Day 5 Wednesday

Cahir Castle

Cahir Castle, one of the largest castles in Ireland, is sited on an island in the river Suir. It was built from 1142 by Conor O’Brien, Prince of Thomond. Now situated in Cahir town centre, County Tipperary, the castle is well preserved

You can see how it is built right into the natural rock

Rock of Cashel

The 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 majority of buildings on the current site date from the 12th and 13th centuries. The oldest and tallest of the buildings is the well preserved round tower (28 metres, or 90 feet), dating from c.1100.

**Cormac’s Chapel**, the chapel was begun in 1127 and consecrated in 1134

The holes in the walls were left when the scaffolding was removed after it was built

Black Abby

Black Abbey was established in 1225 as one of the first houses of the Dominican Order in Ireland

The nave leads to the altar below the tower. Immediately behind the altar is the large stain glass window known as the “Rosary Window”, which is composed of five “lights” or great vertical panels, and is the largest stained glass window in Ireland. This window was created in 1892 by Mayers of Munich, and depicts the Mysteries of the Rosary.