Louth, Ireland
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Muiredach's Witness
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275
XP
2 days
Monasterboice, Mellifont and the Battle of the Boyne
275 XP
The Boyne Valley did not stop being important when the passage tombs were built. Muiredach's High Cross at Monasterboice stands 5.5 metres high and is generally reckoned the finest high cross in Ireland, beside a round tower of 28 metres. A few kilometres away, Mellifont was the first Cistercian abbey in the country, founded in 1142 at the instigation of St Malachy to bring continental monasticism to Ireland. And at Oldbridge on 1 July 1690, William III beat James II on the river and settled who would wear the English crown.
Required Activities
1
of 4
Find Muiredach's High Cross at Monasterboice, 5.5 metres tall and regarded as the finest high cross in Ireland, beside a 28-metre round tower
2
of 4
Walk the ruins of Mellifont Abbey, Ireland's first Cistercian abbey, founded in 1142 on the orders of St Malachy
3
of 4
Visit the Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre at Oldbridge, where William III defeated James II on 1 July 1690
4
of 4
Compare Monasterboice's round tower with Mellifont's Cistercian ruins, a few kilometres and several centuries apart
Find Muiredach's High Cross at Monasterboice, 5.5 metres tall and regarded as the finest high cross in Ireland, beside a 28-metre round tower
Walk the ruins of Mellifont Abbey, Ireland's first Cistercian abbey, founded in 1142 on the orders of St Malachy
Visit the Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre at Oldbridge, where William III defeated James II on 1 July 1690
Compare Monasterboice's round tower with Mellifont's Cistercian ruins, a few kilometres and several centuries apart
Before you go
Mellifont Abbey opens from the start of April to the start of October. Monasterboice is open all year and free, and the Battle of the Boyne centre opens year round.
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XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
275 XP
Potential total
275 XP
Stop 2 of 4 · Drogheda and Monasterboice
6 nights · 9 things to do · Ireland, Leinster
Six nights in one small valley that holds five thousand years: the passage tombs at Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, the kingship at Tara, the first Cistercians at Mellifont, and the battlefield of 1690.
Stop 2 of 7 · The Boyne Valley
14 nights · 25 things to do · Ireland, Leinster
A loop from the ferry: Viking Dublin, the Boyne tombs, medieval Kilkenny, the Rock of Cashel, the Copper Coast, the Hook and Glendalough.
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