Virtually Around Ireland: DAY SIX: Tramore to Cashel (via Devil's Bit)

Leaving Glengory by the Sea in Tramore.

I thought since I'd stayed seaside I better see the sea. This is looking down The Cove, Tramore.

The Cove, Tramore. Beautiful.

Looking back up the hill at The Cove, lifeguard station on the left and strange building built into the hill on the right.

On the hunt for the White Lady at Ballymacaw.

This would be as close as I would get.

The 12th century ruins of Ardmore tower, Main Street, Ardmore.

Cliff Road, Ardmore.

On the hunt for the Giant's Grave standing stone past Clonmel.

View of Croughaun Hill in cloud from Fallagh.

Northward ho!

The R678 at Rathgormack

The Curraghkiely Ring Fort (middle of picture).

Driving around Clonmel looking for the Giant's Grave I came across a quaint suburb - Ard na Sidhe.

Nevermore by the roadside of the R688.

According to Google, Giant's Grave should be directly on the right. Like the bunting though.
I 'drove' around for at least an hour looking for the 3m high standing stone only to find out that where Google was saying Giant's Grave was different to where they were saying the suburb of Griantsgrave was. It was supposed to be well signposted. I drove around Giantsgrave too and still didn't see it.

Disheartened, I moved on to Cashel. It will never cease to blow my mind that people live in and around these beautiful, ancient buildings.

Now on the hunt for the Rock of Cashel. Houses so close to a 12th century wall!

My first glimpse of the Cashel of the Kings over the top of Dowling's Garage and Fuel Merchants.

The Rock of Cashel (Irish: Carraig Phádraig), also known as Cashel of the Kings and St. Patrick's Rock, is a historic site in Ireland's province of Munster.

The Rock of Cashel was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion. Few remnants of the early structures survive; the majority of buildings on the current site date from the 12th and 13th centuries.

Cashel is reputed to be the site of the conversion of the King of Munster by St. Patrick in the 5th century. 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.

According to local mythology, the Rock of Cashel originated in the Devil's Bit, a mountain 20 miles(30 km) north of Cashel when St. Patrick banished Satan from a cave, resulting in the Rock's landing in Cashel.

I think I've found the way!

So exciting!

The oldest and tallest of the buildings is the well preserved round tower (28 metres, or 90 feet), which dates from c.1100. Its entrance is 12 feet from the ground, necessitated by a shallow foundation (about 3 feet) typical of round towers.

The tower was built using the dry stone method. Modern conservationists have filled in some of the tower with mortar for safety reasons.

Oh gods, oh gods, so close!

Squee!

This would be as close as I could get.

Let me regale you with history: Cormac's Chapel, the chapel of King Cormac Mac Carthaigh, was begun in 1127 and consecrated in 1134.[1] It is a very sophisticated structure, unlike most Irish Romanesque churches, which are ordinarily simple in plan with isolated decorated features.

I decided to head north to see if I could get a better view.

The Cathedral, built between 1235 and 1270, is an aisleless building of cruciform plan, having a central tower and terminating westwards in a massive residential castle. For a church architecture geek like me, this is nirvana.

Imagine seeing this on your way to work every morning?

I decided to head north to Devil's Bit since it's linked to Cashel.
According to local legend, the mountain got its name because the devil took a bite out of it. There is a small gap in the mountain between one outcrop of rock (known as the Rock) and another small plateau. The bite the devil allegedly took made this gap. The legend suggests that the devil broke his teeth taking this bite and the Rock of Cashel fell from his mouth to where it now stands.
You can see the gap and the cross on the left peak.

Coming back from Devil's Bit along the R660.

In 1647, during the Irish Confederate Wars, Cashel was sacked by English Parliamentarian troops under Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin. The Irish Confederate troops there were massacred, as were the Roman Catholic clergy, including Theobald Stapleton. Inchiquin's troops looted or destroyed many important religious artifacts.