Category: Ireland

Have You Peered Over the Edge of the Cliffs of Moher?

10/1/2013

I know….. a zillion people have posted photos of the Cliff of Moher before me, but I simply had to add my experience to this procession!

Being a typical American (we generally follow rules regarding signs due to our litigious society!) we walked out to the area near the edge of the cliffs and stopped at the sign that said “Please do NOT go beyond this point” and watched as the rest of the world visitors tramped right by us and up to edge, peering over to the rocks and sea hundreds of feet below. We watched in dismay that everyone seemed to be ignoring the sign!

I had to get some photos of this because watching these daring folks from our safe perch at the tourist wall was going to be the only way we would get a vicarious thrill from being at the edge of the Cliffs of Moher.

Maybe someday I’ll go back and lay flat on my belly and hang my head over the side to what they saw!

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A Stone Fort in the Center of River Suir: Cahir Castle

9/30/2013

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Cahir Castle (Caisleán na Cathrach) which means “Stone Fort” is one of the largest and best preserved castles in Ireland and was built in 1142 by Conor O’Brien, a lord of Thomond. It sits on a rocky island in the center of the River Suir in what is now the South Tipperary town of Cahir.

In 1375, the castle was granted to James Butler, after he was made Earl of Ormond for his loyalty to Edward III. The first Baron of Cahir was not created until 1542 and for the next century, the castle was the center of conflict between nobles supporting alternately Catholics or Protestants and cousins fighting over inheritance.

Even with continued conflict, the castle was enlarged from the 15th through 17th centuries, and it remains as it appeared in those days. It retains its beautiful stone keep, tower and much of its original defensive structure, so the castle you see today is impressive. We walked along the high defensive ramparts and marveled at the mechanism that pulled up the heaving iron portcullis (an iron gate at the castle entrance).

We wandered through the amazingly preserved castle rooms and up and down the many stories, through the huge Great Hall where feasts would have been held.

We even headed down into the depths of the castle into what I think were the dungeons. They sure looked like dungeons to me, with their iron bars!

As we climbed up curving, narrow dangerous stone stairs, I couldn’t help but wonder, “How did ladies with long gowns manage to climb up and down these steep stairs without breaking their necks?”

The private rooms were also fun to visit. In medieval times they had “garderobes” (sort of like closets) where the richly embroidered outer garments were stored. These clothes in the garderobe would have been regularly “beaten” rather than washed, to get rid of vermin. Yuk!

Jim of course had to pose over the privy (toilet) which was basically a hole which opened out to the side of the castle.

Cahir Castle really gives you a sense of what living in the castle might have been like for the people who occupied it so many centuries ago. It is a fun castle for those with lively imaginations!

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Where the High Kings of Tara Rest: Clonmacnoise

9/27/2013

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Beautiful and Ancient, Clonmacnoise Monastery sits peacefully on a bend of the Shannon River amidst meadows, where cows rest in the fresh green grasses and the river flows slowly by with barely a ripple. These famous monastery remnants are about 1½ hour west of Dublin, and just south of the town of Athlone.

St. Ciaran, the son of a master craftsman, founded the monastery in 548 and cleverly built it on the King’s Highway, a main ridge road between the kingdoms of Leinster and Connacht. Clonmacnoise is believed to mean "Meadow of the Sons of Nós".

Unfortunately, one year later St. Ciaran died of yellow fever and was buried under their original wooden church. This is where the 9th century stone ruin of Temple Ciaran now stands.

What looks so peaceful now was not so peaceful during the centuries the monastery flourished. They were attacked first by the native Irish 27 times, and then attacked at least six times by the Vikings.

Round towers with wooden floors separating the tall space, were used during those times as a place to store important religious treasures, a bell tower and sometimes a place of sanctuary during assault. The door to the tower was several feet above the ground and accessible by ladder only.

The monastery became Ireland’s most important center for Christian religion, literature, art and learning for 600 years. During that time it was the burial place for the Kings of Connacht and the High Kings of Tara. The last High King of Ireland, Rory O’Connor, was buried in Clonmacnoise’s cathedral in 1198. By that time, the monastery had 13 churches.

The community continued to be a monastery of great importance until the 12th century, when the Normans invaded. After that, the monastery declined to an unimportant backwater religious community.

But, it wasn’t until 1552 that the monastery was destroyed, when an English army regiment marched down from Athlone, ruined the buildings and stole all the treasures including the monastery books, stained glass and church bells. The remains of the ruined churches are dotted across the graveyards and fields which are encircled within the low stone walls of the monastery enclosure.

The Clonmacnoise Interpretive Center and Museum houses exhibits depicting the history of Clonmacnoise and the area, archeological artifacts, including the original Celtic stone crosses and stone grave-slabs, which were brought indoors for preservation and display, and information on the people who would have lived and worked there. Don’t leave without visiting the center because it brings the silent stone ruins to life.

One last note! You can use the interactive iPhone app provided on-line (CLICK HERE FOR APP) to guide you through the of the ancient monastery ruins while showing you a virtual picture of what each ruin would have looked like and how they would have been used. I wish I had known about this app when we were there!

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Sacred Ruins at the Rock of Cashel

9/25/2013

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The Rock of Cashel, which is about 2 1/2 to 3 hours (100 miles), south of Dublin rises above the plains of Tipperary and is a magnificent site as your gaze is pulled up toward the sky by the stony points of the ruined church and its towers.

The Rock of Cashel is the ancient seat of the Kings of Munster, and is said to be the location of the conversion of King Aengus, by St. Patrick in the 5th century. In 1101, another King of Munster, Muirchertach Ua Briain (Murtagh O’Brien), donated his fortress and the Rock to the Church.

There are few remnants of those earliest buildings and there are no known surviving records of the construction of the 13th century church, so historians have used the remains of the architecture to date the ruins. It is one of the most remarkable remains of Celtic art and medieval architecture in Ireland.

The oldest building on the rock is the Round Tower which was built c. 1100 and was built using the dry-stone method. Its door is 12 feet above ground and had to be reached via a ladder; typical for a round tower of those days. The tower would have had several wooden floors and would have been used for storage, a bell tower, and some say even a place of refuge from assault.

Cormac’s Chapel, which was begun in 1127 and consecrated in 1134, is one of the earliest and finest Romanesque churches in Ireland. It is considered unusually sophisticated for an Irish Romanesque church and the two towers on each side of the chapel are said to have Germanic influences, probably because the Irish Abbot of Regensburg, Germany sent two of his carpenters to work on the church.

There are arcades on the exterior and the interior of the chapel and it has a barrel-vaulted ceiling where various heads peer down at you, it also has a two carved tympanums (a semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance). The chapel also contains one of the best preserved Irish frescoes from this time period.

The Cathedral was built between 1235 and 1270 in a cruciform plan and had no side aisles. The north transept contains late medieval tombs found at the site. The triple lancet windows are a beautiful delicate feature. In the 15th century, the cathedral was extensively remodeled with a residential tower-house constructed at the end of the nave and other buildings added to the site.

The Rock of Cashel ruins are amazingly beautiful and the view from the rock is stunning. We spent quite some time just taking in the view of the rolling green fields of County Tipperary and roaming among the sacred stone ruins and the Celtic crosses in the graveyard, just basking in the mystical feeling of this ancient place.

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Going to Dublin? Don't Miss THE TEMPLE BAR in Temple Bar!

9/22/2013

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Going to Dublin? Don’t miss THE TEMPLE BAR in the Temple Bar district of Dublin!

Temple Bar is a district in Dublin lined with authentic Irish Pubs and Restaurants and lots of Souvenir Shops and depending upon the time of year, the Temple Bar streets can be overflowing with holiday revelers and hen & stag partiers.

Last time we were in Dublin, we stopped into THE TEMPLE BAR so that Jim could check out a few of their over 450 Irish Whiskeys (and a few Guinness too?!) It was an early afternoon in October, so we had the pub almost to ourselves and the bartender had lots of time to tell all about Irish Whiskey and recommend some of his favorites.

Not only is The Temple Bar famous for its great selection of whiskeys, beers, and their amazing live music (they were awarded Irish Music Pub of the Year from 2002 – 2012), but you can pick up a lovely dish of Dublin Bay Oysters too! Just one of the many great pubs in Temple Bar, but definitely one that is lots of fun!

Just a little history so you’ll know where you are drinking your beer!

Sir William Temple was a teacher and philosopher in 1599 and by 1609 was provost of Trinity College.

The bar’s website says the he “built his house and gardens on newly reclaimed land here on the corner of Temple Lane and the street called Temple Bar. In 1656, his son, Sir John Temple, acquired additional land, which with reclamation made possible by the building of a new sea wall, allowed the development of the area we now know as Temple Bar.

In the 17th century ‘Barr’ (later shortened to Bar) usually meant a raised estuary sandbank often used for walking on. Thus the river Liffey embankment alongside the Temple family's plot became known as Temple's Barr or simply Temple Bar.”

In our opinion, you should have a beer there just to hang out in such a historically interesting place!

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Into the Ireland of Old at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park

9/21/2013

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Bunratty Castle, in Irish, Caisleán Bhun Raithe, means the 'castle at the bottom' or end of the Ratty River, which runs alongside the castle. This castle you see today was built around 1425 by the MacNamara family. If you want to really explore what it was like to live so long ago in Ireland, you must visit this 15th century castle and the 19th Century folk village surrounding it.

The castle is famous for the medieval banquets they put on for visitors, though I must admit we did not attend one since I’m not really into that sort of entertainment! For me, just wandering up through the many floors of the castle and through its rooms was super interesting.

The Bunratty Castle of today is actually the 4th castle to be built at Bunratty.

It is believed the first wooden castle was built on the hill around 1250, and Bunratty castle and village were granted the right to hold markets and an annual fair. Unfortunately, the prosperous castle and town were not to be granted a peaceful existence.

Typical of the capricious favors of royalty in those days, the land was seized by the crown and re-granted to Richard de Clare (descendent of Strongbow) who built the first stone castle in 1276. Continuous attacks by the O’Briens (the most powerful clan in Munster) and then The Irish Bruce Wars, took their toll on the castle and it was destroyed. Another castle was built in the 14th century, but as Irish/English conflict continued, this castle did not survive either.

At around 1500, the last Bunratty Castle, (remember the one that was built about 1425 by the MacNamara?) finally came into the hands of the O'Briens (who later became the Earls of Thomond). They expanded the site and eventually made it their chief administrative center. It remained in the O’Brien family for over 200 years.

In 1712 the castle was sold and over the next 200 years allowed to fall into disrepair. Lucky for us, in 1956, the castle was purchased by the 7th Viscount Gort, who restored it with the help of the government and opened it to the public.

The furnishings, tapestries and works of art you see at the castle now are from the 15th and 16th century and if you would like an in-depth look at them, go to the BunrattyCollection.com website, where you can learn all about the fabulous items inside the castle before you visit!

The Great Hall and Public Rooms

The Private Apartments and Bedrooms

One of the Kitchen and Service Rooms

Personal Chapel

The Folk Park surrounding the castle is a living reconstruction of the homes and shops, churches and village life from the 19th century. Some of the antique buildings have been moved to the park from other areas of Ireland to create this outdoor museum.

Since it is a living museum, you will be able to interact with people who are dressed in costume of the period and busily going about their daily chores and craftsmen work at their handicrafts like milling, blacksmithing, making pottery, printing, baking and farming. There is even an old style Irish pub where you can get a pint of beer! And best of all, we finally found our Peat fire!

Typical 19th Century Cottages with Peat Fires

Early 20th Century Irish Home with the "Woman of the House" doing house-chores

Bunratty Castle and Folk Park is an incredibly informative and fun place to visit
and if you have children, it should be a must-see on your itinerary!

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A Drive on Dingle Peninsula: Photo-Montage

9/20/2013

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Sometimes photographs say everything. Follow along on our drive of the Dingle Peninsula with this Photo-Montage!

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Kilkenny: Beautiful Medieval City & Home to Smithwick's Beer!

9/17/2013

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If you want to immerse yourself in medieval Ireland, you must visit the city of Kilkenny. The city is nestled along the Nore River, between the stately Kilkenny Castle on one end and the Cathedral which sits on a hill at the other end. It is famous for its many medieval buildings and is referred to as the Marble City after the black polished limestone ['marble'] that was quarried around the city. It holds ancient city status due to having a cathedral and an old royal charter dating from 1609.

We were fortunate to have booked the beautiful Kilkenny River Court Hotel, with its fantastic view of Kilkenny Castle, right across the river. Not only are the rooms comfortable, but the location of the hotel is perfect. You can walk right across the bridge to the old town. In fact, Kilkenny old town is very walkable and even though we had a little rain, we managed to walk almost every inch of the ancient part of the city.

Photo above courtesy of Kilkenny River Court Hotel Website

Naturally, one of your fist stops will be Kilkenny Castle and it certainly was for us as well. The castle situated on the bend of the Nore River is built from local gray limestone. The exterior walls are topped with battlements and anchored by huge drum towers at the corners.

Richard de Clare (Strongbow) built the first wooden fort on the site in 1172 to defend the river crossing. His son-law, William le Mareschal built the stone castle which continued to evolve into the 17th century vision you see today. You can self-tour the rooms which are now restored to look as they did in Victorian times.

Interestingly, the Butler family (the Earls of Ormond), bought the castle and the Lordship of Kilkenny in 1392. The Butlers lived in Kilkenny for the next 600 years and the long gallery is lined with portraits of the Butlers through the ages.

Across the street from the castle are the old stables. They have been turned into the Kilkenny Design Center where local artists and artisans work and sell their art and crafts.

You will feel like you are transported back in time as you stroll up the curving High Street and wander the narrow colorful shop-lined lanes which are connected with small arched medieval “slips” or alleyways, some of them so steep that they require steps. There are some wonderful restaurants and cafes hidden along those slips.

We found a few pubs where the atmosphere was cozy and historic and since it was a rainy day, we spent some time patronizing them!

The pub with the best story behind it is the 13th century Kyteler’s Inn. The stone cellars of this pub are fun place to have a beer or dinner. As the story goes, it was in this place that Alice Kyteler, the famed Witch of Kilkenny was born. She was charged with being a witch in 1324. Witnesses claimed they saw her performing spells and she was convicted and sentenced to death. Alice managed to escape, but left her poor maidservant, Petronella, behind to be burned at the stake as her substitute.

We also popped into and the Pumphouse, during our rainy afternoon of sightseeing just to periodically dry off and the pub was incredibly charming with a friendly bartender to chat with and a crackling fire to warm ourselves by. Of course a pint of the local Smithwick’s helped to warm our tummies!

Smithwick’s is brewed at the St. Francis Abbey Brewery, which has been part of Kilkenny life for 290 years and is Ireland’s oldest brewery. Smithwick’s was first brewed in 1710. By the 1920s, it had become Ireland’s most popular ale, a position it still holds according to the brewery.

Heading back out, even though the weather was a bit gloomy, we managed to visit several of the medieval gems in the old city. We loved our self-guided tour of the Rothe House Museum, which was built between 1594 -1610, and was originally the home of a wealthy merchant. You will definitely want to see this home.

The Rothe Family, along with less than a dozen other wealthy families, controlled Kilkenny’s trade and dominated its civic government from the late Middle Ages until the 17th Century.

The house was expanded over the decades as the family grew both in size and wealth and they literally built three houses one behind the other. The first house was completed in 1594 and this is where John Rothe carried out his business as a merchant and lived upstairs with his family. The second house was completed in 1604 and included additional family living space.

The third house, which was also two floors, was completed 1610 and included a kitchen on the ground floor with a large hearth and bake oven. Behind all of these additions was the garden which contained an orchard, herb and vegetable gardens, a pigeon house, a well, and a summer house.

The house is a wonderful look into the home life of a wealthy 17th century family in Ireland.

Turning onto Abbey Street, we went on to the Black Abbey intentionally built outside the medieval city gates, which was established in 1225 as one of the first houses of the Dominican Order in Ireland. The name Black Abbey is based on the fact that the Dominicans were often referred to as "Black Friars" on account of the black cloak which they wear over their white habits.

In 1540, when Ireland was under the rule of the protestant queen, Elizabeth I of England, the property of the priory was confiscated by the crown. Over the next three hundred years, the Abbey and its Benedictine Friars faced many challenges as England’s rule veered from Protestant to Catholic and back again, a number of times.

In the 19th century, extensive restoration and reconstruction of the nave was performed, which made possible the re-consecration of the abbey in 1864. The jewel colored stained glass window in the apse called the “Rosary Window” is from that period.

The last place we visited was St. Canice’s Cathedral. The cathedral was built in the 13th century, on the earlier site of a monastery founded in the 6th century and named after St Canice. The tower that stands beside the current cathedral is a well-preserved Celtic Christian round tower from the 9th-century. This tower is one of only two medieval round towers in Ireland that can be climbed to the top but you need to use ladders and the rainy day prevented us from climbing it.

The interior of the cathedral is beautiful with vaulted ceilings, Romanesque arches, Gothic windows and intricately designed wooden choir. Kilkenny was the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Ossory and the ancient stone of enthronement for bishops is hidden under the seat of the medieval throne in the North Transept. To this day the bishops of Ossory are enthroned there.

The cathedral contains some of the finest ancient tomb monuments in Ireland, including one to Bishop David, and the tombs of many bishops of Ossory. The Dukes of Ormond (the Butlers) and several owners of Kilkenny Castle are buried there.

Strangely, tucked up against a wall is the tombstone of a member of the Kyteler family which was made famous by the witch Alice Kyteler. It was found in 1894 and brought to the cathedral.

The cathedral was deserted the entire time we wandered through it so we felt free to take our time investigating all the nooks and chapels of the lovely old church and by the time we were finished the rain had stopped and we walked back along the river toward our hotel in the setting sun.

Just in time to look for delisious Irish, Beef and Guinness Stew at Pordylos, (a country french restaurant!) and later, another Smithwick’s at one of Kilkenny's wonderful old pubs!

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Looking for Bog People at the National Museum of Ireland Archeology in Dublin

9/15/2013

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I know this might seem gross, but you absolutely must visit the National Museum of Ireland - Archeology when you are in Dublin, to see the bog people. Flattened from centuries of bog pressure, they are amazingly well preserved to the point where you can actually recognize their features. Some were victims of an unfortunate accident, but others were human sacrifices or mortally wounded by battle. You get a tiny glimpse into life back in the stone and bronze ages.

On a lighter note, you can then move on to see the artifacts from early Irish life including beautifully worked gold jewelry, and folk life items. The period covered by the exhibitions extends from the Mesolithic through to the end of the medieval period, and includes internationally known treasures such as the Ardagh Chalice, 'Tara' Brooch and Derrynaflan Hoard.

They have an amazing collection of Viking antiquities, including long boats and other Viking grave-goods such as, swords and spears, personal items and even weights and measures for trading purposes.

Their foreign archeological collection includes Roman, Greek and Egyptian antiquities. You can see some beautifully preserved Egyptian Sarcophagi!

Photos of National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, Dublin

This photo of National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology is courtesy of TripAdvisor

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The Cathedral That Grew From A Well: St. Patrick's Cathedral Dublin

9/15/2013

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Can you visit Dublin and not make a pilgrimage to its famous St. Patrick’s Cathedral? Yes you can, but I wouldn’t recommend it!

First, just reading our guidebook and the internet, we became aware of the long history of importance this church has, not only in Dublin, but in all of Ireland.

The church built on this long-standing early Christian site was dedicated on March 17th in the year 1191, and stands next to what is considered the holy well where St. Patrick baptized converts when he visited Dublin in the second half of the 5th century. Two Celtic carved stones from sometime between 800 – 1100 A.D, were found near the well and are on display inside the Cathedral.

The new church was dedicated to "God, our Blessed Lady Mary and St. Patrick,” and was raised to Cathedral status in 1224. The current splendid building is from 1220.

The Cathedral Website says “Saint Patrick's Cathedral has been at the heart of Dublin and Ireland's history and culture for over 800 years. For long periods it was the largest enclosed space on the island and it remains the largest Cathedral in the country. It has been visited by some of Irish history's most influential individuals from Cromwell, William of Orange and King James I, to Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. It is the final resting place for one of Ireland's most famous men, Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's travels and Dean (head) of the Cathedral.”

Ok, that hooked us. We had to see this inspiring site for ourselves!