With its well-preserved ecclesiastical
remains, this historic site is one of Ireland's
most spectacular landmarks, rising above
the surrounding plain and dominating the
land route southward. It is also known as
Cashel of the Kings and St. Patrick's Rock. It
served as the traditional seat of the Kings of
Munster for several hundred years prior to
the Norman invasion. The majority of
buildings on the current site date from the
12th and 13th centuries. The complex has a
character of its own, unique and native, and
is one of the most remarkable collections of
Celtic art and medieval architecture to be
found anywhere in Europe. According to
local lore, the Rock of Cashel originated from
Devil’s Bit, a mountain 30 km north of
Cashel. The kids will be wide eyed at this
chunk of the ancient past.
Rock of Cashel
www.cashel.ie
Cashel, Co. Tipperary
T: + 353 62 61437
Skellig Cruises
www.skelligexperience.com
Skellig Experience Visitor Centre,
Valentia Island, Co. Kerry
T: + 353 66 9476306
For something literally out of the way, book
one of the daily boat trips to the World
Heritage Site of Skellig Michael, eight miles
out on the Atlantic. En route, the two-hour
ride skims close to Small Skellig and its
27,000 pairs of nesting gannets. You can go
ashore on Skellig Michael and spend two
hours in wondrous exploration. The kids will
‰‘ ™‹Ž† ‘˜‡” –Š‡ ’‘’‘—• ’—ˆϐ‹• ™Š‘
barely move out of the way as you walk, the
non stop arguments of the kittiwakes and the
chirping purr of the storm petrels which nest
virtually under the stone steps leading to
the famed beehive huts. These are on a cliff 218
metres above the sea, reached by a 1000 year
old stairway, and were the ascetic cells of a 6th
century Christian monastic order. How these
six huts and two boat shaped oratories were
built way up here and how they have survived
the storms of centuries are
an
equal mystery. Pray for good weather, else
the trip could be cancelled.
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