6/24Today was our castle day! And boy did it pour buckets! It wasn't quite as bad as our downpour in Dingle, but it lasted most of the day unfortunately. Though I guess of all the days, this is really only our second full day of rain, so we are doing well by Ireland's standards!
Our first stop was Cahir Castle. We took the guided tour, of which our Tour guide was a blast. He had that sort of dry British humor that was perfect for the tour of the castle. He told us that how many names were adopted from the professions people held, and how in the castle, they basically had two bathrooms, which all of the waste went to the bottom of the tower, and sat there, and it was cleaned once or twice a year. He said the guy who did it was called a gong-something (I forget the something), but it was funny that while you hear of Fletchers and other professions, you don't really hear of anyone with the last name Gong! The castle was pretty cool, and they had done a really nice job restoring it (I guess both in 1800's and around 1960).
Here is Eric making use of the garderobe (bathroom)!
And Eric shooting arrows out of the walls!
And here is the top of one of the last working portaculus (a fast dropping door that would trap unwanted visitors). Apparently they made a recording of the sound of it falling to use in Braveheart!
And here is a picture of us under the portaculus! Unfortunately the picture came out blurry, but so far its the only picture of the four of us!
We also found out that several movies & TV shows have filmed Cahir castle for scenes, including the Tudors!
Next we headed to the Rock of Cashel, a huge and imposing castle built on a rock in the middle of Ireland. It was imposing even from a distance!
Unfortunately, up closer (at least the walk from the parking lot) not only was it raining like crazy, but it was covered in scaffolding. We found out it was to protect some of the cathedral, which was getting damaged from all the moisture. It wasnt actually for restoration, just for preservation. We hopped on another tour and followed the guide first into the room with St. Patrick's Cross.
Then we headed into the chambers that had been built for the choir.
Next we headed into the chapel, where they were trying to restore the ancient frescos and keep the chapel in tact with the cover. We could see some of the mold and the issues forming on the walls.
Next we headed into the huge open area of the main cathedral, and saw a fresco on the wall that they were attempting to preserve.
We wandered outside to see the oldest part of the building, a circular tower built in the 1300's to finish up the tour. We then wandered through the graveyard and saw some remarkably well preserved old crosses.
This last one is my favorite picture of the day, perhaps of the trip, with the keltic cross in the foreground, and the ruins of an ancient estate in the background. We headed back through and took a few more pictures...
While a beautiful old castle, we were all absolutely freezing and fairly cold and wet as well!
Once we finished, I was really looking for a Baily's coffee, but everyone else wanted to get on the road, so we did. We headed for Dunlavin, to our next B&B. At the Tynte House, the daughter showed us to our rooms, and the father just arrived as we were bringing in our bags. He helped carry stuff and made us a pot of tea to warm up! He was incredibly friendly and recommended a place out in Hollywood for dinner. We walked down the street to the grocery store and bought some Jameson and Ginger Ale for later, and then headed off for the Pub out in Hollywood! The food was excellent, a sort of high end pub food that definitely warmed us up! We didnt get any photos this evening, but Eric got the "Bacon and Cabbage" which was actually more like corned beef, and I got Pork and Leek Sausage, Dad ordered the burger, and Dennis ordered the Beef Curry. All were very good, and we ordered chocolate fondant (pudding/lava cake) and Apple Crisp for dessert. I had ordered "Hot whisky" which is basically a Hot Toddy, and at the end of the meal, the waiter introduced us to a guy who said he wanted to meet us. Apparently his kids lived in the Boston area, and he had lived in North Andover ages ago. We swapped stories for a bit, then headed back to our B&B. Definitely a cold and rainy, but another great day.
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