Tom and I were sorry to leave our comfortable Waterford
apartment but new travel adventures and sights were waiting for us. We finished
our Irish ham and cheese for breakfast, with coffee and tea of course. We
packed up our little Skoda Citicar, and headed off in a new direction away from
the east coast – south central Ireland.
After driving through picturesque small towns with their
myriad roundabouts, we left the developed road system and now skirted the
KnockMealDown Mountains – roads were getting smaller as we entered the Glen
of Aherlow. The Glen is a fifteen (15) mile long valley dotted with
megalithic and early Christian sites, and contains a network of popular hiking
trails. One tiny village was hosting the Aherlow Hiking Festival. There were
about thirty (30) cars parked on the sides of the road, but we saw no hikers. 
We stopped at the ruin of the Moore Abbey founded by
the Franciscans in 1204. Over a period of 300 years the abbey was repeatedly
destroyed suffering at the hands of the English exerting control of the island.
The building that remains today, however, dates from 1471. The abbey was
destroyed by fire the following year. The ruin is situated a mile outside of
the small town of Galbally in the
Glen of Aherlow. The site is now a national monument.
Our route took us to Tipperary made famous by the song ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’ which was
written in 1912. It became the British World War I song, and its popularity was
increased by the thousands of soldiers (50,000 Irish men volunteered for the
British army) who passed through the town. There was a small World War I museum
devoted to the Irish who served in the British army. Tom and I took a short
walk to the St. Mary’s Church of Ireland built in 1832. The unkempt
cemetery and church yard is much older than the church itself. Some of the
burials date from the 1700’s.We didn’t spend too long in Tipperary as I really
wanted to find the ruins of Athassel Priory.
Tom and I turned onto what looked like a farm lane, barely
one car width wide, not even sure we were going in the right direction.
Suddenly the massive ruins appeared on the left hand side of the road about 150
yards deep into a cow pasture. We found a small country lane where Tom was able
to pull the car over. With the angry grey sky and emerald green pasture this is
what I truly imagined Ireland to look like.
Athassel
Priory is the largest medieval priory in
Ireland, with its courts stretching over a four acre site. The priory dates
back to the 12th century and was the most impressive achievement of the
Augustinians when it was founded.
The priory was burnt twice, once
in 1329 and again in 1581. A large town had grown up around the priory but was
destroyed during the two raids. The Priory was finally dissolved in 1537 and
the lands given to Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond,
who neglected the abbey and it subsequently fell into ruin.
Following the death of Strongbow, Henry II wished to pursue a
more peaceful policy in his governance of Ireland. In 1176 he sent his cousin, William
de Burgho, to govern in his name, and Henry II charged him with replacing the
harsh diplomacy of the sword with the serenity of religion. The Priory at
Athassel was quickly established by William, and the church was dedicated to
St. Edmund, King and Martyr. The years that followed saw the Abbey flourish
into a center of great spiritual and political importance.
The Church was
over 200 feet in length, and the building was altered and renovated over the
course of three hundred years, roughly from 1200 to 1500. The nave had vaulted
aisles supported by columns, and at the crossing of the building was built a
tower. Two side chapels were placed in each transept, and all around the walls
are groups of tall, slender lancet windows. Interior decoration of the church was
quite plain in comparison to more elaborate, contemporary, churches and
cathedrals in keeping with Augustinian principles. To the south of the nave was
the cloister, and the Abbey was well defended by a surrounding wall and
gatehouse, complete with portcullis, which was accessed by a bridge.
By the 1480s, the abbey was in decline. It had suffered
during the fourteenth century from raids, burnings and plague, and by the
fifteenth century Ireland was becoming more lawless as the power of the Anglo
Norman lords was dwindling. In 1512, the strong connection with the de Burgo
family was broken.
Athassel stands today as a testament to the different
fortunes of the Anglo Norman families who came to Ireland in search of
opportunities and land. Athassel is incredibly well preserved and highlights
the strong connections between the Norman Lords and the church and the value of
strong patronage. The complex features one of Ireland’s only medieval gate and
bridge complexes, and Tom and I found it to be a truly wonderful site to
explore.
Tom and I had arranged to meet our next AirBnB host, Eleanor,
at Cahir Castle around 5 PM, and it was just beginning to rain – so, it was
back into the car for the next short drive. We were fortunate to find an Aldi
market near the castle where we chose microwaveable Irish dinners and a large
bottle of English Ginger Beer to share. We would have our dinner once we got to
our apartment described as ‘..a picturesque house in the country’.
Eleanor was in her Audi and we followed her to the farmhouse – about 5
kilometers outside of Cahir. The description was perfect. Her house was down a country
lane and surrounded by green pastures and happy looking cows – again, just how
I imagined Ireland ! 
We had a lovely suite on the second floor, but – uh oh – no kitchen.
We explained that we would need to heat our dinners, and Eleanor graciously
invited us into her kitchen for dinner and a chat. She told us about her
family, her calves, and showed us her chick named ‘Lazarus’. Although she and a friend had plans for the evening,
Eleanor got her guitar out and the three (3) ladies sang in front of a cozy
fire in her parlor while the rain tapped on the windows. It was a ‘brilliant’ way to end another day in
Ireland !
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