We had a brief stop at the nearby cafe, where much to my delight I found a vegan chocolate bar!

Trim Castle was next on our itinerary. The Norman castle is located in the town of Trim, in County Meath, by the River Boyne. It is the largest Norman castle in Ireland. Construction commenced in 1176 and was completed by 1476. King Henry granted a lordship and land to one of his loyalists, Hugh De Lacy; in order to stop the expanding power of the 2nd Earl of Pembroke(known as “Strongbow”). De Lacy utilized the castle as the center of Norman administration. The keep, curtain walls, tower, and various other structures survive to this day. In more recent times, the castle played a role in the movie “Braveheart”.

Our next stop was a visit to Loughcrew. These cairns are ancient megalithic burial chambers built around 4000BC. Some of the stones have intricate carvings upon them.

After a walk around the grounds to examine the stone formations, we headed over to the Loughcrew Coffee Shop (Loughcrew Coffee Shop) for some lunch. Fortunately, there was a vegan soup(cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, and veggie paste) on the menu. A black currant juice complemented my meal. It was inexpensive and quite tasty.

After lunch, we were off to Monasterboice, located near Drogheda. Ruins of an early Christian monastic settlement include a cemetery, two churches, one of the highest round towers, and two of the largest celtic high crosses in Ireland.

Muirdach’s Cross is located near to the entrance. Erected around 900AD, it stands 16 feet tall. Carvings relating to biblical text are found on the cross. The Fall of Adam and Eve and the Three Magi bearing gifts to Mary and Jesus are two examples of carvings.
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Closer to the round tower is the West Cross, also from the same time period. At 6.5m high, it is the tallest high cross in Ireland. Scenes carved on its surface include the Resurrection, the Baptism of Christ, and David kneeling before Samuel. The round tower itself, is over 110 feet tall. During its heyday, the tower was utilized as a belfry, a watch-tower, and a refuge for monks and their belongings during Viking attacks.

Ruins of the ancient churches came into our view as we strolled about the settlement.

Our tour bus proceeded to Drogheda town. This port town on Ireland’s east coast is where St. Peter’s church resides. The church bears the unique distinction of displaying the preserved head of Saint Oliver Plunkett within a glass case. Oliver was martyred in 1681. He was a Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland and the last Roman Catholic martyr to be killed in England.

A quick tour around town brought us to various government buildings, churches, and the old city gate.

Eventually, we made our way back to Dublin where our tour guide dropped us off in the center of town. I decided to have dinner at HappyFood (HappyFood YogaHub Restaurant ). This all-vegan restaurant has some of the best food anywhere in the world! Everything was absolutely amazing! I started with an appetizer of buffalo cauliflower wings with HappyMayo and ketchup. My main entree was the Chia Burger with Chia Seeds, Black Beans, Chickpeas & Red Peppers in Rustic Sourdough Bun with Lettuce, Tomato, Pickled Cucumber, Onion, HappyMayo & Ketchup. For dessert, I selected the peanut butter & chocolate blondie. My beverage choice was the Snickers Shake with HappyPeanut Butter, Banana, Almond Milk & cocoa. My meal was incredibly delicious!

I enjoyed the Celtic History tour & its ancient sites, as well as the amazing vegan meals this day. I looked forward to the Blarney Stone and Castle on the following morning.