The day started off nice and sunny so we left Kilkenny in the taillights and headed for Cashel to see Cormac Cathedral. It was built on top of the Rock of Cashel on the plains of Tipperary as a strong hold for King Cormac McCarthy and the kings of Munster.
St Patrick baptized King Aengus here in 450 AD. It is the only known church in Ireland that is partially built in the Roman style. Parts of it are also Christian and Gothic style. This is another example of the round tower that is almost exclusively Irish. The tower was there first and the cathedral was built around it.
Notice the scaffolding in the middle. This is for the restoration of this building. The walls are covered in mildew. They are trying to dry it out so the mildew can be removed. They expect it will take 1 or 2 more years. They are also using UV light inside the chapel to kill the growths.
Here is one of the many stone carving from inside the church.
And a Celtic Cross marker outside.
Queen Elizabeth II visited The Rock on her historic 4 day visit to Ireland in 2011. She signed the guest book simply "Elizabeth". Who does she think she is? Beyonce??
After traipsing around the rock on a very blustery day a hardy bowl of fish chowder was a welcome treat. Real fish chowder, with spoon sized chunks of salmon, white fish and mussels in the shell, accompanied by thick slices of fresh homemade brown bread.
Come back tomorrow to read about the further adventures of Little Red Dog.
1 comment:
Haha, Beyonce. You guys crack me up!
That is a pretty cool castle— so many different architectural time periods!
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