A Rock and A Stone

With a gorgeous day forecasted, we headed a little west over to Tipperary and as it turns out, it wasn't such a long way (those of you that know the song will find that humorous...maybe).  Tipperary County is the home of the Rock of Cashel -- our first stop of the day.
 

Similar to the Hill of Tara in it's significance in Irish history, the Rock of Cashel played an important role in the growth of Christianity in Ireland.  The Rock was the seat of ancient kings of Munster and it is where Saint Patrick baptized King Aengus around 450 AD.  There is a legend that when Saint Patrick baptized the king he was so preoccupied with the importance of the sacrament that he speared the king's foot with his staff.  As a pagan, the king thought the pain was part of becoming a Christian and didn't say anything.

 

 

In the 12th century, Murtagh O'Brien gave the Rock of Cashel to the Church so his rival clan could not regain possession.  To commemorate the 650th anniversary of Saint Patrick baptizing the king, a carving of Saint Patrick's Cross was made.  Over the years, the wind and rain took it's toll on the cross and it was moved inside the museum.  A replica now stands in it's place.

Restoration and preservation projects are taking place at The Rock.  One of particular interest is in Cormac's Chapel.  During the Reformation, the beautiful frescos inside the chapel were whitewashed as the Protestants considered them vain.  Frescos are very unusual in Ireland due to the moist climate so these were extra special.  The portion of the chapel where we were allowed to enter was climate controlled and you could see some of the progress being made on the restoration...the pictures do not do it justice.

 

 

 

The round tower dates back to around 1100 AD.  Looking at it, we could see very little mortar and were amazed it is still standing.  I am constantly amazed at the craftsmanship of buildings and structures from long ago when they were so limited without the conveniences we have today.  One would think with all the modern technology we have today we could build things to last for generations yet sadly they often times do not make it through one generation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How can one come to Ireland and not make the journey to Blarney to kiss the stone and gain the gift of gab?  So off to Blarney we went...and thanks to Penny, we saw yet more of the back roads of Ireland!

Julie heads to the stone

And now it's my turn...a far reach for someone with T-Rex arms!

After winding our way down these steps, we stopped in a pub for a late lunch and then to the mills for a little shopping before heading back to the cottage.  Yet another fabulous day in Ireland!

The Kells

Today's weather forecast called for 100% chance of rain so we decided it would be a good day to stay close to the cottage.  As it turned out, it was just a light misting rain so after spending some time with our fabulous host Dave, we headed to the Kells Priory...just a 3 minute drive from the cottage.

 

The Kells Priory was founded in 1193 by Geoffrey FitzRobert. The locals call it "Seven Castles" because the exterior is made up of medieval tower houses that enclose a little over three acres.  If we didn't know it used to be a church, we would have thought it was a fortress. 

 

 

 

 

Dave told us there was a Celtic Cross at the Kilree Monastery just up the road from the Priory that we should go see.  He also mentioned a bull in the pasture but we thought he was pulling our leg.  As you can see by the picture, he wasn't!  So not wanting to chance fate, we opted to view just the monastery from a safe distance.  Dave did say if I could run faster than Julie I would be okay...he is definitely a character!



Each day Dave comes to clean out the ashes and set the fire. We had to stop by to pick up some peat for tonight's fire (we forgot to get it yesterday...well actually Dave only told us to get starter and wood so we're going to blame it on him) so we went back to Bob's (the only shop in the village...there are two pubs so at least we know they have their priorities in order!).  When I told Bob I needed peat, he shouted "Pete" in the back of the store...Bob's another character.  Here's a few pictures of the village of Kells.

 

 

Feeling optimistic with the weather, we headed over to Waterford for lunch and a trip to the crystal factory.  The weather turns quickly here in Ireland and the wee rain of the morning turned into a heavier rain on our way to Waterford.

 

Clock Tower marks center of harbor

We popped in to The Granville Hotel Carvery for lunch upon arrival in town.  A carvery is basically a fancy cafeteria...you still get a tray and go through the line but it is a smaller selection than the larger cafeterias we're used to in the States.  We had the beef and Guinness stew with a side of carrots and, yep you guessed it, a roasted potato.  It was delicious and perfect for a raining day.

After a wee bit of shopping at the Waterford Crystal Factory, we headed back to the cottage.   This morning Dave mentioned a lot of the ladies of the village were going to a cooking demonstration at the craft center and he was going to get all of fellas together for drinks at Shirley's (one of the two pubs).  He asked if we wanted to go and we said "of course...how can we resist an evening with the men of Kells!".