Kingsbry226 On The Road, pt.3

Two days behind, two more to go!

This time we had a merciful morning, leaving at 8.30am but still effect was the same – sleeping in the car but why not there’s anyway not much to see in highways. That highway led us SW towards Cork... First destination was the Rock of Cashel, which is also known as St. Patrick’s Rock. Once a place where Irish High King of Munster had its throne but later gifted to the church which made them to build a cathedral and a house of a bishop. Must have been a magnificent place on its time, unfortunately the combination of Irish weather and around 900 years old building on the top of the hill in the middle of the lowland won’t provide the most comfortable living conditions for example because of the wind... 

Up from the hill we saw another ruins of monastery in the middle of the fields and yes why not to go there. Of course after raining days walking over the grass fields are necessarily not the best possible idea but girls wanted to be “adventurous” ending up to monastery with wet and muddy feet. I decided to walk by myself a bit longer route along the road to gateway where was a stoned path leading to the monastery and I actually was there before the girls with dry & clean feet.. But hey, who would listen to the man’s logic?

After that “adventurous walk” we packed ourselves back in the car and started to drive towards North. Our second destination was Clonmacnoise, the earliest Christian settlement in Ireland based in 6^th century that also became known of the original old high crosses that still exists on the site. Strategic location on the crossroad of the river and route from east to west coast made it important place for merchants, pilgrims etc. to have a rest which also brought wealthy to monastery. The story doesn’t end happily because many others during the times noticed the same thing so the monastery was raided many times by Vikings, Normans etc. but the monks always started their work all over until English came in 16^th century and basically plundered every single item they were able to get their hands on leaving it more or less in the way it is these days.