Rock of Cashel ... hermosisimo, un complejo religioso arriba de una montania ... realmente espectacular, debo decir que no me lamente ni 1 segundo mi decision final.

Lunes.... aca toy. Y como taba no toy mas porque ya me fui de la Isle of Mann

We pulled into Cashel just at lunch time and were prompted escorted upstairs to the café/diner directly above the gift shop and store below.  A rather unusual setup but the tour director had made all the arrangements ahead and the cooks and helpers were all ready for large group.  We had Sheppard’s pie, a piece of Lemon pie, and a coke.  Actually quite good.  After lunch we were given a hour or so to walk up the hill to the Rock of Cashel.  This is the only hill for miles so the view from the small hill is very nice.  We got several pictures.

Worth the drive. Beautiful views.

Desde una loma, la catedral fortaleza de Cashel dominaba toda la zona

Nuevas cosas en la ruta. Los paisajes no dejan de sorprender

El castillo de Cashel (Rock of Cashel) es impresionante no sólo por la construccion en sí, si no tambien por su emplazamiento. Es increible ver su silueta a lo lejos y pasear entre sus muros.

The Rock of Cashel rests on one of the very few hills in this part of Ireland. Only about two hundred feet high, this small hill became a gathering spot for early kings. Later a church and finally a cathedral were built on this high ground in the 13th century. Today, except for the 90 foot tall round tower, only the ruins of the buildings and many gravestones can be seen. A small entry fee to go into the ruins is charged. Nearby on the flatlands is the Hore abbey, which also is just ruins. The small township of Cashel, which caters to the tourist crowds, sits below the hill. The beauty is that because it is on a hill, so highly unusual in this area, the views are wonderful and you can see why it was cherished by kings.

Going to dublin from cork, it's hard not to notice the castle atop the hill, we were wondering how to get there, it took us another trip to get the glimpse of the name:The Rock of Cashel.

Standing on the limestone rock, the castle's presence dominates the whole town .The Rock of Cashel is apparently the site that St.Patrick converted the king of Munster. Unfortunately the saint accidentally stabbed the king in the foot with his crosier. The king, thinking it was part of the initiation rite, bore the pain. :p

The complex displays arrays of celtic and medieval architecture. Not to miss are the ruins of a round tower, a Romanesque chapel, a Gothic cathedral, a hall building and several high crosses.

The round tower and the cathedral are probably the earliest and esoteric structure in the complexes with height of approx 28 metres.

Cormac's Chapel, unlike most Romanesque churches has the naves and altar spaces designs strongly suggesting germanistic influence, a feature quite obscure in Ireland. Not to miss the carvings on the archways and the frescoes ...although it wasn’t totally restored as the chapel literally 'wept' when it was closed down before.

The hall is now restored and turned into a museum, showcasing the collection of silverwares and St.Patrick's Cross (a  cross used in the inauguration ceremonies of the kings).Not to miss also is the sarcophagus of the Bishop that earned the title of half-up catholic and half-down protestant bishop

The ground is actually a graveyard. So this is a real treat for 'graveyard goers like me (i only go in daytime okay?!), unfortunately, one of the highest cross was struck down by lightning.

To add more on the history of the place, this is where Guiness was initially concocted. So beer drinkers, pay your homage  as well :P

Photos for now...Blog later.... :)

I had heard rumor of how ominous this site was, but until you stand below the walls and understand the size of this place, you just don't understand.

I always thought it was more of a castle. I was a little shocked to find out that it was a church and monestary. The walls, over 10 feet thick in most areas, are overwhelming large and were meant to protect the wealth of the church during Viking raids and wars.

We had a wonderful tour guide that took the time to explain all of the intricacies of Cashel. To put it in writing would be impossible. You have to see it to believe it!

The Rock of Cashel is an amazing place and one of the main reasons I traveled to Ireland. It was the top destination on my list. It's an amazing structure of limestone that was the sea of the Munster kings from 370 A.D. until 1100, when King Murtagh O'Brien granted the Rock to the church. St. Patrick visited Cashel in 450 A.D. and baptised King Aengus there. The buildings included on the Rock are: a 10th Century Round Tower, Cormac's Chapel, The Cathedral, the Hall of the Vicar's choral and St. Patrick's Cross.

From Doolin we started driving south-east through the Burren area (lots of bleak rocky landscape, so wild and beautiful) and eventually made it to Cashel (somewhere in the middle of Ireland).

It was a nice little town, the main tourist attraction being the Rock of Cashel - an old monastery atop of a big fat rock.  It was quite like Edinburgh Castle in many ways, although the rock is not quite so big and the buildings at Cashel are ruins.  We took a very informative guided tour (though it was rather cold and a little rainy).  Then we went to the Cashel Folk Village/Museum, which is basically a little collection of old shop fronts around a courtyard, with lots of random old stuff - a look at Irish country life.  It was quite interesting and very quaint - the woman who runs/manages the places lives in a little cottage off the courtyard. 

From Cashel it was on to Kilkenny where we stopped only briefly, but it looked like another pleasant Irish town.