Glendalough and Kilkenny

We had not been south of Dublin and decided the best way to see the sights and scenery in that part of Ireland would be to take a bus tour. We boarded the bus at our hotel at 9 am and arrived back in Dublin at 6 pm. We traveled to and stopped at Glendalough and Kilkenny with many kilometers of rolling hills covered with sheep, tiny villages, farm land planted with barley, maize, and other crops, etc. in between.


Glendalough (Irish for "Glen of Two Lakes"):

Glendalough is a glacial valley located in County Wicklow which is renown for its Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St. Kevin, a hermit priest. It was a flourishing settlement for about 600 years and then left in ruin by the English in 1398. The buildings we saw dated from the 11th and 12th century. We took a walk around the upper and lower lakes, and saw St. Kevin's church, the graveyard, the round tower, and the cathedral.

The upper lake with a stream of water flowing into it.

A tree near the lower lake that had been split by lightening, bent by the wind, but still had new growth coming from the top. A tribute to perseverance despite difficulty! (I was standing straight when I took this picture . . . the tree was bending.)

St. Kevin's church. (It was raining at the time and you can see the drops on my lens.)

A grave with the Celtic cross carved on top. Many of the gravestones were so weathered it was impossible to read the names or dates on them.

The round tower had four windows on the top which pointed north, south, east, and west. A light would be hung in them each night to help guide those traveling to Glendalough.

The cathedral was built over a period of time. The part the picture is take of is from the 10th century, the other half in which I am standing dates back to the 11th century.



Kilkenny:

Kilkenny is situated on both banks of River Nore in the south-east part of Ireland. It is a popular tourist destination and has such attractions as Kilkenney Castle, the Black Abbey, Rothe House, and is knows for its variety of arts and crafts.

Kilkenny castle was built in 1195 on the banks of the River Nore to help control the commerce that traveled up and down the river. In its 13th century condition it played an important role in the defense of the town with its four corner towers and the massive ditch or mote that surrounded a portion of it. These pictures show the castle from the front, from the back courtyard, from the side, and the coat of arms above the side entrance.

The Black Abbey was established in 1225 as one of the first houses of the Dominican Order in Ireland. The stained glass window pictured below is known as the Rosary Window and depicted scenes from the life of Christ. There were several sarcophagi in the courtyard and Allyn thought he might fit into one!

Roth House it is a residence of a merchant from the 17th century which is made up of three houses, three enclosed courtyards, and a large garden with orchard.

A little bit of humor or we take some things for granted in the USA . . . When we passed the sign for this Bed and Breakfast Inn Allyn said that the words "en suite" meant that there was a bathroom in the room and not down the hall!