Though Sligo, Donegal, and family visits were the bulk of my family’s Irish road trip, we also stopped at a few other spots that really brought the country’s culture alive.
cartref (n) {Welsh}: a place of feeling or belonging: a gathering place for family to join together in laughter and love
Ireland
Knock Shrine
Knock, Ireland, is home to an international Eucharistic and Marian Shrine. On August 21, 1879, the villagers here were spending a rainy evening gathering winter fuel and fodder. After dark, most were cozied up by their turf fires when suddenly word spread that a miracle was occurring at the Catholic Church.
Fifteen witnesses saw a vision of the Virgin Mary dressed in white robes; her hands and eyes were turned to heaven, and she wore a gold crown decorated with a single golden rose. On her right stood St. Joseph, bowing toward her. Both were barefoot. On Mary’s left was St. John the Evangelist dressed as a bishop. He held an open book in his left hand and appeared to preach, but his voice could not be heard. On his left was a simple altar upon which stood a lamb in front of a cross (an image that is not in any other recognized Marian apparition). The witnesses watched the vision and prayed for two hours, soaked to the bone; yet, no rain fell upon the apparition or the church’s gable.
Knock Shrine and pilgrimage site now has the old parish church, an apparition chapel built to enclose the gable wall where the vision appeared, a basilica, and an Adoration chapel. There are also facilities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, retreats, and events. There is a bookstore, a gift shop, and a museum that relates the stories of the apparition, witnesses, and building of the shrine.
Despite the importance of the Shrine, the village remains small. Yet, it is used to accommodating many. In September 1979, Pope John Paul II celebrated an outdoor Mass for half a million people! In 1993, 50,000 people gathered at the Shrine to welcome Mother Theresa.
Knock, when there isn’t a scheduled pilgrimage event, is a quiet and reflective place. My family enjoyed visiting, taking the time to learn, pray, and immerse themselves in a space important to Ireland and our faith.
Gracie’s Bar
This Irish pub is on the edge of Carrick-On-Shannon as you head toward Leitrim Village. So, after a day at Knock and a visit with family, we made the short drive to Gracie’s to hear some live music. They have live music seven nights a week, and the local artist we heard did a really good job, performing a mix of Irish trad songs and some of today’s biggest hits. It was definitely a good time!
Clogherhead & Annagassan
From Armagh, we dipped back into the Republic and spent a morning and early afternoon at Clogherhead, a cliff walk and beach, and Annagassan for lunch. Tim wanted to take Mom for a dip in the Irish Sea, so we got a recommendation from one of Jean’s friends. The cliff walk was beautiful, and we enjoyed watching people fish from the rocks. We all took the trail part way, then Tim, Dad, and Mary turned back for the car. Mom and I kept walking. We rendezvoused at the beach. The beach was clean-ish. There wasn’t human trash, but there was plenty of sea “trash” – shells, seaweed, kelp, and even a dead porpoise. But it’s a sand beach, and you can wade into the sea, making it easy swimming – if you don’t mind a bit of seaweed in your suit! It even ended up in the pockets of Tim’s swim trunks. 😆
In Annagassan, we visited The Glyde Inn for lunch. Their menu is almost 100% fresh seafood and it is delicious! Tim and I visited with Jean’s friends last year and knew it was the perfect place to return with my family. Tim and I got the seafood chowder, Dad got the prawns, and Mom and Mary who don’t like seafood opted for chicken and onion rings.
Monasterboice
Mainistir Bhuithe is the remains of a fifth-century Christian monastic settlement north of Drogheda. The small cemetery is famous for its three Celtic high crosses. The crosses date from the 10th century, and Muiredach’s High Cross, standing 5.5 meters tall, is considered to be the most intact Celtic cross in Ireland. Its surface is decorated with scenes from both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The North and West Crosses are also remarkable but have been subject to more weathering than the first.
Listoke
Listoke Distillery and Gin School is a small, locally-owned, woman-owned business near Drogheda, Ireland. I first heard about it in 2019 when visiting Jean’s friend (the owner), who let me sample her product. Tim and I attended the Gin school last summer and had a wonderful experience. On this visit, the owner was super generous once again and invited the five of us to attend a Saturday Gin School session.
Listoke hosts Ireland’s first-ever gin school. Attendees get to flavor their own gin (a whole bottle!), take a tour of the small distillery, and learn about the gin-making process. The school hosts explain and describe what makes gin gin, the flavor notes of each botanical that you can choose to add in your own batch, and how to create a well-rounded gin. There is also a no-empty-glasses policy, so you can drink gin and tonics for three hours – as long as you’re not driving home! And there’s a snack of locally produced meats and cheeses about two-thirds of the way through.
It is a spectacular experience; Tim and I never have anything but good things to say about it. And my family, who doesn’t drink, had a wonderful time as well! Mom and Dad even ended up making the best bottles of the five we unashamedly made room for in my checked bag for the trip back to the States. Once we made it home, Mom used some of Mary’s gin with lemon and lavender notes to make a delicious batch of gin and tonic cupcakes with gin and tonic icing.
Northern Ireland
Armagh
While visiting Jean in Armagh, I took my family to some of Tim’s and my favorite nearby spots: Navan Centre and Fort, St. Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral (where the sacristan gave us a quick tour!), the Armagh Robinson Library (where Mom learned some helpful genealogy hunting tips and got to flip through a repro of the Book of Kells), Benburb Priory, and the Palace Demesne. These sites can all be read about here.
The Giant’s Causeway
You can’t visit Northern Ireland without seeing the Causeway – it’s a very unique and spectacular place full of myth and stunning views of nature and the North Sea. I’ve been three times, and have enjoyed seeing the site in different weather during each visit. We were lucky this time and had very family-friendly weather; the rocks on the Causeway were pretty dry, making it easy for all to do some climbing and exploring! More about the site can be found here.
Castlerock
From the Causeway’s cliff walk, Castlerock looks like it’s just up the road – we spotted the beach and decided a quick visit was a must – can you tell what our priorities are yet? 😆 But the road doesn’t follow the edge of the coast, so you have to drive inland a bit in order to cut over, making it a longer drive than it appears. But it was definitely worth it! It’s a wide beach, even when the tide rises, and it’s long, making for decent walking. However, since it’s on the North Sea, it’s cold swimming and it can get pretty windy.
Top Tips
- It is free to visit Knock Shrine.
- Access to the visitors’ centre is limited to paying customers, even the gift shop contained within. But you can walk over the centre (it’s built into the hillside) and hike down to the Causeway for free. Only pay if you’re interested in an audio tour; if you just want a hike, as we did, skip the visitors’ centre.
- If you don’t want to drive to Annagassan for food (though I’d highly recommend), there are some local restaurants on the Clogherhead beach – fresh fish and chips and some delicious-looking ice cream! There are also public restrooms at the Clogherhead and Castlerock beaches.
Road trip mile count: 20.3 miles
Mile count so far: 1653.8 miles
Next stop: Indiana, USA
The Logophile's Bookshelf 
3 thoughts on “Stops on an Irish Road Trip”
Comments are closed.