbey. The tomtom GPS I've got a loan of kept sending me the wrong way up one-way streets. Spent about an hour trying to find one particular church I could see the spire of. Gave up in the end.
I ended up in a town called Navan where I found a room in the Ardboyne Hotel. Haha, the only room left was the bridal suite so I got it at standard room price (69 euros). Sweet. Lovely hotel and the staff are great too.

There are a couple of things nearby I want to look at today - there's an abbey up the road and Kells is about 20 miles west. The Book of Kells has always fascinated me so I have to go see.....
Then I'll head west to Galway I think. Or I might see another interesting sign and follow that....

Time for breakfast. Later.....