Cashel

Leaving the luxury and the nicest of hosts in Port Laoise was not easy. Thanks again guys! But the Tour de Eire needs to go on!

Drove through a couple of drizzles today getting from Colin and Jutta's to Cashel (about 80 km). The rain did not bother much, because the road was excellent in comparison to the roads so far and the wind was on my side for once. I got to Cashel much sooner than I expected.

After a quick shower at the hostel, I headed to the local sights. There's a lot of history here. Cashel was an ancient metropolis in Ireland where St. Patrick reputedly converted the king of Munster in the fifth century.

I first walked to the Hore abbey (founded 1269). The first picture in this post shows the abbey ruins. The green area in front of the picture is a field where cattle is grazing. To get to the ruins, I had to walk practically through ruminating cows.

From the abbey ruins I continued to one of the biggest historical sites in Ireland, the Rock of Cashel. The history of the Rock goes back way over thousand years and the oldest buildings on the site are from the 12th century. The guided tour there was very informative and the tour guide was able to tell nice details about the Rock that weren't available otherwise.

After descending to the town I walked around for an half an hour just looking around. There are a lot of other old things to see besides the above mentioned.

Summary: absolutely worth the visit!

For more photos, check out the "Tour day 5" folder.

Tomorrow: Tipperary, Cahir and Clonmel