Our next and final stop in Ireland was Dublin.

The sites we visited in and around Dublin are listed in pink at left. 

Click on them for more information and pictures.

Keith of Discover Sligo, drove us from Sligo to Dublin.  The trip to Dublin incorporated a few stops along the way.  We stopped at the border of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, a pit stop in Kells, and then Newgrange. 

The boarder of Northern Ireland and the Republic or Ireland is no longer patrolled.  It is much like passing from state to state here in the U.S.  It was just under the presidency of Bill Clinton that this became possible, and for this reason, he is very popular in Ireland.  President Clinton helped improve relations between the North and the Republic.  The only way you can tell you are at the border is by the change in traffic markings to the English system.  (See picture below)  We stopped briefly in Northern Ireland for snacks.  They take Euro there (right along the border), but Northern Ireland is not a part of the European Union.  They use the pound sterling, just like in Britain, but they use their own bills, which are not the same as British pounds and are not used universally. 

We also passed through an area in Ireland called Virginia...we had to stop and take a picture of the road sign to prove it! 

We stopped briefly in Kells which is famous for its High Crosses and the fact that the Book of Kells was finished here in the 9th Century by monks at Kells Monastery. 

Our main stop of the day was at Newgrange which is north of Dublin.  Newgrange is a passage grave which dates back to 3200 B.C.  It looks much like a turtle's shell...as you will see in the pictures.  It was discovered that on the winter solstice the sun enters the tomb and lights up the whole passage (62 feet) and into the burial chamber.  Nobody is sure who built the massive structure. The builders would have been highly artistic and had engineering skills. 

Groups go inside the passage and into the burial chamber where the guides re-enact the solstice.  There is even OLD graffiti like etchings on the stones inside, some from the 1700's!  This is quite a touristy place, but we were there before the summer crowds hit.  It is very well kept, with nice green grass growing on top of the structure and every stone looking solidly in place.  There is a large stone in front of the entrance that has really decorative carvings all over it.  I provided a picture of it as well as a close up of the designs.  The site of Newgrange is very mystical and puzzling,  much like Stonehenge in England.