THE JOURNEY
Our next stop was to be the city of Cork, but on the way, we visited the Rock of Cashel. We’ve been using Google Maps for navigation, and without it, we would have been many times lost on this route! We were not directed to a motorway, but rather traveled on a whole series of little R-numbered roads, many just simple rural lanes enclosed by tall hedgerows on either side. They were winding and full of hairpin turns. Thankfully, since it was a Sunday, few other cars were out. We had almost decided to give up on finding the Rock of Cashel and then it loomed high on the horizon not too far away!
THE SITE
I am not sure what I was expecting, perhaps just a very prominent rock on a promontory. Instead, the Rock of Cashel is a set of medieval church remains sitting up high. Initially, from the 4th or 5th centuries to the 12th century, the Rock was primarily a fortress and where the kings of Cashel held sway. St. Patrick is believed to have baptized the grandsons of the first Cashel king.
In 1101, the then king of Cashel gave the Rock of Cashel to the church, and soon the early Romanesque church, Cormac’s Chapel was built. In the 13th century, the present cathedral, also on this site, was built, then altered and expanded in the 15th century, sacked by the English in 1647, but used by the Church of Ireland until 1749.
Over the next several centuries, the cathedral gradually decayed and in 1869 was put under the care of the government. Further excavation on the site took place in 1975 and restoration in the 1980’s.
SPECIFICS
The cathedral, unlike Cormac’s Chapel, is in the Gothic style and was constructed between 1230 and 1270 and was fit in between the then existing round tower, chapel, and a rock-cut well.
The round tower is the oldest surviving building here and may date from about 1101. Towers like these were free standing bell towers from the late 10th the mid-12th centuries and are only found in this shape and form in Ireland. You may recall we saw an impressive round tower at St. Canice’s Cathedral in Kilkenny.
In the grounds around the complex are a number of graves, some very very old, and some contemporary from 2016 to 2021. Standing Celtic crosses dot this part of the landscape. And from the side, you have a wonderful view looking down on green fields and grazing cows. It was cold, almost bitterly so, with a brisk wind; hence, we moved around quickly and did not linger long.
After our brief stop at the Rock of Cashel, we got on the road again. This time, we were able to take the M8 roadway into the city of Cork.
Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)
