on the road less travelled in Ireland and france

The Rock of Cashel is one of Ireland’s most spectacular and – deservedly – most visited tourist attractions. In the middle of a rainstorm, Fran and Conal couldn’t fully appreciate the site fully.

October 18, 2023: The weather forecast for the day in Ireland was “Rather Shitty” followed by “Intervals of Shittiness” leading to “Mostly Shitty”.

 The Irish Met service had issued severe weather alerts for most of Ireland, and for Cork in particular.

The shittiness was due to Storm Babette – and there was no end to the wet weather.

By this stage, Fran and myself were on final days in Ireland … and it looked like the rain would farewell us.

We had decided against continuing on to West Cork (and into County Kerry) due to the foul weather.

Instead, we decided to cut our losses and head for the Irish capital. There would be a stopover along the way to check out a few historic sights and for Fran to check out her Irish roots.

We checked out of our cottage in Cobh and hit a flooded road towards Dublin.

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It would be nice to describe approaching the Rock of Cashel by road, describe how the outcrop stands noble, domineering the surrounding landscape.

It would be nice, it would be dramatic, it would help add atmosphere to the story.

Sadly, it didn’t happen.

The rain was heavy, torrential, and at times, frightening.

The first we saw of the Rock of Cashel was a road sign, which we followed.

According to heritageireland.ie: “The Rock of Cashel is set on a dramatic outcrop of limestone in the Golden Vale, The Rock of Cashel, iconic in its historic significance, possesses the most impressive cluster of medieval buildings in Ireland. Among the monuments to be found there is a round tower, a high cross, a Romanesque chapel, a Gothic cathedral, an abbey, the Hall of the Vicars Choral and a fifteenth-century Tower House.

“Originally the seat of the kings of Munster, according to legend St. Patrick himself came here to convert King Aenghus to Christianity. Brian Boru was crowned High King at Cashel in 978 and made it his capital.

“In 1101 the site was granted to the church and Cashel swiftly rose to prominence as one of the most significant centres of ecclesiastical power in the country.

“The surviving buildings are remarkable. Cormac’s Chapel, for example, contains the only surviving Romanesque frescoes in Ireland.

“The Rock of Cashel is one of Ireland’s most spectacular and – deservedly – most visited tourist attractions.”

When Fran and I visited the site, it was grey, cold, miserable and the heavy rain smothered any view of the beautiful Golden Vale landscape.

We arrived at Cashel mid-morning. In need of a brew (tea and coffee), we ran through the driving rain to a tea house at the base of the Rock. I use the word teahouse rather than café because I felt like I had just barged into a traditional Irish cottage … where a counter had been set up to take order for beverages.

I spotted slices of whiskey cake and ordered two portions. It was a mistake. The cake was dry, appeared to be stale and was hard. “Maybe this is part of the Rock of Cashel?” Fran mused.

Fran and I sat in what was once somebody’s parlor (together with a few more tourists) happy to have escaped the driving rain.

Eventually the rain eased to a shower and Fran and I bolted up the hill to the ruins of the once monastic settlement.

The guided tour of the site was interesting, worthwhile … but with a storm raging we were forced to sprint for shelter across the mostly-exposed site. The Rock of Cashel would have been a fantastic place to view the surrounding countryside,  Storm Babette meant that panorama was impossible to see.

We left the site, the slice of whiskey cake starting to generate indigestion in my stomach.

Rock of Cashel Admission

Guided/Self-Guided Tour:

Adult €8, Senior €6, Student/Child €4, Family €20. Group rate €6.

Cormac’s Chapel visit is by guided tour only. Limited tickets for the interior tour of Cormac’s Chapel can only be purchased at the site. Please ring ahead for tour times and details of same as these can change at short notice.

Opening hours

Daily 09:00. Last tour of this site is 15:45 daily.

14 March – Early October

Daily 09:00. Last Guided Tour 15:45. Last admission 16:45.

Average Length of Visit 1 – 1.5 hours.

Mid October – Mid March

Daily 09:00. Last admission 15:45.

Average Length of Visit 1 – 1.5 hours.