Clonmacnoise- the last day with the family

This was a great day with the family. We started out with a trip to Clonmacnoise which was founded in 548 by St. Ciaran overlooking the river Shannon which was the cross roads of Ireland.

The site contains a number of churches dating from the 10th -17th century, a round tower, a castle, three stone crosses and a large collection of grave slabs. Clonmacnoise was the site of many battles including the Vikings.

 The crosses are among the finest surviving High Crosses. They were carved from one piece of sandstone around 900 AD. They stand 13 feet high. One cross is called the Cross of Scriptures seen here.  The other two are the South Cross and the North Cross.

 This is the real cross and set in the building to keep it preserved.

 The Round tower dates back to 1124 built by Turlough O'Connor and O'Malone the successor of Ciaran. It was damaged by lightning in 1135.

 Temple Connor- dates to 1200AD  The building behind with the glass is where Pope John Paul  visited in 1979.

 Here you see the South Cross in the back.

True love..40 years:)

The South Cross by Temple Dowling

 This is what is left of the castle.

 We have arrived in Shannonbridge for a cup of something warm and landed in the pub below.

 A very interesting place and the coffee which I had to stick to as I was a driver.  But the rest enjoyed Irish's best! I am also warming up in front of the peat fireplace.

 Guinness' mustache!

 The party got rolling into Adam playing the fiddle with only 3 strings and horsehair bow shedding.

 Brent was playing the piano.  They decided he could play so they light the candles and brought him a book of tunes.

 They didn't let Kevin off..They even had a left-handed. guitar for him! It  happened to be the owner's  daughter's who has cut a CD which they gave us. So the party continued with another bar patron who played the right-handed guitar . His son had also cut a CD and we got that too.. Rogers and Eamon got to taste their first Coca Colas.  Lots of fun for the kids last day!

 The Shannon bridge - an old bridge that is the major crossing over the River Shannon which the largest river in the British Isles.

So cheers to you :-)

They are on their way home.....Good-bye Ireland