Our Travelers' Diaries
Writers, Myths, and Legends - A Journey to Ireland
Submitted by Lois

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We are beginning Day 4 of our 10-day journey. We checked out of the Academy Hotel in Dublin and journeyed north to the town of Downpatrick. Where are you exactly? Look at this map: Downpatrick is southeast of Belfast.
http://www.12travel.com/goto/map.html?map=02

We met Dr. Tim Campbell, the director of the St. Patrick's Centre, who would be our guide to this fascinating area. He rarely gives tours, but this one is all his!
http://www.saintpatrickcentre.com/index.asp

Downpatrick was an important city in the early Christian period. It is strongly associated with St. Patrick, as he landed in this area upon his return to Ireland. Dr. Tim took us out into the field, where we visited Saul Church: see my photos of the outside, inside, and graveyard. The Saul Church is considered to be the site of St. Patrick's first church. It is still used, and now is a Church of Ireland structure, built in 1933. The wall near the outside of the church is from the 12th century. More on Saul:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jmckenna/saul.htm

Dr. Tim also took us out to the Struell Wells, which include 3 wells from medieval times or before. One was used as a hot tub/sauna; people would heat rocks and put them into the well area (see the photo of the little waterfall area); another well was for eye health; bathing your eyes in this water was said to improve/cure eye problems; and one for drinking water. The cross is engraved on the first, or drinking well. The water bubbles up from the ground along the entire site, coming up along its way from the old church ruins, to the drinking well, to the eye health well, to the bathing well. More on the Struell Wells:
http://www.letsgo.com/IRE/10-NorthernIreland-349

Downpatrick Cathedral, Church of Ireland, not Catholic, is where St. Patrick is buried. The Churches in Downpatrick work very hard to include and embrace each other, despite differences in the past. See my photos of the gravesite at the Downpatrick Cathedral, along with a stone explaining his importance. More on Downpatrick Cathedral:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jmckenna/downpatr.htm

There are many other statues, monuments, and remembrances of St. Patrick in this area.

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