Cashel

Rock of Cashel

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The round tower which rises 92 feet from a base of only five feet in the ground was built about the time the Church received the property from the clans. These round towers are found at monastic sites throughout Ireland and are a unique aspect of Ireland's architecture. The round tower at Cashel is one of the best preserved in Ireland.

Stephen told the story of Saint Patrick's baptism of King Aengus on this spot. Legend has it that Saint Patrick accidentally speared the foot of King Aengus with his crosier but the pagan king said nothing thinking it was part of the ritual of becoming a Christian.

Typical high Irish crosses have a circle supporting the arms and head of the cross. The circle also symbolized the sun for the newly converted Celts who worshiped the sun.

Hall of the Vicars Choral was built in the 15th century for the most privileged choristers of the cathedral.

We arrived in Cashel about noon and had a delicious lunch of Sheperd's pie and hot tea at the Rock House. The strawberries that Stephen bought for the group at a roadside stand had worn off long ago.b

As we walked toward the prominent rocky structure above the town and a light rain began to fall, a feeling of going back in time came over us. This place reminded us of ancient Ireland and the rich history of this land. People were living on this rock in approximately 300 A. D., about the same time the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of Rome to Istanbul and called it Constantinople.
The sign at the entrance read Saint Patrick's Rock. It was once the seat of the ancient Kings of Munster and the site of St. Patick's baptism of the pagan King Aengus in 450 A.D. The ruins that remain are more recent. Some of the oldest date back to the 1100's. A clan leader, Murtagh O'Brien, gave the Rock to the Church in 1101 and it flourished as a religious center until a siege by a Cromwellian army in 1647.

Celtic crosses dot the graveyard that surrounds the roofless cathedral. The cathedral was abandoned by the Church in the late 18th century. Generations have been buried in the graveyard, but new burials still occur. This was one of the best collection of crosses that we saw.