Travelogue III : Drogheda A

 Then we traveled to the first of the military locations I had in mind for our little visit to British Isles and France.

the bastion fortress of Drogheda

the 'main floor' of the tower was now a general museum

the original fortress was a Norman Motte & Bailey
hill fort

the siege started during the English Civil War
and ended after the fighting in England had been
concluded

warts and all

the Cromwell artillery position was on
the hillside just beyond the stone wall seen
in the center of this modern photo taken
from the tower battlements

an illustration of the New Model Army position
firing on the battlements

The Boyne river valley is not far from Drogheda and though the fortifications could not be counted on to hold off any more siege, they were still formidable and used during the 'Glorious Revolution'

some of the displays come alive from
this time period, since more relics remain

into the Napoleonic era, things became more
formalized - even for the militia

knowing of the minis to come, this display
will likely be of value as future reference

the weapons were well preserved and some
could be directly touched in this museum

there were even full size (not cut down)
pikes and halberds

The upper floor was dedicated to the more modern history of the tower fortress, most notably the 1922 battering of the tower by WWI artillery.

Then the real hidden jewel ... in the powder magazine.

the Irish connection to Waterloo

Up next ... that hidden jewel in detail!