Orientation to the Rock of Cashel
Sights near the Rock of Cashel
If you’re 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 blood rivals on the hurling field, with the lion’s share of the GAA national championships split between them. Watch for sporting lads carrying their hurlies (ash-wood sticks with broad, flat ends) to or from school. These two counties also boast some of the finest agricultural land on this rocky and boggy island. Farm tractors rumble the back roads when it’s not a long way to Tipperary.
With a few extra days, consider additional worthwhile destinations along the southeast coast, such as Waterford and County Wexford (described in the next chapter). Folks with more time can continue on the scenic southern coastal route west via Cobh, Kinsale, Kenmare, and the Ring of Kerry (covered in the Kinsale/ Cobh and Kenmare/Ring of Kerry chapters).
Ireland’s loveliest inland city, Kilkenny gives you a feel for salt-of-the-earth Ireland. Its castle and cathedral stand like historic bookends on a higgledy-piggledy High Street of colorful shops and medieval facades. It’s nicknamed the “Marble City” for its nearby quarry (actually black limestone, not marble), and you can see the white seashells fossilized within the black stone steps around town. While a small town today (fewer than 10,000 residents), Kilkenny has a big history. It used to be an important center—occasionally even the capital of Ireland in the Middle Ages. And of vital interest to contemporary women is the fact that actor George Clooney traces his roots to Kilkenny.
Kilkenny is a good overnight for drivers wanting to break the journey from Dublin to Dingle (necessary if you want to spend time at Powerscourt and Glendalough on the way to the Rock of Cashel). A night in Kilkenny comes with plenty of traditional folk music in its pubs.
The TI is a block off the bridge in the 16th-century Shee Alms poorhouse (Mon-Sat 9:30-17:00, Sun 11:00-17:00 in summer, closed Sun Sept-May, Rose Inn Street, tel. 056/775-1500).
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 (€1.30/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; Sun-Thu 7:00-23:00, Fri-Sat 7:00-24:00). If parking overnight, wait until you depart to pay since some hotels will validate parking. Otherwise, you can use the pay-and-display meters on the street (€2/hour, enforced Mon-Sat 8:00-19:00).
Post Office: It’s on High Street (Mon-Fri 9:00-17:30, Sat 9:00-13:00, closed Sun).
Laundry: The Laundry Basket trumpets its existence in vivid red at 21 Patrick Street at the south end of town (Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat 9:00-17:00, closed Sun, tel. 056/777-0355).
Bookstore: The Book Centre, with a cheap and cheery café upstairs, is a great place to hang out on a rainy day (Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, Fri until 21:00, Sun 13:00-17:00, 10 High Street, tel. 056/776-2117).
Bike Rentals and Tours: Kilkenny Cycling rents bikes for €15 a day. They provide safety gear, deliver bikes to your hotel on request, and have route maps for exploring the pastoral charms of County Kilkenny. Their two-hour “easy paced” tour for €17 takes in a half-dozen of the town’s best sights, including Kilkenny Castle, Rothe House, and St. Canice’s Cathedral. Their €20, four-hour “bike-and-hike” tour includes a sevenmile ride to Bennettsbridge (leave bikes there and visit pottery-making and candle-making shops) followed by a pretty hike back along the river, which is shorter and more direct than the ride out (10 percent discount with 2014 edition of this book, cash only, can arrange for tour to leave from your hotel, call for details—mobile 086-895-4961, www.kilkennycyclingtours.com).
Walking Tour: Local guide Pat Tynan and his staff offer hour-long town walks that depart from the TI (€7; mid-March-Oct Mon-Sat at 10:30, 12:15, and 15:00, Sun at 11:15 and 12:30; Nov-mid-March Sat only at 10:30, 12:15, and 15:00; mobile 087-265-1745).
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: €6, daily June-Aug 9:00-17:30, April-May and Sept 9:30-17:30, Oct-March 9:30-16:30, tel. 056/770-4100.
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 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 grand old stables, is full of local crafts and offers handy cafeteria lunches upstairs (April-Dec Mon-Sat 10:00-17:30, Sun 11:00-17:30; Jan-March Mon-Sat 10:00-17:30, closed Sun; tel. 056/772-2118, www.kilkennydesign.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. The 100-foot-tall round tower, built as part of a long-gone pre-Norman church, recalls the need for a watchtower 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 for both-€6; June-Aug Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, Sun 14:00-18:00; April-May and Sept Mon-Sat 10:00-13:00 & 14:00-17:00, Sun 14:00-17:00; Oct-March Mon-Sat 10:00-13:00 & 14:00-16:00, Sun 14:00-16:00; tel. 056/776-4971, www.cashel.anglican.org.
This well-preserved Tudor merchant’s house expanded around interior courtyards as the prosperous family grew. The museum, which also serves as the County Kilkenny genealogy center, gives a glimpse of life here in Elizabethan times. The walled gardens at the far back were a real luxury in their time.
Cost and Hours: €5; April-Oct Mon-Sat 10:30-17:00, Sun 14:00-18:00; Nov-March Mon-Sat 10:30-16:30, closed Sun; Parliament Street, tel. 056/772-2893, www.rothehouse.com.
Smithwick’s reddish ale is a Kilkenny institution...and 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. To celebrate, the company offered extended tours of their working brewery—which were such a hit that the brewery made them permanent. However, a corporate shake-up in 2013 put the future of the brewery in doubt. Ask at the TI about tours during your visit, or check the latest online (www.smithwicks.ie).
Visitors seeking a cozy local watering hole may want to try Bollard’s Pub. This unpretentious landmark (north end of St. Kieran’s Street) is a good bet for lively traditional music sessions (Tue and Thu-Fri at 21:00), good pub grub, and friendly conversation. Or sit out front under the awning and enjoy a pint as Kilkenny’s humanity flows past you. Just down the same street is Kytler’s Inn, with its stony facade and medieval cellar (music almost nightly in summer at 18:30, 27 St. Kieran’s Street). You can also 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). A fun pub crawl could link all three of these places with less than 10 minutes of walking.
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 first three listings are more central, clustered within a block of each other along Lower Patrick Street. The last two are at the north end of town, but still just a short walk from the action.
$$$ Butler Court is Kilkenny’s best lodging value. Ever-helpful Yvonne and John offer 10 modern rooms behind cheery yellow walls that ensure a quiet night. Bob the dog quietly patrols the courtyard (Sb-€60-110, Db-€75-130, Tb-€90-150, wheelchair-accessible, continental breakfast in room, Wi-Fi, will validate overnight parking in nearby multistory garage on Ormonde Street, 14 Lower Patrick Street, tel. 056/776-1178, www.butlercourt.com, info@butlercourt.com).
$$$ Club House Hotel, originally a gentlemen’s sporting club, comes with old-time Georgian elegance; a palatial, well-antlered breakfast room; and 35 large, comfy bedrooms (Sb-€50-75, Db-€100-130; best rates booked direct from hotel website; Wi-Fi, secure parking, Lower Patrick Street, tel. 056/772-1994, www.clubhousehotel.com, info@clubhousehotel.com).
$$ 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 (Sb-€60-90, Db-€75-120, parking in back, 26 Lower Patrick Street, tel. 056/772-3999, www.zuni.ie, info@zuni.ie).
$ Pinecrest B&B has four nice rooms in a modern house on a quiet homey street, just a 10-minute walk from the center of town (Sb-€45-50, Db-€70-80, Tb-€90-120, cash only, parking, Bishop Meadows, just off the Freshford Road about 100 yards north of the roundabout to the Green’s Bridge, tel. 056/776-3567, mobile 087-934-4579, pinecrestbnb@eircom.net, friendly Helen Heffernan).
$ Kilkenny Tourist Hostel, filling a fine Georgian townhouse in the town center, offers 60 cheap beds, a friendly family room, a well-equipped members’ kitchen, and a wealth of local information (dorm bed-€15-17, D-€36-42, T-€53-60, Q-€68-76, cash only, Wi-Fi, laundry service-€5, 2 blocks from cathedral at 35 Parliament Street, tel. 056/776-3541, www.kilkennyhostel.ie, info@kilkennyhostel.ie).
Langton’s is every local’s first choice, serving quality Irish dishes under a Tiffany-skylight expanse (€12-16 lunches, €16-25 dinners, daily 8:00-22:30, 69 John Street, tel. 056/776-5133).
Ristorante Rinuccini serves classy, romantic, candlelit Italian meals (€11-18 lunches, €19-28 dinners, €28 three-course early-bird special before 19:00, open daily 12:00-15:00 & 17:30-22:00, 1 The Parade, tel. 056/776-1575).
La Trattoria is the friendly, informal Italian option in town, presided over by charming Giacomo (€13-21 dinners, €14 two-course early-bird special before 19:00, open daily 12:00-22:00, 84 John Street, tel. 056/777-0907).
Zuni is a stylish splurge, offering international cuisine (€23 two-course and €28 three-course early-bird specials before 19:30 every night but Sat, open daily 12:30-14:30 & 18:00-21:30, weekend reservations a good idea, 26 Lower Patrick Street, tel. 056/772-3999, www.zuni.ie).
Pennefeather Restaurant, above the Kilkenny Book Centre, is good for a quick, cheap, light lunch (Mon-Fri 9:00-17:30, Sat 9:00-17:00, closed Sun, 10 High Street, tel. 056/776-4063).
Kyteler’s Inn serves basic 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 12:00-20:00, 27 St. Kieran’s Street, tel. 056/772-1064).
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.
Rising high above the fertile Plain of Tipperary, the Rock of Cashel—worth ▲▲▲—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.
If you have time, start by visiting the Sounds of History Museum under the Bru Boru Cultural Centre (at the base of the Rock; see here) to learn more about the Rock before you ascend. From there, 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 encounter is the 15th-century Hall of the Vicars Choral, housing the ticket desk, a tiny museum (with an 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). You’ll also find a round tower, an early Christian cross, a delightful Romanesque chapel, and a ruined Gothic cathedral, all surrounded by my favorite Celtic-cross graveyard.
Cost and Hours: €6, families-€14, daily early June-mid-Sept 9:00-19:00, mid-March-early June and mid-Sept-mid-Oct 9:00-17:30, mid-Oct-mid-March 9:00-16:30, last entry 45 minutes before closing. Parking costs €4.50 (pay at machine by exit before returning to your car).
Renovations: An extensive and essential restoration project is underway. It’s likely that sections of the ruins will be under scaffolding during your visit (especially Cormac’s Chapel). 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. If you’re here at a peak time, tour the Rock first and save the movie, museum, and Hall of the Vicars Choral for the end of your visit, when the tourist tide has receded. Otherwise, see the movie and museum first.
Dress Warmly: Bring a coat—deceptively sheltered conditions in the parking lot may not reflect those on the high, windy, exposed Rock.
Tours: Call ahead for the tour schedule (included in entry price, 45 minutes, tel. 062/61437). Otherwise, set your own pace with my self-guided tour.
WCs: Use the ones at the base of the Rock next to the parking lot (there are none up on the Rock).
(See “Rock of Cashel” map, here.)
In a sense, architecture is the marriage of art (what can be imagined) and science (what’s possible). When this union is blended to serve God, it’s a potent mix. 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. To start the tour, climb the indoor stairs opposite the ticket desk.
Hall of the Vicars Choral: This is the youngest building on the Rock (early 1400s). It housed the minor clerics appointed to sing during cathedral services. These vicars—who were granted nearby lands by the archbishop—lived comfortably here, with a large fireplace and white, lime-washed walls (to reflect light and act as a natural disinfectant that discouraged bugs as well). Window seats gave the blessedly literate vicars the best light to read by. The furniture is original, but the oak timber roof is a reconstruction, built to medieval specifications using wooden dowels instead of nails. The large wall tapestry, showing King Solomon with the Queen of Sheba, contains intentional errors—to remind viewers that only God can create perfection. 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 purposes, forcing the archbishop to curtail its use.
• Go outside the hall and find...
St. Patrick’s Cross: St. Patrick baptized King Aengus at the Rock of Cashel in about A.D. 450. Legend has it that St. Patrick, intensely preoccupied with the holy ceremony, accidentally speared the foot of the king with his crosier staff while administering the baptismal sacrament. But the pagan king stoically held his tongue until the end of the ceremony, thinking this was part of the painful process of becoming a Christian. Probably not that many other converts stepped forward that day.
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. 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).
On my first visit, more than 30 years ago, the original cross still stood here, outside. But centuries of wind and rain were slowly eroding away important detail, so the cross was moved into the adjacent museum (opposite the ticket desk) and replaced by this replica.
• Turn your back on St. Patrick’s Cross, and 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 to...
Cormac’s 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, consecrated in 1134 by King Cormac MacCarthy—reflects this evolution. Travel in your imagination back to the 12th century, when this chapel and the tall round tower were the only stone structures on the Rock.
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, few windows, and minimal decoration. Irish stone churches of this period (like the one at Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains) were simple rectangular buildings with no ornate stone carving at all.
Tradition says that the chapel’s easy-tocut sandstone was quarried 12 miles away, and the blocks were passed from hand to hand back to the Rock. (It’s unlikely that they had the manpower to form a conga line that long—they probably used oxen-pulled carts.) The two square towers resemble those in Regensburg, Germany, further suggesting that well-traveled medieval Irish monks brought back new ideas from the Continent.
• The modern, dark-glass chapel door (always unlocked) is a recent addition to keep out nesting birds. Enter the chapel (remembering to close the door behind you) and let your eyes adjust to the low light.
Chapel Interior: Just inside the chapel 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 the Scandinavian Urnes style. Vikings raided Ireland, intermarried with the Irish, and were melting into Irish society by the time this chapel was built. 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.
With your back to the sarcophagus, let your eyes wander around the chapel interior. You’re standing in the nave, lit by the three windows (partially blocked by the later cathedral, which is outside to the left) in the wall behind you. 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 chilly monks, warmed only by candlelight, once carefully copied manuscripts.
The chancel arch, studded with fist-size heads, framed the altar (now gone). The lower heads are more grotesque, while those nearing the top become serene as they climb closer to God. The arch is off-center in relation to the nave, symbolic of Christ’s head drooping to the side as he died on the cross.
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 the Reformation. Such ornamentation was considered vain by Protestants, who piously whitewashed over them. These surviving frescoes were discovered under multiple layers of whitewash during painstaking modern restoration. The rich blue color came from lapis lazuli, an expensive gemstone imported from Asia.
• Walk through the other modern, dark-glass doorway (don’t let the birds in), opposite the door you used to enter the chapel. You’ll find yourself in a...
Forgotten Void: This enclosed space (roughly 30 feet square) 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 (essential conehead attire in the late Middle Ages).
As you exit the chapel (turning left), take a look at the more exposed and weathered tympanum outside, above the south entrance. The carved, bloated “hippo” is actually an ox, representing Gospel author St. Luke.
• Tiptoe through the tombstones around the east end of the cathedral to the base of the round tower.
Graveyard and Round Tower: This graveyard still takes permanent guests—but only those put on a waiting list by their ancestors in 1930. A handful of these chosen few are still alive, and once they’re gone, the graveyard will be considered 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.
Look out over the Plain of Tipperary. Called the “Golden Vale,” its rich soil makes it Ireland’s most prosperous farmland. In St. Patrick’s time, it was covered with oak forests (Ireland is now the most deforested nation in the EU). A path leads to the ruined 13th-century Hore Abbey in the fields below (free, always open and peaceful). The abbey is named for the Cistercian monks who wore simple gray robes, roughly the same color as hoarfrost (the ice crystals that form on morning grass).
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. (Enemies could smoke out anyone inside the tower, and with enough warning, monks were better off concealing themselves in the countryside.) The tower stands 92 feet tall, with walls over 3 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 under present ground level).
Continue walking around the cathedral’s north transept, noticing the square holes in the exterior walls. During construction, wooden scaffolding was anchored into these holes. On your way to the cathedral entrance, in the corner where the north transept joins the nave, you’ll pass a small, easy-to-miss well. 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...
Cathedral: Traditionally, the choir of a church (where the clergy celebrate Mass) faces east, while the nave stretches off to the west. Because this cathedral was squeezed between the preexisting chapel, round tower, and drinking well, the builders were forced to improvise—giving it an extra-long choir and a cramped nave.
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 any 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, 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.
Take a 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, wonderful carvings of early Christian saints line the outside walls of tombs (look down at shin level).
• Return to the nave and continue down to the far end. Exit the cathedral on the left, through the porch entrance.
Castle: Back outside, stand beside the huge chunk of wall debris and try to picture where it might have fit in the 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 in 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.
Nestled below the Rock of Cashel parking lot, next to the statue of the three blissed-out dancers, this center adds to your understanding of the Rock in its wider historical and cultural context. The highlight of the Sounds of History Museum downstairs is the exhibit showing the Rock’s gradual evolution from ancient ring fort to grand church ruins—projected down onto a large disc that visitors gather around.
Those interested in Ireland’s traditional music scene will enjoy the surprisingly good 15-minute film introduction to Irish trad music in the small museum theater.
Cost and Hours: Cultural Centre-free, Sounds of History Museum-€5; June-Aug Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, closed Sun; Sept-May Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00, closed Sat-Sun; cafeteria, tel. 062/61122, www.bruboru.ie.
Performances: If you stay overnight in Cashel, consider taking in a performance of the Bru Boru musical dance troupe in the center’s large theater (€20, €50 with dinner, mid-June-mid-Aug Tue-Sat at 21:00).
The huggable town at the base of the Rock affords a good break on the long drive from Dublin to Dingle (TI open mid-March-Oct daily 9:30-17:30, Nov-mid-March closed Sat-Sun, tel. 062/62511). The Heritage Centre, next door to the TI, presents a modest six-minute audio explanation of Cashel’s history around a walled town model.
If you spend the night in Cashel, you’ll be treated to beautifully illuminated views of the ruins. The following listings are cozy, old-fashioned, and a five-minute walk from the Rock.
$$ Joy’s Rockside House B&B rests on its lower slopes. With four large, fresh rooms (all with views of the Rock), it’s the best value in Cashel (Db-€80-90, Tb-€120-140, Qb-€160, cash only, Wi-Fi, Rock Villas Street, parking, tel. 062/63813, mobile 087-222-1676, www.joyrockside.com, joyrocksidehouse@eircom.net, Joan and Rem Joy). Families may want to ask about their self-catering house in town.
$ 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 (Sb-€35, Db-€58-60, Tb-€80, Qb-€90, cash only, Wi-Fi, 10 Dominic Street, tel. 062/61760, pat@rockville-house.com).
$ Wattie’s B&B has three rooms that feel lived-in and comfy (Db-€60-75, Tb-€90-100, cash only, Wi-Fi, one wheelchair-accessible room, parking, 14 Dominic Street, tel. 062/61923, www.wattiesbandb.ie, wattiesbandb@eircom.net, Maria Dunne).
$ Cashel Lodge is a well-kept rural oasis housed in an old stone grain warehouse behind the Rock near the Hore Abbey ruins. Its seven comfortable rooms combine unpretentious practicality with Irish country charm (Sb-€35-40, Db-€60-65, Tb-€75, camping spots-€10/person, breakfast-€8.50, Wi-Fi, parking, Dundrum Road R-505, tel. 062/61003, www.cashel-lodge.com, info@cashel-lodge.com, Tom and Brid O’Brien).
Grab a basic soup-and-sandwich lunch at tiny, violet-colored Granny’s Kitchen (next to the parking lot at the base of the Rock). Popular Chez Hans Café, with the best lunch selection and biggest crowds, is 75 yards down the road from the parking lot (€12-18 meals, Tue-Sat 12:00-17:30, closed Sun-Mon). And 50 yards farther down that same road, you’ll find the Rock House, a cafeteria-style restaurant that’s upstairs above the pharmacy (daily 9:00-16:00, tel. 062/62299). In town, next door to the TI, Feehan’s Bar is a convenient stop for a pub grub lunch (12:00-16:00, tel. 062/61929).
For a splurge dinner, consider Chez Hans, the classy cousin of Chez Hans Café, listed above (€25-35 main courses, Tue-Sat 18:00-21:30, closed Sun-Mon, in an old church a block below the Rock, tel. 062/61177, www.chezhans.net).
Cashel has no train station; the closest one is 13 miles away in the town of Thurles.
From Cashel by Bus to: Dublin (4/day, 3 hours), Kilkenny (3/day, 2.5 hours), Waterford (6/day, 2 hours). Bus info: www.buseireann.ie.
