We visited the Glendalough Monastic site this morning before heading out of town.
Glendalough (the Glen of Two Lakes) is one of the most important sites of monastic ruins in Ireland. Before the arrival of Saint Kevin, the glen would have been remote and lonely, ideal for a secluded retreat.
St Kevin was likely born in 498AD and is known as the founder and first abbot of Glendalough, County Wicklow. He lived here for 7 years as a hermit in a partially man-made cave at the edge of Upper Lake, now called Kevin’s Bed. He typically wore animal skins, went barefoot and spent most of his time in prayer.
Disciples were attracted to him and a small, walled settlement, called Saint Kevin’s Cell, was established near the lakeshore.
By 540 AD Glendalough had grown into a renowned seminary of saints and scholars and was the parent of several other monasteries. A total of seven churches were built at Glendalough and it became one of the chief pilgrimage locations in Ireland.
A large cemetery surrounds the ruin of the Cathedral, many graves bearing Celtic crosses.
The 11th C 31 meter tall round tower on the grounds of the cathedral was used as a lookout, a storehouse and a beacon to guide pilgrims. The tower is built of mica schist with a granite doorway.
The door is 3 ½ meters off the ground, believed to be a defensive practice with inhabitants able to raise a ladder from within for refuge-seekers.
At Victorian Tea Times in Arklow we played dress-up in Victorian era costumes for afternoon tea.
As we travel further and further off the beaten path over the next week, we are staying at various types of self-catering accommodations, so we stopped at Tesco in Arklow for a grocery provision before continuing south.
Kilmore Quay is a charming fishing village on the south coast. White washed thatched roof houses line the main street leading down to the harbour. The oldest of these were built in the early 1800’s.
We are staying just outside of town in a self-catering cottage called Teach Eile (Choc-Ella) which is Gaelic for ‘the other house’. The hosts live in the main house across the street.
Dinner tonight was a simple baked chicken and potatoes with a really nice bottle of wine.
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