Up to an alarm and breakfasted, packed and out the door by 9. We relied on the GPS to get us on the right roads to get to Dublin and it didn't let us down. We had clear sailing, not too much traffic through the countryside and then on to the M8. We stopped once to get coffee, getting all turned around in a confusing array of one-way streets, in a small town, but the GPS got us back on track.
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| Our half way point, to stretch our legs, was The Rock of Cashel |
The Rock of Cashel was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion. In 1101, the King of Munster, Muirchertach Ua Briain, donated his fortress on the Rock to the Church.
The picturesque complex has a character of its own and is one of the most remarkable collections of Celtic art and medieval architecture to be found anywhere in Europe.[2]
Few remnants of the early structures survive; the majority of buildings
on the current site date from the 12th and 13th centuries. from Wikipedia
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| We really didn't do it justice, wandering around, snapping pictures and listening in on tour guides occasionally. |
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| It wasn't difficult to imagine how magnificent it would have been, for its time, with the wooden, beamed roof and translucent animal skins over the windows. |
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| Most surprising |
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| were the carved elements on the walls |
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| and tombs, that survived. |
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| In the cemetary |
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| masses of |
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| celtic crosses with ancient and recent dates engraved. |
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| The swirling flocks of crows, jackdaws and pigeons add to the site. |
We reached our hotel in decent time, through varied weather (typical of Ireland, we started in sun, it got grey, started raining as we came off the Rock of Cashel and drizzled off and on for the rest of the drive)
Relaxed with drinks and dinner in the hotel bar while being entertained by a wedding reception.
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