The Rock of Cashel
It was a very windy day when I visited the Rock of Cashel, with its dramatic silhouette of ecclesiastical medieval buildings that rise above the fertile valley of the River Suir. The bustling town of Cashel is dominated by its world-famous Rock. Once the seat of the Kings of Munster before becoming a renowned ecclesiastical centre, there are many walks and other interesting features around Cashel town which can be explored on foot.
The Rock of Cashel, or St Patrick’s Rock, is a place steeped in history. Today, the buildings which crown the Rock present a mass and outline of great interest and beauty.
It was as a fortress that the Rock of Cashel rst came to prominence. Its origins as a seat of power in Munster go back to the 4th and 5th Centuries, when the Eóanacht, the descendants of the legendary Eógan Mór, son of Ailill Ólum, appear on the scene. No written history relating to Cashel exists from this early period; only legends committed to later records.
A late-7th Century life of St Patrick claims that he baptised the sons of Nio Froích, son of Conall Corc, at Cashel. A later life tells the story that during the baptism, the saint’s sharply pointed crozier pierced the foot of Óengus mac Froích who, believing it to be an essential part of the ceremony, su ered in silence.
The main importance of the Rock of Cashel in the early historic period was as the seat and symbol of the overkingship of Munster and as the inauguration place of its kings. An unusual feature of the Cashel kingship is that a number of its kings were also ecclesiastics.
In 1101, Muircheartach Ua Briain, king of Cashel, gave the Rock to the Church. By this masterstroke, he advanced his credentials as a churchman and simultaneously deprived his old enemies, the Eóganacht, of their ancient royal seat. In 1111, Ireland was for the rst time divided into territorial dioceses and at the synod of Kells (1152), approval arrived from Rome for four archbishoprics to be set up at Armagh, Cashel, Tuam and Dublin. This system of dioceses has remained largely unchanged to the present day.
There is plenty to see, discover and savour when you sign up for a tour of The Rock Of Cashel. A few highlights include:
Cormac’s Chapel – one of the earliest churches in Ireland, built in Romanesque style. The building consists of a nave and chancel with projecting towers on the north and south walls of the nave. The nave has doorways in its north and south walls and both nave and chancel have connecting attic chambers (crofts) above their vaulted ceilings. The Cathedral – a large, cruciform Gothic church without aisles, built between 1230 and 1270. A 15thcentury tower rises from the crossing between the church and the transepts.
The Round Tower – the oldest surviving building on the Rock, which may date from about 1100. Round towers were free-standing bell towers built between the late 10th and mid- 12th Centuries and are unique in shape and form. They are found only at important ecclesiastic sites. The round tower at Cashel (28m high) is complete right up to its conical stone roof. Its round-headed doorway is well above ground level, a common feature among round towers. It originally had wooden oors connected by ladders.
The Hall of the Vicars Chair – to the south of the cathedral, at the head of the steep approach road to the site is a long, two-storey building. In the late 15th Century, Archbishop O’hedian built the hall and later the dormitory to the east, to house the Vicars Choral, a group of men, both lay and cleric, appointed to sing during the services.
A guided tour of The Rock of Cashel is highly recommended. The tour takes about 45 minutes and you should allow 1-2 hours for a nice walkabout. Parking is available close to the Rock. Tickets from