April 23rd

Another early morning started with a delicious breakfast with the group and we boarded our coach and drove to Lough Crew Cairns or burial tombs near Oldcastle, Co. Meath. We had about an hour drive which is why I chose the Nuremore Hotel for it's location in the North Midlands. Our driver, Paul, said I should write a book called "Ken O'Malley's Backroads of Ireland" as I have him driving all over the place.We arrived at Lough Crew House and Gardens and I gave the lady, Noleen, in the cafe 50 Euros to borrow the key for the tomb we were going to visit, sounds like King Tut...that was a deposit to make sure I returned it. She told us to drive up the road about a mile and take the first left turn, which we did and I was quite happy when we were able to drive the bus all the way up to a parking lot. Little did we know that it was a two mile walk up a steep hill to 8oo ft elevation, that's 150 feet higher than Trump Tower in New York, whereupon we arrived at the top of the world in that area. We could see for about fifty miles in every direction. They said you could see seven counties in all directions. The view was amazing and worth the hike, though several of our group did not make the summit.

The cairn is 5000 years old and the surrounding area had mini Stonehenge circles. It was very chilly up there but Ken O'Malley luck held and it did not rain, we were blessed. Only two or three at a time could enter the cairn and the carvings on the stones were clearly visible, it had a very spiritual vibe.
We trecked all the way back down and drove back to the cafe for coffee, scones, fresh whipped crem and local raspberry jam, perfect after the hike. Noleen asked me asked if we wanted to check out the gardens but I told her we had walked enough today....four miles up and back.

We got back on the coach and the heavens opened, it started to lash rain, timing is everything. I planned on us spending some time in the old town of Kells about a half hour drive north on the way to the hotel. Some of the group needed to hit the ATM and the Bank for cash. I walked around a bit by myself and everyone else took time out to browse the shops and pubs. I visited an old church where Oliver Cromwell, that bastard who slaughtered the Irish in the mid 17th century, stabled his armies horses in and around that church. There is a round tower dating from the 10th century behind the church and that was quite impressive, still in one piece.

We headed back to the hotel and I believe most of us had a lie down before dinner after our busy day.