Holycross Abbey and Cashel

On Friday, we left Cill Chainnigh (Kilkenny) and headed to Cashel. It has been the first truly terrible weather day we’ve had during this visit - light or heavy rain all day, with an ambient high temperature in the high 50s. Nevertheless, we visited two outstanding historical sites - the Holycross Abbey and the Rock of Cashel.

The abbey is on the west bank of the River Suir. It was founded in 1168 and is a revered place of pilgrimage because it holds a piece of the True Cross - the cross of Christ, which is preserved in a golden shrine encrusted with jewels donated by the grandson of Brian Boru, the greatest of all the ancient kings of Ireland. You see pictures of the altar to Mary and the exterior of this holy place (the square steeple).

The Rock of Cashel has an even older lineage. Set on an outcropping of limestone two hundred feet higher than its surroundings, the ancient site can be seen for miles in all directions. It was the seat of the ruling kings of Munster as far back as 360 A.D. and it remained a fortress until 1101, when it was deeded to the church by King Murtagh O’Brien, a descendant of mighty Brian Boru. It was at this site that St. Patrick baptized King Aengus in 448. You see a picture of the high tower as seen through the cathedral roofline, and the entire complex from below.