24 hours within the Boyne Valley: Unbelievable flavours and heritage hits

The Spire of Lloyd, an ‘inland lighthouse’ close to Kells, Co Meath. Photograph: Pól Ó Conghaile

Fisherman’s Catch, Clogherhead, Co Louth

LoughCrew Cairns. Photograph: Fáilte Eire/Tony Pleavin

Conor, Anne and Paul O’Neill at The Glyde Inn in Annagassan, Co Louth

Tucking into recent crab claws at Kirwan’s Fish Cart in Drogheda

Martry Mill, Co Meath. Photograph: Pól Ó Conghaile

The copper pot stills at Slane Distillery

Hake and heritage potatoes from Ballymakenny Farm on the Glyde Inn, Co Louth. Photograph: Pól Ó Conghaile

24 hours within the Boyne Valley: Unbelievable flavours and heritage hits

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Consider the Boyne Valley and heritage hits spring to thoughts: Newgrange, Monasterboice, Tara. Inside minutes of arriving in Drogheda, nonetheless, I’ve obtained a cup of domestically roasted Ariosa espresso and a few recent crab claws in my arms.

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Consider the Boyne Valley and heritage hits spring to thoughts: Newgrange, Monasterboice, Tara. Inside minutes of arriving in Drogheda, nonetheless, I’ve obtained a cup of domestically roasted Ariosa espresso and a few recent crab claws in my arms.

9am

Tucking into recent crab claws at Kirwan’s Fish Cart in Drogheda

“Do they want something on them?” I ask the fishmonger at Kirwan’s. “Nope,” he says. And he’s proper. I wolf down the candy, gentle, briny crabmeat on the spot.

Eire’s largest city is filled with surprises. After my impromptu breakfast, a strolling tour with Joan Duff of the Previous Drogheda Society takes me from the grisly, Recreation of Thrones-worthy sight of Oliver Plunkett’s head in St Peter’s Church to stonking views from Millmount Museum and Tower.

The extra we glance, the extra there may be to see.

How: discoverboynevalley.ie

11:30am

Strolling Clogherhead, Co Louth this afternoon… wanting south in the direction of the Boyne estuary and Skerries. You don’t need to go west for views, you realize 😉 #BoyneValley #IrelandsAncientEast pic.twitter.com/V4QUMp10tw

— Pól Ó Conghaile (@poloconghaile) October 17, 2018

The brief stroll round Clogherhead will put salt in your lips in jig time. As the one excessive, rocky headland between Dublin and the Mourne Mountains, the views are particular too — ranging on my go to from Skerries to the Cooley Peninsula.

Enjoyable reality: the kerbstones round Newgrange had been quarried right here, and you’ll change any misplaced energy with a heat bowl of chowder from the little range effervescent away in Fisherman’s Catch (see gallery), a fish store above Port Oriel. Consider it as a substitute elevenses…

How: fishermanscatch.ie

1:30pm

Hake and heritage potatoes from Ballymakenny Farm on the Glyde Inn, Co Louth. Photograph: Pól Ó Conghaile

Lunch (or dinner) doesn’t get extra native than The Glyde Inn and its restaurant, Linn Duachaill. From whirls of Terry Butterly’s smoked salmon to a ‘Viking Burger’ plump with Hanratty’s beef, or a juicy fillet of hake embellished with jewel-like heritage potatoes from Ballymakenny Farm (pictured), it’s a lesson in place on a plate.

Conor, Anne and Paul O’Neill at The Glyde Inn in Annagassan, Co Louth

The inn dates from 1770, however its Pub of the Yr prize at this 12 months’s Irish Pub Awards reveals how Paul and Anne O’Neill and their son Conor (above) have taken issues to an entire new degree. After they purchased the place within the 1990s, soup and sambos had been served. Now, a 100-seater restaurant overlooks the strand at Annagassan… however, crucially, it hasn’t misplaced that genuine, family-run really feel.

How: 042 937 2350; theglydeinn.ie

4pm

The copper pot stills at Slane Distillery

Slane Citadel has recovered in type because the unforgettable fireplace of 1991. Rock up right now, and also you’ll discover a new bar and restaurant decked in live performance memorabilia (Metallica play in 2019), the burgeoning Rock Farm, and Alex and Carina Mount Charles’ spanking new whiskey distillery within the outdated stables.

A brief tour takes you thru the distilling course of, with stops to absorb the beautiful copper pot stills and a “tutored tasting”. Whether or not or not you’re taking the tour, don’t miss the comfortable little Tack Room and its fire. 

How: slanecastle.ie; slaneirishwhiskey.com; mixed fortress and distillery excursions from €27pp.

8pm 

“There’s a mini revolution happening right here,” Olivia Duff tells me over dinner on the Vanilla Pod Restaurant in Kells. Her household owns it and the Headfort Arms Resort subsequent door and, like a rising variety of companies within the space, they’re obsessed with placing native meals on their menus. From “secret recipe” rooster wings with a Boyne Valley blue cheese dip to lamb rack crusted with Tom Doherty’s black pudding, it tastes good too.

How: headfortarms.ie; two nights’ B&B + dinner from €199

Journey Ideas

Eat

The Boyne Valley’s larder is bulging. I got here residence with large bulbs of smoked Drummond Home garlic, a bathtub of Oriel Sea Salt, stone-ground wholemeal flour from Martry Mill (above)… and that’s not even beginning on the realm’s blue cheese. Boyne Valley Flavours will quickly publish a Meals Sequence of occasions for subsequent 12 months — go to boynevalleyflavours.ie to seek out out extra. 

Drink

Do you know there’s a gin faculty within the Boyne Valley? Enroll at Listoke Distillery (listokedistillery.ie; €95pp). The category begins with a G&T (what else?) and proceeds by a information to botanicals earlier than you design and distil a 700ml bottle to take residence. Elsewhere, BRÚ, Dan Kelly’s, Cooneys, Boyne Brewhouse and Slane Distillery are all revitalising a wealthy custom of craft drinks.

See

You’ve heard of the Excessive Crosses and Spherical Tower at Kells. However what in regards to the Spire of Lloyd (pictured, high of web page)? The “inland lighthouse” is a folly courting from 1791, when it was constructed as a neighborhood famine aid work by the Headfort household. Views from the highest, reached through a 164-step spiral staircase, stretch over a number of counties. It opens on financial institution holidays from 12-4pm. kahs.ie; visitingkells.ie.

LoughCrew Cairns. Photograph: Fáilte Eire/Tony Pleavin

Don’t miss

Newgrange and Knowth are the rock stars of passage tombs however Loughcrew (above) is much less crowded, and arguably extra rewarding. You’ll discover its cairns unfold over the hills 3km east of Oldcastle, Co Meath.

Get there

Pól was a visitor of Boyne Valley Flavours. The Boyne Valley is about an hour’s drive from Dublin in first rate visitors. You are able to do it as a daytrip, however a layover of at the very least one night time is beneficial.

See boynevalleyflavours.ie and irelandsancienteast.com for extra.

Learn extra:

The Irish Foodie Bucket Record: 30 dishes price travelling for

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