 Bloomsday is a commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce. It is observed annually on June 16 as this is the date (in 1904) events of his novel Ulysses took place. The name is derived from Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of Ulysses. We had dinner last night at the Kennedy pub, one of the sites of the costumed reenactments. |  |
Those of us who were in Scotland and are already in Ireland enjoyed a "day of leisure" between our two Scotland and Ireland planned itineraries. Most of us did a 1-day Celtic tour of the historic Boyne Valley. It took us into one of Ireland's most ancient regions. We visited the County Meath, which is better known as the "Royal County" due to it's primarily location from where the High Kings of Ireland reigned over the country.
 Waiting for our tour - Dick, Karen, Janet, Dick, Linda, Mary, Lyn, Bob, Penny, Gary and Mel. Yes, it's cold and rainy. |  Dick and Karen at the Lia Fail, the stone used to identify the King of Ireland in 4000 BC. If the stone wailed when a man touched it, he was the new king. |
 3500 BC passage (burial) tombs of Longhcrew. |  Petroglyphs inside the passage tomb. |  1000 year old Celtic cross. |
| Meanwhile our fellow Ireland travelers were boarding planes in Phoenix and Chicago. They will join us here in Dublin tomorrow (today, by the time you read this.) We look forward to seeing them and beginning our Ireland explorations! |  |
