Saturday, Sunday, Monday, April 16 - 18, 2022 - Days 17, 18, 19, Rostrevor

 Saturday dawned clear and sunny so we set out for the St. Bronagh cemetery (also known as the Kilbroney graveyard).

Proof that the sun does shine in Rostrevor

These sheep may be the ones that are occasionally seen in the graveyard, as posted in the Rostrevor Facebook group, much to the consternation of the town folk. There is a lot of "sheep shaming" as our host said, people hinting that maybe the sheep owner's land is overgrazed and that they are deliberately letting the sheep loose to graze elsewhere.

One of the loveliest views I've ever seen from a cemetery.

"St Bronagh is believed to be a follower of St Patrick.

She established a ministry in Kilbroney near the modern day Rostrevor in the 5th Century Monastery that was located on this site.

Her church was a place of safety and refuge for sailors who had been shipwrecked off the coast of County Down."

 

"Bronagh founded her religious settlement here in what is now Kilbroney old graveyard. The ruins here are of a 12th century church built on the site of her settlement and St Bronagh herself is believed to have been buried here."

A broken headstone that has become part of a walking path.

"Patrick Murphy who was over 8 Foot hailed from Killowen, County Down.

He travelled Europe as part of a travelling show visiting Paris.

He contracted smallpox and died in Marseilles.

His remains were brought home to their final resting place in Rostrevor."

"An 8th Century Celtic Cross with no central wheel head marks the grave of Saint Bronagh by tradition.The cross is made of Mourne Granite and is inscribed with ancient markings."

"People still come to the holy well here seeking cures for throat and eye ailments."

Here are four markers for Right Reverends. There are many, older, groupings of four markers for Right Reverends in the cemetery.

Part of the original wall is seen to the left.

Older entrance, now closed. The new entrance is next to the sheep pasture.

 

 

 

 

Because it was the Easter weekend there was a little fair for the children in the town square with Easter Bonnet judging (we saw some really cute handmade Easter hats being carried by children), egg hunt, and other activities. 

I took a really bad photo of the Easter bunny, I cut off his ears! That's a carrot sitting down at the table.

It was close to lunch time so we stopped in a The Old School House. The original plan was to sit outdoors and eat but the clouds rolled in and the wind really picked up and it was just too cold so we ate indoors.

Don had the Italian Melt (he said it was delicious and it came with a nice side salad) and I had the chicken, bacon, and linguini in a garlic cream sauce. There was plenty of chicken, there could have been more bacon (more like speck really and very tasty) but the garlic cream sauce was bland, I was very disappointed. However, the garlic bread that came with the meal went perfectly with the cream sauce and added some much needed salt and zing. I took home the leftovers and ate them the next day for lunch, after adding salt, pepper, and minced garlic.

Easter Sunday was cold and rainy so we stayed in, Don worked and I did laundry, and I made one of our favorite dishes from memory since I didn't think to take pictures of any recipes before we came here. It turned out really well and Don declared it his favorite version of the meal:

For those of you who are interested, I roasted the heck out of a yellow bell pepper and removed the skin and chopped it. I then roasted a pan of new potatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper. Don sliced the chorizo and heated it up in the microwave. We added all that to mixed greens, spinach, sliced onion, and black olives. I made a dressing of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and heavy on the Dijon mustard. Serve with cheddar jalepeno toast.

 

The tree in our yard is really starting to bloom!

We also played a board game with two of our grown children on BoardGameArena.com later that evening, it was nice to get to talk to them during the game.

 
Monday was nice enough in the morning to go for a quick stroll around the park and the Fairy Glen. We then drove to Warrenpoint to see about getting a slow leak in the driver's side tire fixed at A2 Tyre, but they are closed until the 21st. We'll have it checked at a different place on Wednesday when we go for another scenic drive. The rest of the day was also cold and rainy, and in the afternoon it just poured!

A note about the weather: it IS warmer here than back in Minnesota, anywhere from 5 to 20 degrees warmer, and there has been snow back in Minneapolis, which is not unheard of at this time of year but still aggravating. Here, there is rain, or if it isn't raining it is cloudy and windy and looks as if it could rain at any moment. The sunshine is brief and usually in the morning. Temps range from highs of 45 to 55. During the day there can be bright sunshine and blue skies and Don and I will head out for a brief walk. Then the clouds roll in and it gets cold, sometimes it starts sprinkling rain, so we head back indoors. Then, out pops the sun again so out we go again.