Cashel


Cashel was the seat of the Kings of Munster, and also an important ecclesiastical site. It had good natural defensive capabilities, as can be seen here:
Rock of Cashel
Rock of Cashel ii
It also has excellent views of the surrounding countryside (in this picture you can see Hoare Abbey in the mid-ground of the picture):
View of Hoare Abbey
The ecclesiastical architecture is mostly Norman, from the twelfth to fourteenth centuries. The Cathedral dates from the thirteenth century:
Cathedral
The entrance to the Cathedral:
Cathedral Entrance
Like most major medieval sites in Ireland, there is a Round Tower. Here it is seen with part of the cathedral:
Cathedral and tower
And on its own:
Round Tower
Cormac's Chapel is slightly older than the cathdral, and shows signs of continental influence, particularly in the double tower and Romanesque arcading seen in this picture:
arcading
The entrance to the chapel:
Cormac's Chapel: entrance
The interior of the chapel:
Cormac's Chapel: interior
Cormac's Chapel: interior 2
A view from the Angle (a space between the cramped buildings) into the chapel:
From the Angle
The Vicar's Church (fourteenth century):
Vicar's church
A short distance away from the Rock of Cashel is the thirteenth century Cistercian Abbey of Hoare:
Hoare abbey

Hoare abbey 2

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Back to Ireland © Verity Allan 2008.