Continued from Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 10

HEADING SOUTH FROM BELFAST
Heading south from Belfast is the relatively modern town of Portadown, where the residents can describe the coming of Cromwell’s men in the 1650s as as though it were yesterday.

Going further south from Belfast about 40 miles, Armagh is an ancient cathedral town, with fascinating museums and ruins. It dates from around the 6th century and has a very special, almost mystical atmosphere. It has a local interpretive center now very like the one at Dublin, Dubliana, and wonderful winding streets, and a great terraced effect to the town as you have to climb to get up to the Cathedral.

There is a great legend associated with Armagh, and it is said that St. Patrick founded the college here, as he moved from east to west from the down of Downpatrick.

HEADING SOUTH FROM ARMAGH
As you are heading back south toward Dublin you could also visit the site of Newgrange, the huge monolithic tomb experts think is even older than Stonehenge, and built in alignment so the sunshine from the winter solstice on the shortest day of the year comes straight up the long passage to illuminate the burial chamber within. Experts estimate that it was built in 7000 BC.

Nearby are similar excavated burial mounds Howth and Knowth, and in fact the whole area, known as the Boyne valley, is an achaeologist’s dream, it is so full of artefacts. All three places are pretty unforgettable, and like nothing you will ever see in America, or even most of Europe.

Planning Your Trip to Ireland Part 12