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| Day 5: Wednesday, July 3: Kathleen and Kevin take me to see Kathleen's Uncle Pierce at his 400-year-old thatched cottage on Doagh Isle. Along the way we stop at several points of interest... |
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| The High Cross at Cardonagh - believed to have been built in the 6th century, is the oldest cross in Ireland. |
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| The Grianan of Aileach - a mammoth stone ring fort...it's believed to be about 2000 years old and was the seat of the O'Neill kings until it was raided by the King of Munster Murtagh O'Brian in the 11th Century. It's also reported that St. Patrick baptized Owen, the first O'Neill king, here in 450 A.D. Truly amazing!!!! |
| Standing atop one of the walls of the Grianan - look at that scenery! |
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| One of the passageways into the Grianan -----------------------> |
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| A view of the inside of the Grianan, taken from atop one of the walls ----------------> |
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| A tractor on the road - the roads in Ireland are incredibly narrow! |
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| The 400-year-old thatched stone cottage belonging to Pierce McCaul, Kathleen's uncle. The walls in this place are over 2 feet thick. |
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| Kathleen inside the cottage (she was boiling water in the fireplace for tea - how cool is that)!?!?!? |
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| You can't see the etchings of the crosses in this photo, but this is an altar stone on Pierce's property. Reportedly, this stone dates back about 1500 years to the days when Christianity was still a crime in Ireland...once a month a priest would travel to the site where underground Christians would gather in secret to hold services. -------------------------> |
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| The 1300-year-old ruins of Doagh Castle - from this site you can see the northernmost point of Ireland across the bay. |
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