From one coast to the other - Wexford and Glendalough

Today was a day of travel, from Northern Ireland (Belfast) down to Dublin and then further south to Wexford, on the very south coast.  Although I had planned to stop and see a few things en route, it turned out to be a complete day of rain so I ended up just plugging through with the driving and then I had a little extra time in Wexford.

Wexford has a rich and bloodied history, including being founded by the Vikings and nearly obliterated by Oliver Cromwell.  Now Wexford is a maze of medieval street lined with a mixture of old-time pubs, posh boutiques, boarded up buildings and modern facades.

Located at the mouth of the River Slaney

 Wexford Bridge

One of the things I thought was very interesting was the location of the railway track!  Yes the train moves very slowly through town, but still!

Better weather today thankfully and so I decided to head back north again and go to the Wicklow Mountains.  Glendalough is an absolutely beautiful place - home to one of the most important monastic sites in Ireland.  This early Christian monastic settlement was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century and from this developed the ‘Monastic City’.  St. Kevin came to the valley as a young monk in AD 498 in search of a peaceful retreat.  He was reportedly led by an angel to a Bronze Age tomb, know known as St. Kevin’s Bed.  For seven years he slept on stones, wore animal skins, survived on nettles and herbs and - according to legend - developed an affinity with the birds and animals.  Kevin soon attracted a group of disciples and the monastic settlement grew.  According to legend, Kevin lived to the age of 120.  He was canonized in 1903. 

The ‘City’ consists of a number of monastic remains. The most impressive is the Round Tower which stands 30m high and has an entrance 3.5m from the base.  The tower originally had six timber floors, connected by ladders.  Round towers, landmarks for approaching visitors, were built as bell towers, but also served on occasion as store-houses and as places of refuge in times of attack.

Glendalough’s trademark is St. Kevin’s Kitchen or Church.  This compact structure, with a miniature round tower like belfry, protruding sacristy and steep stone roof, is a masterpiece.  It was never a kitchen, instead getting its name because its belfry resembles a kitchen chimney.  The oldest parts of the building date from the 11th century. 

The Priest’s House dates from 1170 and may have been the location of shrines to St. Kevin.  Later, during the penal times, it became a burial site for local priests - hence the name.

The Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul is the largest church in Glendalough, and one of the largest known early Christian churches in Ireland.  It was built gradually between the 10th and 13th centuries.

Outside of this ‘city’ Glendalough is a spectacular place to spend time.  In the area are two lakes tucked into a long, glacial valley fringed by forest.  Despite the area’s popularity it is a deeply tranquil spot - easy to understand why solitude-seeking monks came here in the first place.

Looks what’s roaming freely here in the valley

Before leaving this area I wanted to see a bit more of the Wicklow Mountains so I headed to Wicklow Gap.  Wicklow Gap is one of the highest Irish mountain passes served by an asphalted road.  Although the highest peak in the Wicklow Mountains is only 924m (more like a very large hill), the mountains are an upwelling of molten rock that solidified some 400 million years ago and was shaped during the ice ages into the schist-capped mountains visible today.  The peaks are marvellously desolate and as raw as only nature can be.  Between the mountains are a number of deep glacial valleys (of which Glendalough is one), while corrie lakes gouged by ice at the head of the glaciers, complete the incredible scenery.  Some beautiful views down into the valley and around into the mountains.

 As always - you’ve got to be careful driving anywhere in Ireland