Story
The story of Rock of Cashel
Local legend says this great rock was born in a clash with the Devil. When Saint Patrick banished Satan from a cave in the Devil's Bit, a mountain to the north, the Rock is said to have landed here at Cashel. This was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster as early as the 4th century, and Saint Patrick is reputed to have converted a King of Munster here in the 5th.
In 977 Brian Boru was crowned at Cashel and made it his capital. Then, in 1101, King Muirchertach Ua Briain gave his fortress on the Rock to the Church. Most of the buildings you see date from the 12th and 13th centuries.
The oldest and tallest is the round tower, 28 metres high, with its entrance 3.7 metres above the ground. Look also for Cormac's Chapel, begun in 1127 and consecrated in 1134. The great cathedral lost its roof during or after the mid-1730s, removed by Archbishop Arthur Price.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
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More highlights in Cashel
- Athassel PrioryAthassel Priory is the largest medieval priory in Ireland, stretching over a 4-acre (1.6 ha) site.
- Hore AbbeyHore Abbey (also Hoare Abbey, sometimes known as St Mary's) is a ruined Cistercian monastery near the Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland. 'Hore' is thought to derive from 'iubhair' – yew tree.
- Cahir CastleCahir Castle, one of the largest castles in Ireland, is sited on an island in the river Suir. It was built from 1142 by Conchobar Ua Briain, King of Thomond.
- St. John's Cathedral, CashelThe Cathedral Church of Saint John the Baptist and Saint Patrick's Rock is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin.
- Swiss CottageThe Swiss Cottage is an early 19th-century cottage orné (ornamental cottage) located at Kilcommon near the town of Cahir, County Tipperary in Ireland.
- Holy Cross AbbeyHoly Cross Abbey (Mainistir na Croise Naofa) was a Cistercian monastery in Holycross near Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland, situated on the River Suir. It takes its name from a relic of the True Cross or Holy Rood.