Day 13 - County Down

This is going to be our last day on the road for this trip and we left Belfast and travelled into County Down to the town of Saintfield. We located the Church of Ireland where Chris's Great-Grandfather was the Vicar from 1873-1890.  He subsequently emigrated to Canada in 1893.

Amazingly, they had a photo of him on the wall!

Saintfield was a very quaint little town and we went across the street to a cafe for coffee and pastry.

We continued on our drive to Dublin and on our way decided to visit the resting place of St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, at Down Cathedral. 

His remains lie beneath the stone shown below.

The cathedral has undergone several periods of ruin and rebuilding dating back a dozen centuries. There are remnants of the 8th century St Patrick's High Cross in the entrance porch. 

This is the replica cross in the churchyard

We met the organist who plays the 18th century organ, one of the finest in Ireland. he had actually visited Niagara-on-the-Lake recently.

An interesting layout with boxpews and a Bishop's Throne in the midst of the worship area.

From here we drove through the lush and rolling countryside enjoying the green views on our way to return our rental car in downtown Dublin. We are going to be on foot for the next few days and didn't need it any longer. Given how long the taxi ride took to go just a few km to our hotel, I'm glad we got rid of it.

We are right in the heart of the city with plentiful restaurants and pubs at our doorstep.

We walked across the street to the "Hairy Lemon" for supper. They sure know how to pick names for pubs here!

The wine glass wasn't that big, just the effect of the wide angle lens

For a second pint, it was only a block to walk to "The Long Hall", a pub frequented by Bruce Springsteen when he is in town. It is a relatively new venue, only 250 years old.