St. Oliver Plunkett

  Drogheda, Ireland
Monday, October 29, 2007

So for the rest of the week I signed up for a "Paddywagon" tour to Northern Ireland.  Not gonna lie, the tour was mad shady and full of gap year Aussies who didn't quite get the whole Northern Ireland conflict thing.  What I was told was that everyone should just chill out like Australia and people wouldn't get in fights...yeah...

The Paddy Wagon Bus

After waiting for the whole tour to get organized, we got on a big, very green bus with our tour guide, a local...and quite possibly an alcoholic...with the dirtiest mouth I've ever heard.  Well...it was interesting.

On our drive up to Derry we first stopped at a cemetery which has the largest Celtic cross in Ireland.

Tallest Celtic Cross in Ireland

The cemetery was cool and completely in the middle of nowhere.  We wandered around for a few minutes while another tour bus unloaded as well.  After some quick pictures we got back on the bus.

Except the bus didn't start again.  Told ya it was a shady tour.  After 15 minutes of trying to get it started, the guide wanders off in search of a phone..or something.  No one is quite sure as he kind of just mumbled and cussed a lot.  Luckily, after a bit more time he comes back in, gives it one more try and magically it starts!

We could get to our next destination, at least, and switch buses there.  Our next destination just so happened to be Drogheda where a church contains the relics of Sir Oliver Plunkett, who as archbishop stood against the rule of england for which he was, naturally, tried for treason, and wrongfully convicted.  Then he was hung, drawn and quartered!  Luckily his head was still intact so that when he was finally canonized in 1975, his head could remain permanently on display.  I probably wasn't supposed to take pictures...but I just couldn't resist.

St. Oliver Plunkett's Head 3

Our last quick photo-op before entering North Ireland was Slane Castle.  It's a castle...there's a bunch in Ireland...this wouldn't be special except it's where U2 played their first concert!  Can't get more Irish than that.  Basically, the owner throws a huuuge rock concert once a year to raise funds for the upkeep of his house.  He used to do it more but the neighbors got upset.

Slane Castle 2