After four hours went by on a bus up the eastern coast of Ireland, I finally got a glimpse of Dundalk. A small town just a few miles south of the border of Northern Ireland, and home to a festival I was invited to this past weekend called The Tain March, a reenactment of a famous Irish saga, which includes a trek through the countryside, and a battle between two warriors. The town is on the coast, and has the Mourne Mountains overlooking from the north. I made my way to a B&B called GlenGat guest house, and rested that night. It was a good thing too! The next day brought a lot of history and walking.

I started the morning with a traditional Irish breakfast, and then we set off to a park outside of town to begin our hike. It was just five guys including me, but by the time we arrived into town, a hundred or so joined up with us. It was a long journey, but it went by quick! I was lucky enough to be in a group with two people from the area, who knew a lot of history on the event, and one of them was a professor of anthropology at the national university in Galway! He was a great resource to ask some questions about some philosophy behind castles in Ireland, property uses, and local governments.

Our walk led into the town square, where two local actors played out the famous battle in the saga. The fighting was cool, but the highlight was the fountain. They fought in the middle of the fountain, to portray the battles river location. When the battle concluded, the marchers left to continue their journey. I however, had plans to journey south.

A short bus ride Saturday night took me back into the heart of Dublin. Dublin is really an incredible place. Theres no skyscrapers, so the city appears to look small, but in reality, what is lacks in height, it makes up for in history and sites. Every corner you turn leads to a prominent building, a cultural hotspot, or a great local pub. I only got a taste on Saturday night, but it wont be the last time Ill be spending time in Irelands capital. Ill chip away at its treasures over the whole summer. A night at a hostel near Temple bar brought me little sleep, but that was ok. I was so excited for Sunday, that it didnt matter.

The destination for my final day of travel this weekend was Newgrange, 5000 year old passage tomb that is the oldest intact solar observatory in the world. It's 500 years older than Stonehenge, and 1000 years older than The Pyramids of Giza! My tour brought me into the tomb, and I got to see some of the intact tools used to build it. To see something that men of the stone age built, thats lasted so long, was a great experience. On our way back from Newgrange, we stopped at the Hill of Tara, an ancient capital of Ireland, and finally, the valley where the Battle of Boyne took place.

This weekend definitely filled me up on my history craving. I got to a see a little lore, and little truth that has stood for over five millennia.