Rock Of Cashel

We'd visited the Rock in 2009, but it was on the way in 2016 and turned out to be another place we stayed over-night more or less free. It was here too that we bought our OPW Irish Heritage cards. Another great deal. Important places have stood on the Rock--seats of ancient Irish kings, church stuff, etc.--but the oldest still around is the round tower, from about 1100 AD. The churchly buildings and bishop's residence date from slightly later times.

Someone else's photo, but there it is

Helpful illustration

Inside Cormac McCarthy's Chapel (I read All
the Pretty Horses years ago and hated, hated it;
but I digress); the chapel is Romanesque,
consecrated 1134, and thus I was set off looking
for funny faces (I mean Herefordshire School
corbel and capital art) while the young guide
droned on

Bishops' residence

Occasionally, over the centuries, chunks fall
down

Ruins of Cistercian abbey in valley

More faces, exterior of cathedral

The round tower

Inside the cathedral; note the little doorways that allowed
circumnavigation of the building in the gallery

Images from the bestiary?

Looking back to the whole complex from the cemetery

A prominent local family erected this monument...apparently
too much for the gods, who destroyed it with lightning

Thus

And thus

Original very old cross, now in the museum;
very old

Still processing this one...