Cashel

The first Irish trip of 2014 has been a success. Bo and I returned today from Cashel in county Tipperary. Its population of 2,500 may sound rather unassuming, which would be in stark contrast with its imposing history. Throughout the Middle Ages Cashel was a centre of power and influence that rivalled Tara, the then seat of Kings (a wee bit north of Dublin). Today what remains of this glory is mainly the Rock of Cashel and the Abbey of Hore, along with some minor ruins scattered through the region. Our B&B was situated right in between these two winners; the glorified castle on top of the rock, illuminated by night and swarmed by visitors and kids during the day. The experience includes an entree fee, an audiovisual show, and ever present scaffolding to maintain the ruins as they are. The contrast with the abbey is notable. Desolated and mysterious, the crumbling stones of the abbey stand in the middle of a meadow, without a path or even a gate providing entrance to the unit. Bo and I had to climb the stone walls surrounding the fields, make our way through the wet meadow and across ditches, only to find the remainders of a once great building delightfully deserted and without a living soul nearby. As dusk had come down on Cashel at the time that we roamed around the ruins, our exploration got an eerie touch, especially with the interplay between the moon and the diminishing lights and the fact that the place was covered in graves and tomb stones slowly giving way to the gnawing tooth of time.

The preceding day had been a most enjoyable one, with brilliant blue skies and a feeble sun that bravely battled the otherwise intense cold of inland January. After our visit to the Rock Bo and I took to a self designed hiking route that took us in a 14 km loop around the west of Cashel. This exercise through lovely and quiet country side was desperately welcomed after what can only be described as a very fulfilling fish chowder for lunch. If I ever had to survive two weeks in the mountains without food I would have one of those giant units the day before and surely I’d be fine throughout! No wonder that hours and hours later, after we had returned from the walk, had visited the abbey, had had a siesta and a shower and a walk back to the village, even after all that, we really weren’t hungry yet. Dining is part of experiencing a new place though, and hence we found ourselves around half eight in a cellar-based restaurant that offered exquisite service and even better salads, as we both found out. Bo couldn’t handle all of the imposing quantity however, which wasn’t really too much of a challenge for me given the cheese cake that I reluctantly but overall gratifyingly devoured for dessert. The real dessert was a pint of Carlsberg at a smallish inn just across the road. Next to an open fire and surrounded by locals and paintings, we found ourselves in a venue where time had stood still for a few decades, be it that the bar lady had added a few years to her repertoire.

Sunday, which is today, has been as wet and miserable as yesterday was brilliant, so we took the half eleven bus back to Dublin and had a quiet and enjoyable day, reminiscing over our newest adventure and day dreaming about trips to come. Cashel 2014, you have been a success!