Follow our journey on this map.
Day 32 was another uncharacteristically clear, cool, sunny day and we loved it because the rest of the week is not supposed to be so grand.
We slept in the castle last night and it was a great experience. Breakfast was a full buffet including a “light” Irish breakfast. It was all really good.
We got underway at 9AM to drive to Kilkinney. That’s the same city we were in on Day 28 so we opted to not tour the castle again but wandered around the medieval city to see what we could uncover. The mood was not as jovial as it was last week. That's because Kilkinney collapsed in the 2nd half of the All Irish Hurling Championship on Sunday night. It’s a very pretty city; the colors of the building are just spectacular. We ran across a storefront that has a variation of Mae’s maiden name: Follain. Notwithstanding that her dad’s side is from France, we captured the Irish version anyway. Next we ran across a building that we’re sure 😊 is a misspelling of our son in law’s name: Tiernan Mulrooney. Close enough.
If you remember, we’re taking this 2-month venture with a single rollaboard and backpack each. Therefore, there is no room for souvenirs (but somehow a puffin backpack has found its way into our stash). I thought I was free from buying “stuff” until we met the coolest silver/goldsmith in a tiny shop. He had some unique pieces in his tiny window—the store could not have been more than 10 feet wide. At first we thought it was a consignment shop because the pieces had that old-school look and were one of a kind. As we entered, we found he was creating everything there in his tiny shop. Mae asked the price of a necklace and when he told her she said “I’ll take it.” I looked at the man and said that I had hoped she would be a little less effusive so that I could bargain the price. He just looked at me, gave me a pitiful smile, and reduced the price. So Mae has come away with a souvenir.
The next stop was to a family farm that is venturing into agritourism. They have converted a part of their house into a B&B where guests can help with anything on the farm that’s going on that day. It is an interesting business model. We didn’t do anything but have a wonderful lunch prepared from fresh ingredients from her farm or neighboring properties. A scone-making demonstration followed lunch.
The final stop was at the Rock of Cashel in Tipperary County. At first I thought we were going to go see a rock (I haven’t done a whole lot of preparation for this phase of the trip). It’s anything but a “rock.” It gets its name “rock” because it is the foundation of much of the country’s religious history. It is set on a dramatic outcrop of limestone in the Golden Vale and possesses the most impressive cluster of medieval buildings in Ireland. Among the monuments to be found there is a round tower, a high cross, a Romanesque chapel, a Gothic cathedral, an abbey, the Hall of the Vicars Choral and a fifteenth-century Tower House.
Originally the Rock of Cashel was the seat of the kings of Munster. According to legend, St. Patrick himself came here to convert King Aenghus to Christianity. Brian Boru was crowned High King at Cashel in 978 and made it his capital. In 1101 the site was granted to the church and Cashel swiftly rose to prominence as one of the most significant centers of ecclesiastical power in the country. The surviving buildings are remarkable. Cormac’s Chapel, for example, contains the only surviving Romanesque frescoes in Ireland. The Rock of Cashel is one of Ireland’s most spectacular and most visited tourist attractions.
We left the Rock of Cashel to head back to Kinnitty Castle for a 2nd night before leaving for another castle tomorrow.
