I did some research and it suggested I travel southwards via DownPatrick, Newcastle, along the Mourn Coastal Route to Newry, before I veer off to Dublin. But before I left Belfast, I noticed this giant grey squirrel mural while on the bus tour yesterday. Returned today to take a pic – it’s a renowned piece by Belgian street artist ROA, painted for the 2023 Hit the North Street Art Festival. Part of a city-wide revitalization, transforming buildings into canvases – love it! And boy, do they need it.

Downpatrick is one of Ireland’s oldest and most historic towns, originating as a Neolithic settlement and later becoming a major royal and religious centre, famously known as the burial place of Saint Patrick. Loved this speared knight mural….

The town is built on drumlins (tear-drop shaped hills), and the fort on Cathedral Hill was a royal stronghold for the Kings of Ulster. Tradition holds that St. Patrick was buried at Cathedral Hill in 461 AD, making it a major pilgrimage site (often joined by Saints Brigid and Columcille). This is a pic of Down Cathedral – famously revered as the final burial place of Saint Patrick. I went off to find the ‘Slieve Croob Loop’, and found myself on some lovely narrow roads where you really have to ‘back up’ a long way, to allow an oncoming vehicle.

A pleasant valley view of gorge and white cottages with undulating countryside, and very cute cattle lay before me. This was a good morning weather wise, before it ‘turned’…sleeting/icy conditions ….

Very grey after a ‘bit of weather’, in Warrenpoint. As soon as I saw ‘the Whistledown Hotel’ in Warrenpoint, I immediately thought of “Bridgerton’. But nothing to do with the series…It’s is a family-owned, 21-room boutique hotel overlooking Carlingford Lough and the Mourne Mountains. Opened in 1994 and marking its 30th anniversary in 2024, it was established by owners Sarah and Colum McAvoy through the renovation of Victorian-era buildings, offering award-winning dining and sea-view accommodation. A bit garish at the entrance I thought! 🙂

At the Warrenpoint roundabout, a life-size sculpture of an Irish Elk, an extinct species of giant deer. Created by Clare Bigger in 2011, the sculpture is made of stainless steel, allowing it to look light and airy while remaining strong and weather-resistant. It stands roughly 2.1 metres tall at the shoulders, representing the massive scale of the real creatures, which had antlers spanning up to 3.65 metres. It serves as a reminder of Ireland’s untamed wilderness 10,000 years ago and is often linked to Seamus Heaney’s poem Bogland.

I arrived at Dublin airport to drop off the rental and made my way to Swords – for my final night in Ireland before I fly to Paris tomorrow. A quiet night (never thought I’d be saying that!) before my next adventure.