Biking Through The Brú na Bóinne

For me, when I hear ‘Brú na Bóinne’ (Palace of the Boyne) it immediately conjures images in my psyche of a near mystical valley landscape. What I have in my imagination, though, is not that far from the truth – the Boyne valley is one of the most archaeologically rich and important locations in Ireland, Europe and even the world (reflected by its World Heritage Site status). It seems it is impossible to turn a corner without tripping over a significant monument. The culture associated with the series of prehistoric monuments is often referred to as the ‘Boyne Culture’ and most sites associated with the culture predate the Egyptian pyramids and consist of Neolithic mounds, passage tombs, chamber tombs, standing stones, henges and enclosures, but the core sites (and most popular tourist attractions and the World Heritage Sites) remain the passage tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth; but there are other major sites - approximately ninety - in the vicinity such as the Hill of Tara, the Hill of Slane, Loughcrew etc.

I had taken my time programming in GPS coordinates for sites of interest into the TomTom GPS gifted to me, now fitted handily onto my handlebars, and we had decided to make Newgrange Lodge our ‘base of operations’ – its location on the bend of the Boyne is close to just about everything there is to see and opens up central Ireland for exploration without the need for a ‘dash’ to a campsite for the evening. It was also a relief to not have to carry all the camping equipment throughout the weekend. Plus, there was the added element of the sheer excitement of the forthcoming trip – a month had passed since the last one and as times goes on, I literally ache to get away on the bike. The year is flying by in an all too quick blur and before I know it I’ll be stuck indoors staring wistfully out the window, waiting for the weather to break again.

View of the sunset and Newgrange

Friday evening was always going to be something of a motorway ‘blast’ south to Drogheda, but the roads were relatively empty once we were near Newry; landmarks are now known to us such as the crannog on Loughbrickland Lake (Loch Bricleann – meaning Bricriu's Lake) and the wonderful Ring of Gullion landscape. They act as markers for the journey south and an indication of progress. The now familiar skyline of Drogheda was a comfort in a strange way, giving succour and relief from the grind of the rat race. I used to find myself excited by these trips then that morphed to a craving, now they are a genuine necessity, assuaging my body and soul of every day detritus and acting as a complete escape. We set up camp in the field adjacent to the main lodge building at Newgrange, beside tall swaying grasses and a purple hued sunset. It was, simply, idyllic and this peaceful disposition was only enhanced further when we opened some Erdinger weißbiers! The bikes and tents, against the setting sun with Newgrange in the background, looked noble and purposeful as if they belonged there, and I felt I belonged there too. The night was cold though, and even as I write this it remains an unseasonal July; more akin to a cold October than the height of summer but then again, in Ireland, ‘summer’ is a loose term and, at best, a fluid concept! 

Dunsany entrance and pilgrim cross

The next morning after a shower and continental style breakfast (a welcome break from the usual full [fried] Irish), we awaited Anthony’s arrival which was signalled by the unmistakable sound of a air-cooled boxer engine. We helped erect his tent and were soon off to our first destination; Dunsany Castle. We were following the GPS, however this first attempt soon went awry. Although I had programmed with great precision the location of the gates, what I failed to realise is that Dunsany is only open some of the time, as it is still the home of Randal Plunkett, the 21^st Baron of Dunsany. Dunsany (from the Irish Caisleán Dhún Samhnaí) is a modernised Norman fortification originally built by Hugh de Lacey in 1180 or 1181. The castle probably developed initially as a succession of motte type fortifications, remnants of which can still be seen to around the main house, before stone structures were erected. Guided tours of the castle and associated abbey and walled gardens are available, but I didn’t realise they were by appointment.  Reassuringly, the GPS did bring us to the main entrance – a towered gate opposite a later-medieval (circa 17^th century) pilgrim cross. However, the padlock on the metal gate signalled our impending departure for another, more famous site – Knowth passage tombs.

Knowth (Cnóbha) - A World Heritage Site

Knowth

We had visited Knowth before, three years ago now, on another Irish bike trip. The series of passage tombs never fails to impress. We again decided to take the Knowth tour, rather than the more frenetic and tourist[y] Newgrange, although I found myself wandering off from the tour guide, I feel that after my previous visits and extensive reading about Knowth, I 'know' it in a weird way, it was like seeing an old friend. Knowth is actually the largest passage tomb in the Brú na Bóinne complex and has two separate passages that never touched or met in the middle (although it is only the eastern passage that is open to the public). Finds from the site include the famous 'Knowth Mace' and bowls, but perhaps more less well known is that Knowth accounts for between a quarter and a third of all European megalithic art, with over 200 stones found during excavation. As the tour takes in the circumference of the main mound (Site 1) it seems most of the large kerbstones are decorated, some with simple geometric shapes, others more ornate and organic designs and some with what appear to be sun or moon celestial like engravings. The alignment[s] of the passages has been the subject of some debate, some more recent suggestions include a lunar alignment for the passages, some still believe (it is regarded as erroneously) in a solstice alignment whereas the tours still suggest an equinox alignment; whichever one it is, it is still amazing that monuments such as these were able to be constructed aligning to celestial events at all and highlights the importance of these events and the heavens in general to our ancestors and their view of the world. Sites such as Knowth also show the reverence for the dead - the old term 'ritual' is much used in archaeology, and I used to somewhat deride theories about the ancestor lineage and worship of them, but the more I see (and the older I get) the more sense it seems to make. But perhaps that is part of the majesty and mystery of these sites; we will, in truth, never really know their exact function, all we can do is hypothesise.

Bective Abbey (Mainistir Bheightí)
After leaving Knowth the decision had to be made as to what was next on our agenda - a cursory look at the map suggested that Bective Abbey was relatively close and also interesting, surviving in a great state of preservation. What I only learnt after our trip was that Bective Abbey (specifically the cloister area) was used in the filming of 'Braveheart' and there are stills images available online of Mel Gibson, surrounded by cameras and sound-men talking to Sophie Marceau [it is also an ironic filming twist that a movie about Scotland's freedom was largely filmed in Wicklow and Ireland!].

Bective Abbey (including Leask's plan)

I was again leading our little convoy, still in our jeans on what was a close and muggy day. The GPS led us to Bective Abbey's car park, something I wouldn't have been able to find without it. Rising from a field are the grey ruins of the Abbey, quite majestic at first sight.

Bective Abbey (Mainistir Bheightí) is an important site, built in 1147 by Murchadh O'Melaghin, King of Meath for the Cistercian order, and the abbey represented something of a 'daughter house' to Mellifont further north. The Latin name for the site was Beatitudo Dei meaning the blessedness of God. In 1186 Hugh de Lacey (the benefactor of both Bective Abbey and the Augustinian abbey of St. Thomas' in Dublin) was murdered at Durrow - in 1195/1196 his body was interred at Bective (with his head being sent to St. Thomas') but this caused a dispute between the two monastic houses and in 1205 Bishop Simon Rochfort ruled that his complete remains should be sent to St. Thomas'.

Bective was in an area of heavy settlement following the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland and in 1228 the abbey was described as a strongly fortified place to which visitors from England and mainland Europe could come in relatively safety. The abbey was secured so that it could better assist Clairvaux in subduing the monks of Mellifont and Boyle, who were the main agitators in the ‘conspiracy of Mellifont’ (1216-1228). In the 15th Century, the nave was further truncated by the construction of a new west façade, protected by a fortified tower. Another tower was erected at the south-west corner of the cloister, which dominated the abbey buildings. By the time the alterations were completed Bective had become the most heavily fortified of all the Cistercian monasteries in Ireland.

The abbey was suppressed by Henry VIII in 1536 as part of his wider dissolution of the monasteries, and in 1537 the site was given to Thomas Agard, an English civil servant employed by the Dublin government. He constructed a Tudor mansion around the two sides of the old cloister, it incorporated the two towers but its use was far from defensive. More than any other religious site I've visited, Bective feels like a defensive castle rather than a monastic site, perhaps not surprising given its architecture, but the massive walls belie the softer interior masonry. It is picturesque and evocative standing as it does almost in apparent isolation but, for me, it was not spiritually moving in the same as Inch Abbey, Monasterboice or other similar sites are. Only once we arrived did the site get busier, initially we had the ruins largely to ourselves, the way I tend to prefer visiting monuments of any type.

We travelled into Navan to pick up a curry for dinner - the Indian Kivi had recommended didn't disappoint. The Lodge at Newgrange provided a great space to chat and wile away the hours. The next morning, though, was a different story; we awoke to heavy rain, although the sound is usually comforting on a tent, when you are aware that it has to be packed away it isn't such a nice sound! Over breakfast in Drogheda we decided that given the adverse weather, stopping at sites wasn't ideal so the journey home was one in grey dreariness. It was, alas, a motorway cruise northwards and homeward - by the time I arrived at my front door all my gear was thoroughly soaked, especially my feet. Still...I cannot wait for August's trip!