Ireland: The Rock of Cashel, St. Patrick's Well and a Stroll Through Cobh

 The Rock of Cashel, in Cashel, Ireland, is known as the spot of the beginning of Christianity in Ireland. Originally the seat of the Kings of Munster for over 1000 years, it is reputed to be the spot where King Aengus was converted to Christianity by St. Patrick in AD 432. And it was the spot where we started our first full day in Ireland on a picture perfect blue sky day.

The Rock of Cashel

The Rock of Cashel (also known as St. Patrick's Rock or The Rock of Kings) with its' spectacular medieval buildings, is one of the most visited sites in Ireland. So we arrived early, actually when it opened, bought our tickets and climbed up the drive to The Rock. We shouldn't have worried, though, as it wasn't crowded and we were able to walk freely around the grounds.  Cormac's Chapel, The Cathedral, the graveyard, and the Round Tower are some of the buildings still surviving - though most are from 1100 on when the Rock was given to the Church (In 1649 the English Protestant Troops attacked The Rock and massacred over 1000 Catholic Clergy and Irish troops and also destroying much of the Rock)

 One of the highlights of visiting the Rock is seeing St. Patrick's Cross which was created during the 12th century. Carved from Sandstone, the base is believed to be older than the cross and possibly was the inauguration seat for the Kings of Munster. Like so  many myths associated with St. Patrick, the cross is said to have healing powers, or for the unmarried, a ritual performed around it is said to induce a quick marriage.

St. Patrick's Holy Well

Our new friend, Dave the Bartender, that we met the night before told us to visit St. Patrick's Holy Well and The Vee along with Lismore Castle. So our next stop was at one of 300 holy wells in Ireland -  St. Patrick's Well, on our way to The Vee (read more about The Vee and it's rhododendron heaven here) Known for healing, many visit the wells to take of the waters and leave thanks to patron saints - in this case it was St. Patrick. Originally thought to be a place of baptism for converts to Christianity by St. Patrick before there were any churches, this well is thought to have miraculous healing powers. It's a very peaceful place and we had it all to ourselves for most of our visit. After filling our water bottles, we were on to our next stop: The Vee.

The Village of Lismore

Our friend who we met in Cashel, Dave the Bartender, also told us to visit the village of Lismore and head to Lismore Castle, home to the Duke of Devonshire. We were hoping to go inside the castle but found out that you can only walk around the gardens. We made the decision to go elsewhere - we walked to St. Carthage's Cathedral and took a gander inside. Then what else should you do after visiting a church but head to a pub. And what a fun pub it was! Foley's on the Mall had an outdoor beer garden - which was full - so we parked ourselves at the bar, enjoying a hard cider and talking with the friendly staff. Turns out that the pub is owned by a couple - and the wife is originally from Texas. She stopped by to chat and we enjoyed talking about living in Ireland - and Texas.

Lismore isn't really on the "tourist map" but I liked it - a typical small village in Ireland.

Cobh

After our drive along The Vee, it was time to head into Cobh. Cobh, a port city located in Cork, is known as the jumping off spot for more Irish immigrants than any other spot in the country. Between 1848 and 1950 some 2.5 million people left from Cobh making it the single most important port of emigration. It was also the last port of call for the ill-fated Titanic and is the home of the Titanic Experience Cobh. 

We arrived late in the afternoon, parking by the extremely impressive St. Colman's Cathedral with it's view over the harbor - at 300 feet tall it's the tallest church in Ireland. Taking a stroll downhill, we passed the famous colorful line of houses, walked along the waterfront and found a place for dinner. The Harbor Grill, at the Commodore Hotel, was a perfect spot for a nice meal with views of the harbor. (I didn't know it at the time but it's possible that some of Titanic's passengers might have dined here before they sailed)

It was a great first full day in on the Emerald Isle. And the good news was that we still had five more to go!

How about you? Have you ever been to The Rock of Cashel? Or St. Patrick's Well? Or maybe Cobh?

Linking up with : My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!