Today we woke up with vim and/or vigor but feeling a bit
foot-sore from our previous adventures.
We headed off to the Rock of Cashel which is one of the biggest (pun
intended) tourist attractions in Ireland.
It is another gigantic castle on top of a big limestone rock. We got there just in time for a tour with a
funny guy that liked to spin a good yarn.
The castle is gigantic and the architecture is really impressive. The complex arches and stonework were beyond
what I could do with one arm tied behind my back. Again the view from the top was amazing and
you could look down upon Hore Abbey which is where Cris was born and
raised. Halfway through the tour a choir
stepped into the main hall of the castle and sang a song which echoed
throughout. There was also a girl
playing harp for a while.
We then walked down the big hill to Hore Abbey which was a
lot less touristy due to requiring walking.
It was in the middle of a field where sheep graze and you could just
walk anywhere. It was cool to see how the
lowly abbey was down in the sheep fields while the big mighty Rock of Cashel
fort was on top of the mountain looking down.
We tried to see Ormond Castle too which is an old castle
with a newer addition to it that is still in pretty good shape, but it was
closed for renovations so we could only walk around the perimeter gate.
Next up was Dunbrody Abbey, another gigantic structure. It was very similar in structure and layout
to St. Canices cathedral so it was pretty easy to imagine what it used to look
like. The best part was that you get a
key from an office across the street and then go unlock the Abbey door. so we
were the only people in the entire place.
It was quiet and a lovely place to just chill and enjoy the views.
Just down the street is Duncannon Fort, right on the
ocean. We walked down to the beach and waded
in the frigid water to look up at the old fort.
There are some really old sections and other sections that were clearly
updated for WW2. The locals just go park
right on the beach and swim right under this gigantic old fort. It was pretty cool.
We finished the night with a 3 course French meal consisting
of liver pate’, duck confit, and crème brule’’’. Yum-O.
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