We left Dublin today and headed north to Monasterboice, a monastic village founded in the sixth century by a disciple of Saint Patrick.  In its time is was center a of learning and the monastery was the hub of a village of two to three thousand people.  Not much remains today except the best preserved  carved “high crosses” in Ireland.  They were the illustrated bible for a population that could not read but still needed to learn the great stories of scripture.  We met a wonderful Irish guide named John who helped the whole thing come alive for us. We also toured Newgrange, the oldest tomb sight in Ireland dating back at least 5000 years.   We were surprised to see images carved by those ancient people included in the “high crosses” of a much later time.   The early Christians weren’t afraid to incorporate the art of their time to tell the gospel story.  Tonight we are staying at a beautiful B&B by the Irish Sea!