Between Kilkenny and Waterford
Driving from Dublin (on Ireland’s east coast) to Dingle (on Ireland’s west coast), the best two stops to break the long journey across the Irish interior are Kilkenny, Ireland’s finest medieval town; and the Rock of Cashel, a thought-provoking early Christian site crowning the Plain of Tipperary.
Counties Kilkenny and Tipperary (“Tipp” to locals) are friendly neighbors geographically, yet blood sporting rivals on the hurling field, with the lion’s share of the GAA national championships split between them. (Kilkenny locals are quick to point out that their 34 championships top all Irish counties.) Watch for kids heading home from school, carrying hurlies (ash-wood sticks with broad, flat ends) and dressed in their local colors (black and yellow, like bumblebees, for Kilkenny; blue and gold for Tipperary).
These two counties also boast some of the finest agricultural land on this rocky and boggy island. That’s why Norman invaders fought to wrestle it away and make it one of their first Irish breadbaskets 750 years ago, soon after they secured their County Wexford beachhead. These days, farm tractors rumble the back roads where it’s not a long way to Tipperary.
With one day, drivers connecting Dublin with Kinsale can get an early start, stop in Kilkenny for lunch, and then tour the Rock of Cashel before ending up in Kinsale to spend the night. For a longer visit, Kilkenny makes a good overnight for drivers from Dublin who want to visit Powerscourt Gardens and Glendalough (see previous chapter).
I’ve listed accommodations for both Kilkenny and at the Rock of Cashel: A night in Kilkenny comes with plenty of traditional folk music in its pubs, and more to do (additional sights nearby include Jerpoint Abbey and Kells Priory). If you’re driving between Dublin and Dingle (or Kenmare), the Rock of Cashel is a more direct overnight.
With a few extra days, consider worthwhile destinations along the southeast coast, such as Waterford and County Wexford (see next chapter). Folks with more time can continue on the scenic southern coastal route west via Cobh, Kinsale, Kenmare, and the Ring of Kerry (all covered in later chapters).
The country’s loveliest inland city—past winner of Ireland’s “Tidy Town” award—Kilkenny gives you a feel for salt-of-the-earth Ireland. The town earned its nickname, the “Marble City,” because of the stone from the local quarry (actually black limestone, not marble). You can see white seashells fossilized within the black stone steps around town. While an average size town today (around 25,000 residents), Kilkenny has a big history. It was even the capital of Ireland for a short spell in the turbulent 1640s. Actor George Clooney traces his roots to Kilkenny.
Kilkenny’s castle and cathedral stand like historic bookends on a higgledy-piggledy High Street of colorful shops and medieval facades. This stretch of town has been rebranded as “The Medieval Mile.” Other Irish towns can’t quite claim such a colorful and concentrated window into those feudal times.
The TI is a block off the bridge in the 16th-century Shee (a wealthy medieval donor family) Alms poorhouse (Mon-Sat 9:00-17:30, Sun 11:00-17:00, shorter hours and closed Sun off-season; Rose Inn Street, tel. 056/775-1500). The Kilkenny Medieval Mile Pass sold by the TI isn’t worth the trouble for most travelers.
The train/bus station is four blocks from John’s Bridge, which marks the center of town.
If you’re arriving by car, the Market Yard Car Park behind Kyteler’s Inn is handy for a few hours (€1.50/hour, daily 8:00-18:00, entry off Bateman’s Quay). The multistory parking garage on Ormonde Street is the best long-term bet (€1.50/hour, or get the 3-day pass for €10 if staying overnight—it allows you to come and go; open 7:00-23:00, Fri-Sat until 24:00). If parking overnight, wait until you depart to pay as some hotels will validate parking. Otherwise, you can use the pay-and-display meters on the street (€1.50/hour, enforced Mon-Sat 8:00-19:00).
Market: The square in front of Kilkenny Castle hosts a friendly produce, cheese, and crafts market on Thursday (8:00-14:30).
Laundry: At the south end of town, the Laundry Basket trumpets its existence in vivid red at 21 Patrick Street (Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat 10:00-15:00, closed Sun, tel. 056/777-0355).
Bookstore: With a cheap and cheery café upstairs, The Book Centre is a great place to hang out on a rainy day (Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, Sun 13:00-17:00, 10 High Street, tel. 056/776-2177).
Bike Rentals: Kilkenny Cycling rents bikes for €20 a day (€50 refundable deposit). They provide safety gear, and have route maps for exploring the pastoral charms of County Kilkenny (office behind The Wine Center shop at 15 John Street, mobile 086-895-4961, www.kilkennycyclingtours.com).
Pat Tynan and his staff offer the only regularly scheduled walking tours in town. They last one hour and depart from the TI (€10, daily at 11:00 and 14:00, Nov-mid-March by prior arrangement only, mobile 087-265-1745, www.kilkennywalkingtours.ie).
For more than 40 years, Frank Kavanagh helped visitors appreciate Kilkenny Castle. These days, he’s available for custom walks of the town and castle. He also offers handy full- or half-day driving tours to destinations as far away as Cashel and Waterford (available Feb-Nov, book ahead, €75/half-day, €150/full day, gas and lunch cost extra, mobile 086-839-2468, http://visitkilkenny.ie/franks_medieval_tours, fkav1948@gmail.com).
Amanda Pitcairn runs scholarly tours focusing on the history of medieval Kilkenny and the daily life of its inhabitants—witchcraft and skullduggery included. Ask about her connection to mutineers from the HMS Bounty (€8, book ahead, mobile 087-277-6107, www.touchthepastireland.com, pitcaira@tcd.ie).
At Kilkenny Cycling, Jason Morrissey is the man with the plan for a two-hour “easy-paced” guided tour (€20), which takes in a half-dozen of the town’s best sights, including Kilkenny Castle, Rothe House and Garden, and St. Canice’s Cathedral (usually departs at 10:00 and 14:00, also at 19:00 May-Sept). Ask about his four-hour unguided “bike-and-hike” recommended route, which includes a six-mile ride to Bennettsbridge (he’ll explain where to leave the bikes). Your route home is a pretty hike back along the river. He also offers a €20 medieval mile cycling treasure hunt for history buffs (ask for discount with this book, cash only, see “Bike Rentals,” earlier, for contact info).
Dominating the town, this castle is a stony reminder that the Anglo-Norman Butler family controlled Kilkenny for 500 years. The castle once had four sides, but Oliver Cromwell’s army knocked down one wall when it took the castle, leaving it as the roughly “U” shape we see today.
Cost and Hours: €8, daily June-Aug 9:00-17:30, slightly shorter hours off-season, tel. 056/770-4100, www.kilkennycastle.ie.
Visiting the Castle: Enter the castle gate, turn right in the courtyard, and head into the base of the turret. Here you’ll find the continuously running 12-minute video explaining how the wooden fort, built here by Strongbow in 1172, evolved into a 17th-century château. Then go into the main castle entrance, diagonally across the courtyard from the turret, to buy your entry ticket. You’ll be free to walk through the castle. A pamphlet explains the exhibits, and you can also talk to stewards in the important rooms.
Now restored to its Victorian splendor, the castle’s highlight is the beautiful family-portrait gallery, which puts you face-to-face with the wealthy Butler family ghosts.
Nearby: The Kilkenny Design Centre, across the street from the castle in some grand old stables, is full of local crafts and offers handy cafeteria-style lunches in its food hall (shops open Mon-Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun until 18:00; food hall open daily 8:30-18:30; tel. 056/772-2118, www.kilkennydesign.com).
This is the crown jewel of Kilkenny’s medieval architecture: a well-preserved merchant’s house that expanded around interior courtyards as the prosperous Rothe family grew in the early 1600s.
Cost and Hours: €5.50; Mon-Sat 10:30-17:00, Sun 12:00-17:00; Nov-March closes at 16:30 and all day Sun; Parliament Street, tel. 056/772-2893, http://rothehouse.com.
Visiting the House and Garden: Check out the graceful top-floor timberwork supporting the roof, which uses wooden dowels (pegs) instead of nails. The museum, which also serves as the County Kilkenny genealogy center, gives a glimpse of life here in late Elizabethan and early Stuart times. The walled gardens at the far back were a real luxury in their time.
The Rothe family eventually lost the house when Oliver Cromwell banished all Catholic landowners, sending them to live on less desirable land west of the River Shannon. In the late 1800s, the building housed the Gaelic League, devoted to the rejuvenation of Irish culture through preservation of the Irish language and promotion of native Irish sports (such as hurling). One of the future leaders of the 1916 rebellion—Thomas McDonagh, who was executed at Dublin’s Kilmainham Gaol—taught here.
This fine museum, opened in 2017, covers Kilkenny’s brutal yet pious Dark Age past and rounds out the story that the Rothe House (listed above) starts.
Cost and Hours: €7, €12 with 45-minute tour; open daily 10:00-18:00, Nov-March 11:00-16:30; tours leave daily at 10:30, 12:30, 14:30, and 16:30; 2 Mary’s Lane, tel. 056/781-7022, www.medievalmilemuseum.ie.
Visiting the Museum: Housed in the 13th-century St. Mary’s Church (much of which was rebuilt in the 1700s), the museum displays medieval artifacts, including ornately carved tomb lids, ceremonial swords and scepters, and neatly penned 800-year-old civic records (with exhibits enhanced by modern touchscreen displays). You’ll also find peekaboo glimpses of hidden burial vaults through Plexiglas flooring and visit the private chapel of the Rothes (the wealthy merchant family). Guided tours put flesh on the bones of this museum’s stony skeleton.
The site itself also has an interesting history. This is where the famous witch trial of Alice Kyteler and her son took place in 1324. The two beat the rap with money: She paid to engineer a secret escape while her son funded the reroofing of the church. That left her destitute maid to take the heat...literally. Then, as now, the poor are at a disadvantage in court. The evocative graveyard out back whispers the righteous claims to heaven of the rich donors who built this medieval town.
The sport of hurling is historically and culturally important to the Irish. And Kilkenny is a hurling mecca (check out the cool statue of three players in leaping action, at the southwest end of John’s Bridge). Run by PJ Lanigan, “The Kilkenny Way” is a walking tour that includes visits to a hurling pub/museum and the stadium where the Kilkenny Cats play. You’ll learn about the long history and rules of this lightning-fast field game, and also get a chance to play as you figure out how to balance your sliotar—and how to pronounce it.
Cost and Hours: €25 for two-hour tour, includes pub meal; daily at 13:45, reserve ahead in summer; leaves from Legends Hurling Bar, 28 Rose Inn Street, tel. 056/772-1718, www.thekilkennyway.com.
This 13th-century cathedral is early-English Gothic, rich with stained glass, medieval carvings, and floors paved in history. Check out the model of the old walled town in its 1641 heyday, as well as a couple of modest audiovisuals. The 100-foot-tall round tower, built as part of a long-gone pre-Norman church, recalls the need for a watchtower, treasury, and refuge. The fun ladder-climb to the top affords a grand view of the countryside.
Cost and Hours: Cathedral-€4, tower-€3, combo-ticket-€6; Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, Sun 13:00-18:00; Sept-May slightly shorter hours and closed for lunch; tel. 056/776-4971, www.stcanicescathedral.com.
Smithwick’s (pronounced SMITH-icks) reddish ale was born in Kilkenny...and has been my favorite Irish beer since my first visit to Ireland. Older than Guinness (but now owned by the same parent company), Smithwick’s marked its tercentennial (300th anniversary) in 2010. After a corporate shake-up in 2013, the brewery consolidated its operations in Dublin and opened an “Experience” visitors center here on the former brewery grounds.
Tours focus on the historic origins of the tasty ale, first brewed by the monks of St. Francis Abbey (the 14th-century ruins of the abbey lie adjacent to the site). In the days of the monks, beer was a safer and healthier alternative to local water sources that were often contaminated. I’ll drink to that.
Note that—like the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin—this is not a tour of a working brewery. It’s a corporate-sponsored homage to the history of the brewery that once operated here.
Cost and Hours: €13, discount if booked online, entry includes a pint at the tour’s end; daily 10:00-18:00, Nov-Feb 11:00-16:00, one-hour tours run hourly, last tour departs one hour before closing; 44 Parliament Street, tel. 056/778-6377, www.smithwicksexperience.com.
Kilkenny has its fair share of atmospheric pubs. Visitors seeking fun trad music sessions can try the first four places listed here. Those seeking friendly conversation in utterly unvarnished Irish surroundings should seek out the memorable duo at the end of these listings. A fun pub crawl could link all of these places with 20 minutes of walking (30 minutes crawling). Check on nightly pub trad session schedules as you explore town during the day (they may change unpredictably).
Starting at the north end of town and working south, Cleere’s Bar & Theatre is a friendly throwback with surprisingly good pub grub served until 20:00 (music Mon and Wed at 21:30, 28 Parliament Street). Bollard’s Pub, an unpretentious landmark at the north end of St. Kieran’s Street, is a good bet for lively traditional music sessions (Tue and Thu-Fri at 21:00). Or sit out front under the awning and enjoy a pint as Kilkenny’s humanity flows past you. Just down the same street is Kyteler’s Inn, with a stony facade and medieval witch-haunted cellar (music nightly in summer at 18:00, 27 St. Kieran’s Street). You can saunter over John’s Bridge to check out the tunes at Matt the Miller’s Pub, with its multilevel, dark-wood interior (around 21:00 most nights, next to bridge on John Street across the river from the castle).
Lacking music but high on character, O’Riada’s is an endangered species—a wonderful, old-fashioned place that your Irish grandfather would recognize and linger in. This is an ideal place to chat with engaging locals (across from the Watergate Theatre at 25 Parliament Street).
At the other end of the conversational spectrum, The Hole in the Wall is a tiny, restored Elizabethan tavern (c. 1582) hidden down an alley (capacity 15-20, mostly standing). Charmingly eccentric owner Michael Conway—cardiologist by day and historian/playwright/actor/barman by night—presides over the speakeasy-like space as a labor of love. His sporadic music sessions (which mostly take place in the slightly larger, but equally creaky, timber-beamed upstairs hall) can’t be pigeon-holed. But when they’re on, they are usually an uninhibited, go-for-broke thump-a-thon (he plays bass drum). Spontaneous, but always entertaining, Conway conducts sing-alongs of Irish classics that include helpful lyrics and explanations of Irish idioms (unpredictable hours but typically Fri-Sat from 20:00 and sometimes weeknights, confirm ahead, look for the alley beside Bourkes shop at 17 High Street, tel. 087/807-5650, www.holeinthewall.ie).
The Watergate Theatre houses live plays and other performances in its 300-seat space (€12-25, Parliament Street, tel. 056/776-1674, www.watergatetheatre.com).
The Set Theatre, adjacent to sprawling Langton’s Restaurant, is a fine, modern, 250-seat music venue attracting top-notch Irish acts in an intimate setting (€10-25, John Street, tel. 056/772-1728, www.set.ie).
My first three listings are more central, clustered within a block of each other along Patrick Street; in general, options for smaller places in town are shrinking as they struggle to compete with bigger hotels.
Note: Kilkenny is a popular weekend destination for loud and rowdy stag and hen (bachelor and bachelorette) parties, thanks to its easy train access from Dublin (no risk of drunk driving). For quiet at night, avoid hotels with bars downstairs or nearby, and stick with smaller B&Bs, guesthouses, or rural lodging (especially Fri-Sat nights). Except for the Zuni and Club House, my recommendations should be free of these disturbances.
$$$ Zuni Townhouse, above a fashionable restaurant, has 13 boutique-chic rooms sporting colorfully angular furnishings. Ask about two-night weekend breaks and midweek specials that include a four-course dinner (parking in back, 26 Patrick Street, tel. 056/772-3999, www.zuni.ie, info@zuni.ie).
$$ Butler Court is Kilkenny’s best lodging value. Ever-helpful Yvonne and John offer 10 modern, spacious rooms behind the beige, flag-draped archway. Bo the dog quietly patrols the courtyard (wheelchair-accessible, continental breakfast in room, will validate parking in nearby multistory garage on Ormonde Street for length of your stay, 14 Patrick Street, tel. 056/776-1178, www.butlercourt.com, info@butlercourt.com).
$$ Club House Hotel, originally a gentlemen’s sporting club, comes with fading Georgian elegance; a musty, creaking ambience; a palatial, well-antlered breakfast room; and 35 comfy bedrooms (secure parking, 19 Patrick Street, tel. 056/772-1994, www.clubhousehotel.com, info@clubhousehotel.com).
¢ Kilkenny Tourist Hostel fills a fine Georgian townhouse with ramshackle fellowship at the north end of the town center, right in the action. It offers 70 cheap beds, a friendly family room, a well-equipped members’ kitchen, and a wealth of local information (private rooms available, cash only, pay self-serve laundry, 2 blocks from cathedral at 35 Parliament Street, tel. 056/776-3541, www.kilkennyhostel.ie, info@kilkennyhostel.ie).
$ Mena House B&B is a traditional, good-value option quietly nestled a mile north of town, about a 15-minute walk from the center and easy for drivers (parking, just south of the Kilkenny Golf Club on Castlecomer Road, tel. 056/776-5362, www.menahousebandb.com, menahouse@eircom.net).
$$ Lawcus Farm Guest House is a quirky, seductive confection of rural comfort 10 miles south of Kilkenny between Kells Priory and the village of Stoneyford. Hosts Mark and Ann Marie have a passion for recycled materials and an environmental sensitivity. Mark, an inventive craftsman, renovated the original house and built the rest. A menagerie of friendly pets and farm animals shares the tasteful 20-acre property straddling the Kings River. Ask about the tiny secluded tree house (family rooms, cash only, parking, mobile 086-603-1667 or 087-291-1056, www.lawcusfarmguesthouse.com, lawcusfarm@hotmail.com). To reach the farm, go south out of Kilkenny on N-10, which becomes R-713 after crossing over the M-9 motorway. Just as you enter the village of Stoneyford, turn right onto L-1023. Go 500 yards down that lane and watch for a brown sign directing you to turn right into a 100-yard-long gravel driveway.
(See “Kilkenny” map.)
$$$ Langton’s is every local’s first choice, serving high-quality Irish dishes under a labyrinthine, multichambered, Tiffany-skylight expanse (daily 12:00-22:00, 69 John Street, tel. 056/776-5133, www.langtons.ie).
$$$$ Ristorante Rinuccini serves classy, romantic, candlelit Italian meals (daily 12:00-14:30 & 17:00-22:00, reservations smart, 1 The Parade, tel. 056/776-1575, www.rinuccini.com).
$$ Petronella Restaurant warms its medieval surroundings with dependable traditional dishes and a welcoming vibe (Mon-Sat 12:00-15:00 & 17:00-21:00, closed Sun, Butterslip Lane off High Street, tel. 056/776-1899, www.petronella.ie).
$$$$ Zuni, in one of my recommended accommodations, is a stylish splurge offering international cuisine (daily 12:30-17:00 & 18:00-20:45, weekend reservations a good idea, 26 Patrick Street, tel. 056/772-3999, www.zuni.ie).
$$$ Kyteler’s Inn serves decent pub grub in a timber-and-stone atmosphere with a heated and covered beer garden out back. Visit their fun 14th-century cellar and ask about their witch. Watch your head or risk leaving some of your DNA embedded in the low stone arches (Mon-Sat 12:00-21:00, Sun until 20:00, 27 St. Kieran’s Street, tel. 056/772-1064).
$ Pennefeather Café, above the Kilkenny Book Centre, is good for a quick, cheap, light lunch (Mon-Sat 9:00-17:30, closed Sun, 10 High Street, tel. 056/776-4063).
Grocery Store: You’ll find an ample selection of supplies for a grassy picnic at Dunnes Stores (a few doors down from Kyteler’s Inn on St. Kieran’s Street, Mon-Sat 8:00-22:00, Sun 10:00-20:00).
From Kilkenny by Train to: Dublin (6/day, 1.5 hours), Waterford (6/day, 45 minutes). For details, see www.irishrail.ie.
By Bus to: Dublin (8/day, 2.5 hours), Waterford (2/day, 1 hour), Tralee (3/day, 5.5 hours, change in Cork), Galway (3/day, 5 hours). For details, see www.buseireann.ie.
The fast M-9 motorway links Kilkenny and Waterford on a 45-minute drive. But drivers in no rush can savor the journey by spending a couple of enjoyable backroad hours taking in two pastoral sights: Jerpoint Abbey and Kells Priory. (You can also stitch these places into a more leisurely itinerary for an easy, triangular day trip beginning and ending in Kilkenny—about 28 miles/45 km total.) The rural roads come with old stone bridges spanning placid rivers that weave among tiny villages and abandoned mills. Bring an Ordnance Survey atlas (available at most bookstores) to navigate. It’s easier to visit Jerpoint Abbey first. There are no guided tours at Kells Priory; ask at the abbey for directions and pointers.
Evocative abbey ruins dot the Irish landscape, but few are as well-presented as Jerpoint (founded in 1180). Its claim to fame is fine stone carvings on the sides of tombs and on the columns of the cloister arcade. If you visit only one abbey in Ireland, make sure it’s this one.
Without the excellent guided tours, the site is a cold, rigid ruin. But once in the hands of the unusually well-versed hosts, the place truly comes alive with insights into the monastic culture that imprinted Ireland 850 years ago.
Cost and Hours: €5; daily 9:00-17:30; shorter hours Oct-Nov; Dec-March by appointment only; tel. 056/772-4623.
Getting There: It’s located about 11 miles (17 km) south of Kilkenny or 2 miles (3 km) south of Thomastown, beside R-700.
Visiting the Abbey: The Cistercian monks, who came to Ireland from France in the 12th century, were devoted reformers bent on following the strict rules of St. Benedict. Their holy mission was to bring the wild Irish Christian church (which had evolved, unsupervised, for centuries on the European fringe) back in line with Rome. With an uncompromising my-way-or-the-hell-way attitude, they steamrolled their belief system across the island and stamped the landscape with a network of identical, sprawling monasteries. The preexisting form of Celtic Christianity that had thrived in the Dark Ages was no match for the organization and determination of the Cistercians.
For the next 350 years, these new monasteries held the moral high ground and were the dominant local religious authority. Monks got closer to God by immersing themselves in the hardships of manual field work, building water mills, tending kilns, and advancing the craft of metallurgy. The wealth created by this turbo-charged industriousness caused communities to form around these magnetic monastic cores.
What eventually did them in? King Henry VIII’s marriage problems, his subsequent creation of the (Protestant) Church of England, and his eventual dissolution of the (Catholic) monasteries. Walls were knocked down and roofs were torn off monasteries such as Jerpoint to make them uninhabitable. Their lands were forfeited to the king, who sold them off and enriched his treasury. It’s good to be king.
This place is a wonderful lonely gem. Locals claim that the massive religious complex of Kells Priory (more than 3 acres) is the largest monastic site in Europe. It’s an isolated, deserted ruin that begs a curious wander, a nimble shutter finger on your camera, and alert side-stepping of sheep droppings.
Don’t confuse this Kells with the identically named town farther north in County Meath (that’s the Kells that produced the famous Book of Kells, now housed in Trinity College Library in Dublin).
Cost and Hours: Free, no set hours.
Getting There: You’ll find Kells Priory about 9 miles (15 km) south of Kilkenny or 6 miles (10 km) west of Jerpoint Abbey, just off the R-697 road. From Jerpoint Abbey, turn left, then take your first right through the village of Stoneyford. At the end of the village, turn left (at the sign for Kells Priory), then continue straight.
The main parking lot lies on a slope above the south side of the ruins (a good place for a quick overview photo stop). But I prefer to park beside the Kings River on the north side of the ruins. To get there, cross the pretty stone bridge over the river, and turn right onto the L-5067 road. Drive about 100 yards past the first mill (with a craft shop in an adjacent building); when you come to the second mill (completely shuttered and abandoned), park in the gravel lot in front.
Visiting Kells Priory: From the parking lot by the abandoned mill (described above), stroll past the mill’s rusty waterwheel and enjoy the wander downstream for the remaining 100 yards along the riverside path. It’s a photogenic approach to the priory ruins. Once inside the complex, watch where you walk and explore at your leisure. Consider bringing a picnic to enjoy. But please respect the site and leave no trash.
Founded in 1193 by Norman soldiers of fortune with Augustinian monks in tow, this priory grew into the intimidating structure that locals call “the seven castles” today. These “castles,” however, were actually Norman tower houses connected by a wall that enclosed the religious functions within. Inside the walls, the site is divided into two main areas: One is a huge interior courtyard (larger than a football field) dominated by the encircling tower houses; the other is a tangled medieval maze of rock walls (remnants of a cloister, a church, cellars, a medieval dormitory, and a graveyard).
The most dramatic 75-year period of the site’s history took place between 1252 and 1327, when it was attacked and burned three times (once by Edward the Bruce’s army of Scots). The contrast between those violent times and today’s pastoral decay is striking.
Rising high above the fertile Plain of Tipperary, the Rock of Cashel is one of Ireland’s most historic and evocative sights. Seat of the ancient kings of Munster (c. A.D. 300-1100), this is where St. Patrick baptized King Aengus in about A.D. 450. Strategically located and perfect for fortification, the Rock was fought over by local clans for hundreds of years. Finally, in 1101, clever Murtagh O’Brien gave the Rock to the Church. His seemingly benevolent donation increased his influence with the Church, while preventing his rivals, the powerful McCarthy clan, from regaining possession of the Rock. As Cashel evolved into an ecclesiastical center, Iron Age ring forts and thatch dwellings gave way to the majestic stone church buildings enjoyed by visitors today. Queen Elizabeth II’s history-making, four-day visit to Ireland in 2011 included a visit to the Rock.
Cost and Hours: €8, families-€20, ticket includes guided tour—see below; open daily 9:00-19:00, mid-March-early June and mid-Sept-mid-Oct until 17:30, winter until 16:30, last entry 45 minutes before closing; tel. 062/61437, www.heritageireland.ie.
Crowd-Beating Tips: Summer crowds flock to the Rock (worst June-Aug 11:00-15:00). Try to plan your visit for early or late in the day.
Dress Warmly: Bring a coat—while the parking lot can be sheltered, the Rock is exposed and often cold and windy.
Tours: Guided walks are included with your entrance (2/hour, about 45 minutes). Otherwise, set your own pace with my self-guided tour.
Parking: Pay the €4.50 fee at the machine (under the Plexiglas shelter to the left of the exit) before returning to your car.
WCs: Use the basic ones at the base of the Rock next to the parking lot (there are none up on the Rock).
From the parking lot, it’s a steep 100-yard walk up to the Rock itself. On this 200-foot-high outcrop of limestone, the first building you’ll enter is the 15th-century Hall of the Vicars Choral, housing the ticket desk, a tiny museum (with a stunted original 12th-century high cross dedicated to St. Patrick and a few replica artifacts), and a 20-minute video (2/hour, shown in the hall’s former dormitory). From there you’ll explore the following: a round tower, an early Christian cross, a delightful Romanesque chapel, and a ruined Gothic cathedral, all surrounded by my favorite Celtic-cross graveyard with views for miles.
SELF-GUIDED TOUR(See “Rock of Cashel” map.)
Nowhere else in Ireland can you better see the evolution of Irish devotion expressed in stone. This large lump of rock is a pedestal supporting a compact tangle of three dramatic architectural styles: early Christian (round tower and St. Patrick’s high cross), Romanesque (Cormac’s Chapel), and Gothic (the main cathedral).
• Follow this tour counterclockwise around the Rock. Start by descending the indoor stairs opposite the ticket desk into the one-room, vaulted cellar museum.
You are in the cellar of the youngest building on the Rock (early 1400s). This would have been the storage room for the vicars (minor clerics) appointed to sing during cathedral services. Today it contains a sparse collection of artifacts (some copies) associated with the religious site. Two glass cases display brooches and primitive axes, while the walls are hung with stone slab carvings. The impressively ornate shrine bell of St. Patrick is a reproduction (the bell would not have been used by him, but rather, dedicated to him, centuries later). But the star of the vault is the original Cross of St. Patrick at the far end. The massive stone base is hollow (see the mirror underneath it). Was it a hiding place for valuable religious objects during raids? Or just too heavy to move otherwise? The cross stood outside for centuries, but hundreds of years of wind and rain slowly buffeted away important detail, scouring it into the stubby shape that remains. On my first visit here, almost 40 years ago, the original cross still stood outside; today, a copy occupies the original location (for history on the cross, see next page).
• Climb back up to the ticket desk level and continue up the indoor stairs into the living space of the vicars.
Walk to the great hall with the big brown tapestry. Vicars were granted nearby lands by the archbishop and lived comfortably here, with a large fireplace and white, lime-washed walls (to reflect light and act as a natural disinfectant that discouraged bugs). Window seats gave the blessedly literate vicars the best light to read by. The furniture is original, but the colorfully ornamented oak timber roof is a reconstruction, built to medieval specifications using wooden dowels instead of nails. The large wall tapestry shows King Solomon with the Queen of Sheba.
The vicars, who formed a sort of corporate body to assist the bishop with local administration, used a special seal to authorize documents such as land leases. You can see an enlarged wooden copy of the seal (hanging above the fireplace), depicting eight vicars surrounding a seated organist. It was a good system—until some of the greedier vicars duplicated the seal for their own less holy purposes, forcing the archbishop to curtail its use.
• Go outside the hall into the grassy space, veer left about 30 feet, and find...
St. Patrick baptized King Aengus on the Rock of Cashel in about A.D. 450. This 12th-century cross, a stub of its former glory, was carved to celebrate the handing over of the Rock to the Church 650 years after St. Patrick’s visit (the cross that stands here is a copy; the original is in the museum in the Hall of the Vicars Choral, described earlier). Typical Irish high crosses use a ring around the cross’ head to support its arms and to symbolize the sun (making Christianity more appealing to the sun-worshipping Celts). But instead, this cross uses the Latin design: The weight of the arms is supported by two vertical beams on each side of the main shaft, representing the two criminals who were crucified beside Christ (today only one of these supports remains).
• Walk about 100 feet slightly uphill along the gravel path beside the cathedral. Roughly opposite the far end of the Hall of the Vicars Choral is the entry (a glass door) to the chapel.
As the wild Celtic Christian church was reined in and reorganized by Rome 850 years ago, new architectural influences from continental Europe began to emerge on the remote Irish landscape. This small chapel—Ireland’s first and finest Romanesque church, constructed in 1134 by King Cormac MacCarthy—reflects this evolution. Imagine being here in the 12th century, when this chapel and the tall round tower were the only stone structures sprouting from the Rock (among a few long-gone, humble wooden structures).
The “new” Romanesque style reflected the ancient Roman basilica floor plan. Its columns and rounded arches created an overall effect of massiveness and strength. Romanesque churches were like dark fortresses, with thick walls, squat towers, and few windows. Irish stone churches of this period (like the one at Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains) were simple rectangular buildings emphasizing function.
The two square towers resemble those in Regensburg, Germany, further suggesting that well-traveled medieval Irish monks brought back new ideas from the Continent.
Before stepping inside, notice the weathered tympanum above the door. The carved “hippo” is actually an ox, representing Gospel author St. Luke.
• The modern, dark-glass chapel door is a recent addition to keep out nesting birds. Enter the chapel and let your eyes adjust to the low light.
Just inside, on your left, is an empty stone sarcophagus. Nobody knows for sure whose body once lay here (possibly the brother of King Cormac MacCarthy). The damaged front relief is carved in a Viking style. Vikings had been raiding Ireland for more than 200 years by the time this was carved; they had already intermarried with the Irish, and were seeping into Irish society. Some scholars interpret the relief design (a tangle of snakes and beasts) as a figure-eight lying on its side, looping back and forth forever, symbolizing the eternity of the afterlife.
You’re standing in the nave, dimly lit by three small windows. Overhead is a round vaulted ceiling with support ribs. The strong round arches support not only the heavy stone roof, but also the unseen second-story scriptorium chamber, where monks once carefully copied manuscripts by candlelight (their work was amazingly skillful and ornate, considering the poor light).
The big main arch overhead, studded with fist-size heads, framed the altar (now gone). Walk into the chancel and look up at the ceiling, examining the faint frescoes, a labor of love from 850 years ago. Frescoes are rare in Ireland because of the perpetually moist climate. (Mixing pigments into wet plaster worked better in dry climates like Italy’s.) Once vividly colorful, then fading over time, these frescoes were further damaged during and after the Reformation, when Protestants piously whitewashed them. These surviving frescoes were discovered under multiple layers of whitewash during painstaking modern restoration. Take a moment to imagine the majesty of this chapel before its fine ornamentation was destroyed by those Reformation iconoclasts.
• Walk through the other modern, dark-glass doorway, opposite the door you used to enter the chapel. You’ll find yourself in a...
This enclosed little space was created when the newer cathedral was wedged between the older chapel and the round tower. Once the main entrance into the chapel, this forgotten doorway is crowned by a finely carved tympanum that decorates the arch above it. It’s perfectly preserved because the huge cathedral shielded it from the wind and rain. The large lion (symbol of St. Mark’s gospel) is being hunted by a centaur (half-man, half-horse) archer wearing a Norman helmet.
• Exit the chapel, turning left, and tiptoe through the tombstones around the east end of the cathedral to the base of the round tower.
This graveyard is full. The 20-foot-tall stone shaft at the edge of the graveyard, marking the O’Scully family crypt, was once crowned by an elaborately carved Irish high cross—destroyed during a lightning storm in 1976. The fortified wall dates from the 15th century, when the riches of this outpost merited a little extra protection.
Look out over the Plain of Tipperary. Called the “Golden Vale,” its rich soil makes it Ireland’s most fertile farmland. In St. Patrick’s time, it was covered with oak forests. From the corner of the church, beyond the fortified wall on the left, you can see the ruined 13th-century Hore Abbey dominating the fields below (free, always open and peaceful).
Gaze up at the round tower, the first stone structure built on the Rock after the Church took over in 1101. The shape of these towers is unique to Ireland. Though you might think towers like this were chiefly intended as a place to hide in case of invasion, they were instead used primarily as bell towers and lookout posts. The tower stands 92 feet tall, with walls more than three feet thick. The doorway, which once had a rope ladder, was built high up not only for security, but also because having it at ground level would have weakened the foundation of the top-heavy structure. The interior once contained wooden floors connected by ladders, and served as safe storage for the monks’ precious sacramental treasures. The tower’s stability is impressive when you consider its age, the winds it has endured, and the shallowness of its foundation (only five feet below present ground level).
Continue walking around the cathedral’s north transept, noticing the square “put-log” holes in the exterior walls. During construction, wooden scaffolding was anchored into these holes. After the structure was completed, the builders simply sawed off the scaffolding, leaving small blocks of wood embedded in the walls. With time, the blocks rotted away, and the holes became favorite spots for birds to build their nests.
On your way to the cathedral entrance find the small well (in the corner on the left, built into the wall). Its stone lip is groovy from ropes after centuries of use. Without this essential water source, the Rock could never have withstood a siege and would not have been as valuable to clans and clergy. In 1848, a chalice was dredged from the well, likely thrown there by fleeing medieval monks intending to survive a raid. They didn’t make it. (If they had, they would have retrieved the chalice.)
• Now enter the...
Traditionally, churches face east toward Jerusalem and the rising sun. Because this cathedral was squeezed between the preexisting chapel, round tower, and drinking well, to make it face east the builders were forced to improvise by giving it a cramped nave and an extra-long choir (where the clergy gathered to celebrate Mass).
Built between 1230 and 1290, the church’s pointed arches and high, narrow windows proclaim the Gothic style of the period (and let in more light than earlier Romanesque churches). Walk under the central bell tower and look up at the rib-vaulted ceiling. The hole in the middle was for a rope used to ring the church bells. The wooden roof is long gone. When the Protestant Lord Inchiquin (who became one of Oliver Cromwell’s generals) attacked the Catholic town of Cashel in 1647, hundreds of townsfolk fled to the sanctuary of this cathedral. Inchiquin packed turf around the exterior and burned the cathedral down, massacring those inside.
Ascend the terraces at the choir end of the cathedral, where the main altar once stood. Stand on the gravestones (of the 16th-century rich and famous) with your back to the east wall (where the narrow windows have crumbled away) and look back down toward the nave. The right wall of the choir is filled with graceful Gothic windows, while the solid left wall hides Cormac’s Chapel (which would have blocked most sunlight). The line of stone supports on the left wall once held the long, wooden balcony where the vicars sang. Closer to the altar, high on the same wall (directly above the pointed doorway), is a small, rectangular window called the “leper’s squint”—which allowed unsightly lepers to view the altar during Mass without offending the congregation.
The grand wall tomb on the left contains the remains of archbishop Miler Magrath, the “scoundrel of Cashel,” who lived to be 100. From 1570 to 1622, Magrath was the Protestant archbishop of Cashel who simultaneously profited from his previous position as Catholic bishop of Down. He married twice, had lots of kids, confiscated the ornate tomb lid here from another bishop’s grave, and converted back to Catholicism on his deathbed.
• Walk back down the nave and turn left into the south transept.
Peek into the modern-roofed wooden structure against the wall on your left. It’s protecting 15th-century frescoes of the Crucifixion of Christ that were rediscovered during renovations in 2005. They’re as patchy and hard to make out (and just as rare, for Ireland) as the century-older frescoes in the ceiling of Cormac’s Chapel.
On the opposite side of this transept, in alcoves built into the wall, enjoy the wonderful carvings of early Christian saints lining the outside walls of tombs (look down at shin level).
• Exit the cathedral opposite where you entered.
Back outside, stand beside the huge chunk of wall debris. (This is not “the rock” of Cashel.) Try to picture where it might have perched in the ragged puzzle of ruins above. This end of the cathedral was converted into an archbishop’s castle in the 1400s (shortening the nave even more). Looking high into the castle’s damaged top floors, you can see the bishop’s residence chamber and the secret passageways that were once hidden inside the thick walls. Lord Inchiquin’s cannons weakened the structure during the 1647 massacre, and in 1848, a massive storm (known as “Night of the Big Wind” in Irish lore) flung the huge chunk next to you from the ruins above.
In the mid-1700s, the Anglican Church transferred cathedral status to St. John’s in town, and the archbishop abandoned the drafty Rock for a more comfortable residence, leaving the ruins that you see today.
In the Brú Ború Cultural Centre (below the Rock of Cashel parking lot, below the statue of the three blissed-out dancers) is a small museum dedicated to the story of Ireland’s ancient and traditional music. The exhibit starts with a video display tracing the physical evolution of Cashel from ancient ring fort to grand religious complex. Then come displays about ancient wind instruments. To wrap it up, there’s a small theater where you’ll enjoy a 15-minute film introduction to Ireland’s beloved traditional music scene.
Cost and Hours: €5, Mon-Sat 9:00-17:00, closed Sun, tel. 062/61122, www.bruboru.ie.
Performances: If sleeping in Cashel in the summer, consider taking in a performance of the Brú Ború musical dance troupe in the center’s theater (€20, €50 with dinner, Tue-Sat in late-June-mid-Aug, dinner at 19:00, 75-minute performance at 21:00, informal music session in the café/bar after).
The huggable town at the base of the Rock affords a good break on the long drive from Dublin to Dingle (TI open daily 9:30-17:30 in season, tel. 062/61333). The Heritage Centre, next door to the TI, presents a modest six-minute audio explanation of Cashel’s history around a walled town model. Parking requires a pay-and-display ticket (€1, enforced Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, free Sun).
Sleeping in Cashel: If you spend the night, you’ll be treated to beautifully illuminated views of the ruins. The first listing is a classy hotel in the center of town (15-minute walk from the Rock). The rest are cozy, old-fashioned, and closer to the Rock.
$$ Bailey’s Hotel is Cashel’s best boutique hotel, housed in a fine Georgian townhouse (1709). Its 19 refurbished rooms are large, inviting, and well-appointed, perched above a great cellar-pub restaurant (parking, 42 Main Street, tel. 062/61937, www.baileyshotelcashel.com, info@baileyshotelcashel.com).
$$ Joy’s Rockside House B&B is closest to the Rock, resting on its lower slopes. With four large, fresh rooms (three with views of the Rock), it’s the best value in Cashel (family room, cash only, parking, Rock Villas Street, tel. 062/63813, mobile 087-222-1676, www.joyrockside.com, joyrocksidehouse@eircom.net, Joan and Rem Joy).
$$ Cashel Lodge is a well-kept rural oasis housed in an old stone grain warehouse, a 10-minute walk from the Rock near the Hore Abbey ruins. Its seven comfortable rooms combine unpretentious practicality with Irish country charm. Guests have a ringside seat for beautiful views of the Rock lit up at night (camping spots, parking, Dundrum Road R-505, tel. 062/61003, www.cashel-lodge.com, info@cashel-lodge.com, Tom and Brid O’Brien).
$ Rockville House, 100 yards from the Rock, is a traditional place run by gentleman owner Patrick Hayes. The house itself has six fine rooms, and its old stablehouse, lovingly converted by Patrick, has five more (family room, cash only, 10 Dominic Street, tel. 062/61760, rockvillehse@eircom.net).
$ Wattie’s B&B has three rooms that feel lived-in and comfy (cash only, parking, 14 Dominic Street, tel. 062/61923, www.wattiesbandb.ie, wattiesbandbcashel@gmail.com, Maria Dunne).
Eating in Cashel: The following places are good lunch options near the Rock. $ Granny’s Kitchen is a tiny, violet-colored place with basic soup-and-sandwich lunches (daily 11:00-16:00, just past parking lot at the base of the Rock). $$ Café Hans has the best lunch selection and biggest crowds (Tue-Sat 12:00-17:30, closed Sun-Mon, 75 yards down the road from the parking lot).
$$$$ Chez Hans, filling an old stone church, is good for a splurge dinner (Tue-Sat 18:00-21:30, closed Sun-Mon, a block below the Rock, tel. 062/61177, www.chezhans.net).
In town, you’ll find several options. Next door to the TI, $ Feehan’s Bar is a convenient stop for a pub grub lunch (daily 12:00-16:00, tel. 062/61929). A couple of blocks farther into town, the $$ Cellar Pub hides beneath Bailey’s Hotel and serves satisfying dishes (daily 12:00-21:30, tel. 062/61937). Super Valu is the town’s supermarket (Mon-Sat 7:00-22:00, Sun 8:00-21:00, 30 Main Street).
Cashel Connections: Cashel has no train station; the closest one is 13 miles away in the town of Thurles. Buses run from Cashel to Dublin (4/day, 3 hours), Kilkenny (3/day, 2.5 hours), and Waterford (6/day, 2 hours). Bus info: www.buseireann.ie.