The final big ticket item of my trip to Ireland was to spend a few hours exploring The Rock of Cashel, located in County Tipperary. The Rock of Cashel, more formally St. Patrick’s Rock, is also known as Cashel of the Kings.
Who can see the frowny face?
County Tipperary is adorable, as are all Irish towns. There is parking near the castle for a price, so we parked about a 12 minute walk away. For free. Walking through the town was more fun anyway. If I had extra room in my bag I’d have stocked up on Irish strawberries and potatoes – the two items I couldn’t imagine tasting as good as they did.
The Rock of Cashel is one of Ireland’s most visited sites. “A collection of medieval ecclesiastical buildings set on an outcrop of limestone in the Golden Vale. The 12th-century round tower is of the oldest surviving building on the Rock.
The 13th-century Gothic cathedral is a large cruciform Gothic church without aisles built between 1230 and 1270. Also a 15th-century castle and the Hall of the Vicars is the entry point to the ecclesiastical enclosure. The Hall houses the museum where the original Cross of St. Patrick can be found.”
I spent all of 15 minutes listening to a guided tour before wandering off on my own to relish in the beauty and detail of all the medieval gravestones. The weather was perfectly sunny with a few puffy clouds, giving the gravestones extra dimension with their shadows.
Ireland is a very religious country, and their dedication to preserving these spots of historic significance is inspirational. They see a 5 ft stone wall, remnant of a castle from long ago and they leave it in the middle of an open field.
In America that “rubble” would be torn down quicker than you can say “supersize me” in order to build another mini mall. Insert eye roll here.
The view from the site was gorgeous. Endless green rolling hills. In fact, the hills were so enticing that I failed to notice when, where, and how I ended up with a glob of bird poop on the side of my shirt. And I mean globbb. The cool, wet sensation took some elbow work to scrub off.
I then wore the same shirt all day. And the next day. Without a proper wash.
Which one of you flying trolls shat on me…
From the castle we took a slight detour south to Waterford, Ireland’s oldest city, for a tour of House of Waterford Crystal. I was neutral to this tour initially, but it turned out to be quite entertaining. There are only 15 guys in this factory that make hundreds of crystal pieces.
This guy has worked in the factory for over 30 years. I got to meet him outside. He was a grand fella.
And just like that, the final two items on our list were complete. We managed to hit every single place we planned, with enough wiggle room for places we didn’t plan. This trip was perfection, and I’m in awe of how much we covered.
Until next time Ireland, you’ll be in my heart forever.
Travel Tip: Go to Ireland. The end.
Blissfulbritt 
37 thoughts on “The Rock of Cashel”
B
Oh man, I want to go to Ireland so bad! It looks like you had a FANTASTIC time!
Brittany
I did, I did indeed. 🤗
Running Fish
Looks amazing. Might have to visit there myself one day.
Brittany
YOU MUST!
Jessica
I adore Ireland. I am so glad you were able to have such an incredible time exploring, bird shat and all. 😛
Brittany
Bahaha. Worth every splatter.
John Kraft
I hope you get to return to Ireland and spend norepinephrine time. There is so much to enjoy.
Brittany
I will be back for sure!
John Kraft
Where did that norepinephrine thing come from? Lol! Leprechauns no doubt.
Brittany
Omg I was trying to figure out how that fit in. I was just gonna roll with it. 😂 lollll
SHRADHA099
Thank you for sharing your wonderful adventures!! 🙂 Ireland is truly beautiful.
I always enjoy reading your posts; you have a great sense of humour. 😀 ❤
Brittany
Thank you! 🤗
Evangeline Kennedy
Found the frowny face in the mist of the absolutely stunning “ruins.” It breaks my heart that good old America seems to lack sentimentality about the important things but has a gross abundance for the not so important things. Also, I love the “new potatoes for sale” sign. Classic Ireland.
Brittany
It makes me sad too. I’m sure there are areas in America that I have not come in contact with that do their best, but overall not so much.
Maria H.
What an amazing trip. I want to go there! I probably have to wait until the kids show an interest in castles, though. Thank you for sharing!
Brittany
Thank YOU for reading. 🙏🏻
Amy
I have a HUGE weakness for stone ruins… The more dilapidated, the better! 🤓 While spending a few hours in Venice in high school, we toured a similar glass place and watched some of the men blow / turn / shape all different pieces. It was such an amazing experience — one I’ll never forget!
Brittany
Ohhh wow, that sounds amazing. What a great opportunity you had at such a young age!
Rach
I want to GOOOOOOO!!! All of your posts are giving me such a travel bug, haha!
Brittany
Siggghh, same! 😉
An Unrefined Vegan
I can’t believe how much you two did/saw while there! That red circle around the country is impressive. Any future plans to explore the interior of Ireland ;-)??
Brittany
Yessss. I gotta see more of the inner workings as well as more of the south. I’ll be baaackkk. 😎
fionajarrett
It’s unreal how much ground you covered in your trip, very impressive indeed. I feel so lazy and ashamed of not visiting all these places more often! Now I feel I should just jump in the car and get to it! 😀
Brittany
Let me know if you need a tour guide 😂🙋🏻
stateeats
Well you missed Tullamore in the middle of the country but you dang near hit everywhere else. Have enjoyed reading these posts immensely and now I have Erin-lust. -Kat
Brittany
I have to hit the inner parts still! I’ll be back!
pausesandclicks
I saved all of your posts for one reading and just spent part of my Monday morning on your Ireland trip. I’m without enough words to say how much I enjoyed it! From the very first picture of the sidewalk artist, to the library, to the amazing graveyard in this last post….and everything in-between…thank you for sharing your trip! Ireland is now on my bucket list!
Brittany
Oh my! What fun, thank you so much for reading. ❤🙏🏻
Josh dV
I see the Frowny face!
Brittany
😂 I can always count on you.
Josh dV
I’m your huckleberry!
dave379
Love the final travel tip 🙂 Glad you had a great trip too.
Brittany
It was everything and more! ❤
Sophie
What a fantastic time you had in Ireland! It is such a beautiful country! I love it too so much! 🙂
Brittany
I still daydream about those hills! ❤
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