The Rock of Cashel is a very prominent
feature in the town of Cashel, County
Tipperary. It sits high on a hill overlooking
the town like a miniature Camelot. Indeed,
this location was one of the film sets
for the movie Excalibur.
For more than a millennium, this rocky stronghold
was a symbol of royalty and priestly power
throughout Munster, and Ireland. Beginning
in the 5th century, this was the seat of
the Kings of Munster, one of the four provinces
of Ireland, whose kingdom stretched over
much of Ireland's south and southwest. Its
greatest king later became the High King
of Ireland, Brian Boru.
In 1101, Cashel was handed over
to the church where it flourished as a religious
center until it was laid seiged to by Oliver
Cromwell's army's in 1647. This resulted in
the deaths of more than 3000 people. Hore
Abbey, which sits at the base of the Rock,
was finally abandon in the late 18th century.
While still in ruin, the site
is completely open to visitors and offers
a wonderful peak into Ireland's Medieval past.
Enter by walking up the driveway to the old
Dormatory which now serves as the ticketing
office and a small museum.
The Castle
The Castle - this is one
of the first buildings you'll see as you
exit the Dormatory/ticket office (photo
left), though you might not recognize
it as such as it's in a very poor state
of repair. However on closer inspection
you will notice arrow slits along the
walls and a tower beside the main entrance.
You will also notice a large "boulder"
sitting in the grass. This is, in fact,
a corner of the castle. Notice how thick
the walls are.
The Cathedral - located beside and
attatched to the castle, the cathedral
is the largest building on the site.
From the air you would see the traditional
cross shape of the building that is
common among cathedrals.
Within the walls of this grand
structure are many features worth looking
at. Several carved tombs can be fund in the
North Transept. The carvings are remarkably
detailed. They are amazingly fresh looking
considering their age and the fact that they
are exposed to the elements.
The Choir contains the 17th
century tomb of Miler Magrath. He caused great
scandal by being both a Protestant and Catholic
archbishop at the same time!
At the center of the Cathedral
is the area known as "The Crossing". Look
up and see the lovely detailed arch where
the four sections of the building come together.
The Cathedral dates back to
the 13th century.
Note:
St Patrick's Cross, Cormac's Chapel and the
Round Tower are the earliest recorded structures
since religious occupation, dating back to
the 12th century.
Cormac's Chapel - beside the cathedral
is this small chapel. The entrance features
a wonderful Romanesque archway with
supports. It's said to be the "Jewel
of Cashel". There is a tympanum over
the door featuring a centaur in a helmet
with a bow and arrow aimed at a lion,
perhaps a symbol of good over evil.
Directly inside the chapel is a sarcophagus
that probably contained the remains
of either a king or a Cashel priest
at one time. The original sits in the
National Museum in Dublin on Kildare
Street.
At the opposite end of the church is
the Nave, which features dual arches
with hand carved faces on both. One
of the most wonderful finds on the site
are the medieval paintings that are
now showing through the old pasterwork
(photo right)
Medieval paintings
- hand carved faces
The Round Tower - stands 92 feet
(photo top) and is the oldest and tallest building
on the site. Round towers purposes are fairly
obscure, though they were known as both a storage
place for valuables and lookout towers. Notice
the doorway is about ten feet from the ground.
The lookout would signal intruders advancing.
Cashel priests and students would climb a ladder
and up into the many levels of stairs to fill
the tower, then the ladder was raised up inside.
Intruders could not get up inside the Tower
and since the food was also kept there, they
would usually outlast the intruders, seeing
them leave eventually. Occasionally you'll find
towers that have had their bases chipped away
at until the tower fell over, but this was rare
as these towers sit on holy ground and even
some marauders won't destroy buildings of God.
As well as that, the bases were usually solid
stone all the way up to the door!
Hall of Vicars
Choral
Hall of Vicars Choral -
houses original artifacts found on the
site during excavations in the museum.
Also part of this building is the dormitory
and an audio/visual theater. This building
is of 15th century construction, and like
the castle, is the newest part of the
site. (photo left)
Other prominent features -
O'Scally Monument - erected in 1870 to the
O'Scally family. In 1976 a particularly rough
storm swept through this valley and blew the
top off the cross. Walk behind the monument
to see the broken sections. You can see by the
size of the stones that this must have been
a terrible storm.
Saint Patrick's Cross - the original now sits
inside the dormitory museum. Patrick was said
to have visited Cashel in 450AD and the cross
was erected in his honor. The east side of the
cross shows the image of St Patrick carved into
its surface.
