The Rock of Cashel is part fortress, part palace and part cathedral, all three branches of medieval government in one building. The Rock has a legendary status in Irish myth and history akin to Camelot but is actually a real place.
Visiting The Rock of Cashel
The Rock is a major tourist attraction and that means coach trips, so get there early! The area is, outside the buildings at least, very Disneyfied with tourist shops and very different to the atmosphere once you get inside the Rock itself. It is well signposted – and pretty easy to spot once you’re nearby anyway – and offers guided tours as well as the usual souvenir shop.
If (when) I revisited I’d like to stay in the town so I can appreciate the hill and buildings from a distance, the views from walking a wide circuit do look impressive.
My Experience
This visit to the Rock of Cashel was as part of a family holiday in southern Ireland, detailed in my blog here. This was way back in 2011 and the combination of a family visit and me being less experienced at photography means the photos are pretty dire. I think this was the day we visited 5 different castles/monasteries so everything was a bit rushed and after Cashel we visited nearby Cahir Castle for lunch.
The complex of buildings here warrants more time than we gave it and the medieval wall paintings are certainly worth a look. There are some excellent carvings and stone sarcophogi although that is more ecclesiastic than military. The outer walls are worth seeing but again it would have been better to do a circuit outside to appreciate them properly. There is no water source on the hill so I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have survived a long siege.
The Rock of Cashel Photo Gallery
History
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. 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. Few remnants of the early structures survive; the majority of buildings on the current site date from the 12th and 13th centuries.
The oldest and tallest of the structure is the well preserved round tower (28 metres, or 90 feet), dating from c.1100. Its entrance is 12 feet (3.7 m) 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.
Cormac’s Chapel, the chapel of King Cormac Mac Carthaigh, was begun in 1127 and consecrated in 1134. It is a sophisticated structure, with vaulted ceilings and wide arches, drawing on contemporary European architecture and infusing unique native elements. The Irish Abbot of Regensburg, Dirmicius of Regensburg, sent two of his carpenters to help in the work and the twin towers on either side of the junction of the nave and chancel are strongly suggestive of their Germanic influence, as this feature is otherwise unknown in Ireland. Other notable features of the building include interior and exterior arcading, a barrel-vaulted roof, a carved tympanum over both doorways, the magnificent north doorway and chancel arch and the oldest stairs in Ireland. It contains one of the best-preserved Irish frescoes from this time period. The Chapel was constructed primarily of sandstone which has become waterlogged over the centuries, significantly damaging the interior frescoes. Restoration and preservation required the chapel be completely enclosed in a rain-proof structure with interior dehumidifiers to dry out the stone. It is now open for limited tours to the public.
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. The Hall of the Vicars Choral was built in the 15th century. The vicars choral were laymen (sometimes minor canons) appointed to assist in chanting the cathedral services. At Cashel, there were originally eight vicars choral with their own seal. This was later reduced to five honorary vicars choral who appointed singing-men as their deputies, a practice which continued until 1836. The restoration of the Hall was undertaken by the Office of Public Works as a project in connection with the European Architectural Heritage Year, 1975. Through it visitors now enter the site.
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 Catholic clergy, including Theobald Stapleton. Inchiquin’s troops looted or destroyed many important religious artefacts.
In 1749, the main cathedral roof was removed by Arthur Price, the Anglican Archbishop of Cashel. Today, what remains of the Rock of Cashel has become a tourist attraction. Price’s decision to remove the roof on what had been called the jewel among Irish church buildings was criticised before and since.
References
The heritage Ireland site with full visitor information is here.
The history above is taken from the Wiki page here.