Wednesday, April 13, 2022 - Day 14 - We cross the border into the Republic of Ireland

 It was going to be another rainy day in Rostrevor and at the Giants Causeway (which we keep planning on visiting but it just keeps being rainy and windy) so we looked for somewhere to go where it wasn't raining. When my friend Mary and I had visited Ireland in 2000 we had went to a lot of sites, and one of the most striking was The Rock of Cashel, and the weather looked great there so off we went. When you cross the border by car there aren't any border checks, it's like driving from Minnesota to Wisconsin, except the speed limit signs change from MPH (the UK) to KPH.

 On the motorways in Ireland it's 120 kph. The other difference is that you go from British pounds to Euro because Ireland is part of the EEU.

The Rock of Cashel (or St. Patrick's Rock) did not disappoint and I'm glad Don got to see it, he took a lot of pictures. I took a few myself.

From Wikipedia: According to local legends, 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.^[1] Cashel is reputed to be the site of the conversion of the King of Munster by St. Patrick in the 5th century.

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. 

Here is a first view from the highway. No matter what direction you approach the town of Cashel, you are going to see this on the horizon.

 

I took almost this same picture, 22 years ago, and I am going to compare it to that one when we get back to Minnesota, and I dig out my photo album of that trip with Mary. I'm sure the town has grown quite a bit since then.

Only the people of the town who had family already buried at the Rock of Cashel, or who had purchased plots, are allowed to be buried there. At this time there are only two, very elderly, people left who can be buried there when they die.

No drones! We have seen this a lot in Northern Ireland also. I heartily agree, they're really distracting.

St. Patrick's Cross. This is a replica and the original is behind glass in a building on the grounds. The weather is too rough on sandstone and was wearing away all of the markings.

The tower is the oldest structure.

Cormac's Chapel (consecrated in 1134)with parts of the Cathedral (1235) on either side.

Here you can see the remains of an abbey in the distance. There were originally nine abbeys surrounding the town of Cashel, one of them is completely gone but there are remains of the other eight that can be seen.

17th century grafitti. 

Here lies an archbishop (I think, maybe it's a Cardinal) who converted to being a Protestant without actually leaving the Catholic faith and is supposed to have had nine wives and over 40 children and might have dipped his hands in the both church coffers.

 

I actually managed to take a decent picture.

 

In the picture below is a piece of wall that fell off of the building. You can see the thickness of the walls and also that it held together fairly well, even after falling to the ground. I don't remember all of the the items used to create the mortar, but on the tour the guide mentioned "horse and cattle hair, urine, sand, hay" and the stuff has held for centuries.

Walking away from the Rock and headed towards the abbey.

A tight squeeze. Also, the first time we have been outside without coats on. It was a beautiful 60 degree day!

The abbey.

My lunch at a cafe. Pretty plain and filling, I took home a good portion of the potatoes and "bacon" (what we would just call ham). I ate the cabbage, carrots, and parsnips and all of that cream sauce.

This is where Mary and I stayed in 2000, at that time it was a B&B, I think it still might be although there isn't a sign. The road leading up to the Rock of Cashel is just around the corner.

The worst meal Mary and I ate in Ireland was at this restaurant in 2000 and it's still there! I had told Don about this Italian restaurant that was in a huge orange building. It used to be a cinema and the host at the B&B had told Mary and I that it wasn't very good but we were tired of pub fare and wanted something different. The pasta was crunchy and the tiramisu was half frozen. Our server at the cafe where we had lunch confirmed it's the same owners and that it still isn't very good in her opinion.