ireland - day 6

Today was Sunday. We didn't go to our church but spent the day in churches (kinda). This was our castle/cathedral day and we loved it. We got where we wanted to go when we wanted to get there and enjoyed a beautiful day. When we woke up, we saw sunshine! It was the first sunny day we had had since tuesday so were very glad to see it. We asked our host about some ruins we thought about going to see but couldn't decide if it would be worth it or not, so she googled it for us and we decided it was not. We told her this was our castle day and she told us about their local castle that was just around the corner (about a 10 minute walk). We decided to walk down there to start our day and put off a car ride for a bit. I am so glad we did as it was my favorite place of the entire trip! I loved it. Then off the Blarney Castle and then the Rock of Cashel. We found our B&B without any problems, went to the pub for dinner, and learned all about Hurling, the most famous game in Ireland. We researched Hurling and found that it is native to Ireland. No wonder it is so popular. The game was fascinating to watch and we were not in a hurry to get back to the B&B so stayed and watched it for a bit. This was the friendliest B&B we stayed at (so far). Phyllis greeted us by name, which was nice as we knew we were in the right spot. I had lost our voucher and she made phone call after phone call to get a replacement so I didn't have to pay for it again. Phyllis was fabulous! If you go to Ireland, please stay at her place! She's right outside Waterford so where you want to go anyway. Here are our three castles for the day.

The kids dubbed this mama's castle. I loved it so much. i think I loved it because it as not restored. Everthing that has fallen is still on the floor inside and you can see the trees and such growing up out of it. It was just amazing. So, what I thought ruins should be.

Next to the castle was an amazing stone bridge.

A view of the river from the bridge.

I like this picture. :)

Walking down to the bottom of the bridge. Really enjoying the sunshine.

A view of the outside of the castle. It really was stunning. I also loved the double tower. One is the stairway for the rooms on the other. I've never seen that before.

There was several other walls and structures near the castle. This looks like part of a church and there is a walled space beind. It looks like it might have been the stables or maybe garrison.

Second stop...Blarney Castle!! The castle is amazing. The entire thing is open and you can walk all the up to the top, which is where the Blarney Stone is. It was very interesting to walk through and around. But, the best part are the grounds. Wow, they are ah-maze-zing!!!

Looking at the dungeons of the castle and the caves. Legend says that once where the castle was under seige, the entire garrison (minus a very few) just disappeared! The caves, legend says, at one time stretched all the way to coast on both sides. That would be some amazing caves but a great legend nonetheless.

So, most of the floors/ceilings are missing so there are random hearths in the middle of the walls.

Hanging out in the family room. This room would have been pretty dark given it was in the middle of the castle and one of the bottom floors. There were some windows but wow, gloomy times.

Looking up from the family room. This actually shows three different levels/floors. The bottom two are pretty obvious but on top of the arch was another floor where the chapel would have been. I guess that tells you about priorities. Family spent time in the bottom, dark part of the castle but the chapel gets the topmost, lightest floor.

Looking down from the top of the castle. It was pretty far down there.

Another view from the top.

A section of the grounds called the Rock Close. It was amazing with lots of nooks and crannies and surprises around every corner. I'll just let you enjoy the pics.

I just loved the trees. I wanted to climb up and read a book.

Wells loved, loved, loved Blarney. He said it was his favorite place of the trip.

Blossoms on the grounds. Made me happy to see signs of spring.

A tapestry in the dormitory on the grounds at the Rock of Cashel. Yes, I have a thing for tapestries.

Inside the dormitory, they rebuilt the arched, beamed roof. I love these structures.

Entrance to the Rock of Cashel. This structure was really a cathedral and not a typical castle. It was used strictly for religious purposes. But that wasn't enough, so at some time two additional abbeys were built at the foot of the hill or different religious orders. Interesting that it was such a religious center.

One of the main arches.

Main hall of the Rock of Cashel.

A very small piece of the plaster that at one time covered the Rock. This is literally the only piece left. What was interesting is Kaitlyn was asking how this cathedral compared to the ones I saw in Italy. I told her that all the walls would be covered with plaster and paintings, etc. We then turned the corner and there was this piece. Helped her better imagine what I was talking about.

Some of the stone carvings in the Rock.

The town of Cashel is literally right there at the bottom of the hill. Can you imagine waking up to the view every day? Maybe it is no big deal to them.

One of the beautiful markers in the cemetary at the Rock.

What I love about this stone is that is shows how a single plot serves generations of a family. Here marks four individuals: Abby Phillips died 1837, Samuel Phillips died 1861, John Phillips died 1978, and Samuel B Phillips died 2010.

Hore Abbey from the grounds of Rock of Cashel.

The outside of Hore Abbey from a closer vantage point. 



So, this is by far my most favorite picture of the trip! I think it really sums up our experience. We loved the ruins, Kaitlyn got to be epic, and we had a fabulous time.