Rock of Cashel & Adare Village – Ireland

DAY 12 – A quick photo opportunity of the Rock of Cashel which was a symbol of royal and priestly power for more than a millenium.  From the 5th century onwards, it was the seat of the Kings of Munster.  Cashel was handed over to the Church in 1101.  It flourished as a religious centre until an invasion by a Cromwellian army in 1647.  3,000 inhabitants were massacred then.

We got to make a quick stop at Cashel village which included a delightful series of informal reconstructions of various traditional thatched village shops, a forge, and other businesses, together with a penal Chapel situated in a confined area within the town.

Our lunch stop was at Adare, reputed to be Ireland’s prettiest and most picturesque village. The thatched-roof houses reminded us of the Cotswold.  Adare is  situated on the Maigue river, a tributary of the Shannon river.  Adare (Gaelic name ‘Ath Dara’ meaning the ‘ford of the oak’ – from the combination of water and woodland) dates back at least to the early 13th century.  Almost all of the present village was built in the 19th century.

The early developments were very haphazard but from about 1820, streets and buildings were laid out according to the, then, Earl of Dunraven’s design. Today, Adare has a rich heritage, as well as architectural and scenic beauty.

Helen