After viewing Drogheda, we hired a jaunting car, and visited the ruins of Monasterboice, some six miles from town. This monastery was founded by St. Patrick. Eight or nine centuries ago, thousands of students gathered here every year. There are two small churches left still standing, evidently of great age. Our driver told us that the big round tower there was 1000 years old. The finest relics of the past here are three large Celtic Crosses, the largest being 27 feet in height. One of them is badly damaged, and, of course, the damage is attributed to Cromwell.
Our driver was a talkative fellow and entertained us with all kinds of stories about the country.
IRISH JAUNTING CAR.
“I always tell folks,” he said to Mike, “all that I know, but begorra, I keep the rest to myself.”
He got a good laugh on Mike when he told us some history which Mike deemed ridiculous.
“Do you think I’m a fool to tell me that,” said Mike.
“Sure, I don’t know, sor,” answered the driver solemnly, “I only met you this evening.”
This driver had a son in America, as a good many Irish fathers have. These Irish boys go out to America with very little that they own except their names, but they soon begin to make remittances home, and in thousands of Irish homes the regular remittances from faithful sons and daughters in America are depended on as part of the means of livelihood.
The river which Cromwell refers to in his dispatches, on which Drogheda is built, is the Boyne river. Three miles from Drogheda, on the banks of the Boyne, the armies of William III. and James II. met in battle. This was the battle that sealed the fate of King James, and it is said he showed a little too much anxiety for his royal person on this occasion to win much renown as a soldier. The battle was fought on July 12th, 1690. A huge obelisk now marks the field of conflict.