The Rock of Cashel.Cashel, Co. Tipperary Ireland.

Rock of Cashel. The Rock of Cashel also known as Cashel of the Kings and St. Patrick's Rock, is an historic site located at Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland. According to local legends, the Rock of Cashel originated in the Devil's Bit, a mountain 20 miles (30 km) north of Cashel when St. Patrick banished Satan from a cave, resulting in the Rock's landing in Cashel.[1] Cashel is reputed to be the site of the conversion of the King of Munster by St. Patrick in the 5th century.
The Rock of Cashel was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion. In 1101, the King of Munster, Muirchertach Ua Briain, donated his fortress on the Rock to the Church. The picturesque complex has a character of its own and is one of the most remarkable collections of Celtic art and medieval architecture to be found anywhere in Europe. Few remnants of the early structures survive; the majority of buildings on the current site date from the 12th and 13th centuries. The oldest and tallest of the structure is the well preserved round tower (28 metres, or 90 feet), dating from c.1100. Its entrance is 12 feet (3.7 m) from the ground, necessitated by a shallow foundation (about 3 feet) typical of round towers. The tower was built using the dry stone method. History of the Rock of Cashel

It is thought that the first main structures to be built on the site of the Rock of Cashel were erected in the fourth or fifth century AD. Said to have been founded by Conall Corc, King of Munster, it would become the royal residence of the Eóganacht Dynasty, rulers of Southern Ireland between the seventh and tenth centuries. This was the only dynasty at the time whose members were eligible to become overkings.

Brian Boru, the legendary High King of Ireland who drove out the Vikings, was crowned at Cashel in 978, and made it his capital.

However, most of the structures found today at the Rock of Cashel date not to the time of the Eóganacht Dynasty, but to between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. These were built after the Eóganacht were ousted from power by the kings of Dál Cais in the tenth century. In 1101, the then king of Dál Cais, Muircheartach Ua Briain, gave the Rock of Cashel to the Church. Most of the historic sites seen there today were built under the remit of the church.

The sites include the twelfth century Round Tower and Cormac’s Chapel, the latter being a pretty Romanesque church with remarkable frescoes. However the largest structure is the cathedral, initially constructed in the thirteenth century.

Tradition has it that King Aengus was converted at Cashel by St. Patrick, who travelled there and performed the monarch’s baptism. The story goes that St. Patrick pierced the king’s foot accidentally during the ceremony, but that the king remained silent, thinking it was part of the ritual.

Cormac's Chapel, the chapel of King Cormac Mac Carthaigh, was begun in 1127 and consecrated in 1134. It is a sophisticated structure, with vaulted ceilings and wide arches, drawing on contemporary European architecture and infusing unique native elements. The Irish Abbot of Regensburg, Dirmicius of Regensburg, sent two of his carpenters to help in the work and the twin towers on either side of the junction of the nave and chancel are strongly suggestive of their Germanic influence,



The Cathedral, built between 1235 and 1270, is an aisleless building of cruciform plan, having a central tower and terminating westwards in a massive residential castle. The Hall of the Vicars Choral was built in the 15th century. The vicars choral were laymen (sometimes minor canons) appointed to assist in chanting the cathedral services. At Cashel, there were originally eight vicars choral with their own seal. This was later reduced to five honorary vicars choral who appointed singing-men as their deputies, a practice which continued until 1836.
In 1647, during the Irish Confederate Wars, Cashel was sacked by English Parliamentarian troops under Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin. The Irish Confederate troops there were massacred, as were the Catholic clergy, including Theobald Stapleton. Inchiquin's troops looted or destroyed many important religious artefacts.
In 1749, the main cathedral roof was removed by Arthur Price, the Anglican Archbishop of Cashel.Today, what remains of the Rock of Cashel has become a tourist attraction. Queen Elizabeth II visited the Rock of Cashel during her 2011 visit to Ireland. A special thanks to Tomas o’ Sullivan {Tomas - Aerials } for showing me around.
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