Ireland – Dublin to Cashel

The trip across the Irish Sea was rather rough; however the ferry handled the conditions rather well. The worst was soon after we left Holyhead – it was very rough but the Captain had pre-warned us it would be.

We had 2 days in Dublin and we did enjoy exploring – where we stayed was not far to St Stephen’s Green a beautiful park that has been part of Dublin for many years. Until 1663 St Stephen's Green was a marshy common on the edge of Dublin, used for grazing. It was then decided to enclose the centre of the common and to sell off land around the perimeter. In 1814 control of St Stephen's Green Park passed to the local householders, who redesigned its layout and replaced the walls with railings. Access to the Green was restricted to local residents, until 1877, when Parliament decided to reopen St Stephen's Green to the public. Today the park is a green oasis in the centre of Dublin.

A green oasis - St Stephen's Green Dublin - a park enjoyed by all.

 

Dublin is an interesting city and quite different to other places we have been too. The River Liffey flows through the centre of the city and there are many bridges crossing the river. Temple Bar was very busy even for a Friday afternoon. There are lots & lots of pubs where crowds of people were enjoying lunch and/or a drink and listening to wonderful music. It is a busy vibrant place to visit.

Temple Bar - one of the many pubs.

Great music can be heard at Temple Bar any time of the day or night!

Kilkenny Castle and the very green grass!

The next part of our journey was to head south – after a challenging time trying to locate the hire car office we did finally pick up another car. First stop was at Kilkenny. We were only here for a couple of hours but did manage to see Kilkenny Castle that was built in the 1100’s. Today the original Castle Gardens are a park that is enjoyed by all.

Our next stop was Cashel where we were keen to visit one of the busiest tourist stops in Ireland – The Rock of Cashel.

The Rock of Cashel was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion. In 1101, the King of Munster donated his fortress on the Rock to the Church. The picturesque centre and has a character of its own and is one of the most remarkable collections of Celtic art and medieval architecture to be found in Europe.  Few remnants of the early structures survive; the majority of buildings on the current site date from the 12th and 13th centuries. The oldest and tallest of the buildings is the well preserved round tower, dating from c.1100. Cormac's Chapel, the chapel of King Cormac Mac Carthaigh, was begun in 1127. It is a very sophisticated Romanesque chapel. The Chapel was constructed primarily of sandstone which has become water logged over the centuries, significantly damaging the interior frescos. Restoration and preservation required the chapel be completely enclosed in a rain-proof structure with interior dehumifiers to dry out the stone. The restoration will take at least 5 years hence the scaffolding in the photo.

 

The amazing "Rock of Cashel"

The "Round Tower" built in the 1100's - at 'The Rock of Cashel'

The Folk Museum at Cashel.

There is a small privately owned Folk Museum nearby. This was a really interesting place to visit as it shows a really true picture of the history of Ireland including the tinkers who used to travel in caravans, the 1916 uprising (war of independence), the civil war in 1922 and also the dreadful Potato Famine in 1845. It does make you realize how much the people of this small nation have suffered over the years.