After along and interesting discussion with a group of our fellow guests we headed out onto the road again. Our fellow guests were a group of elderly, well traveled, American academia, who are doing a road trip similar to ourselves, although considerably more organized than we have been. A very interesting trio, who are very interested in everything around them, and seem to have a real contribution to conversations as well.
KELLS PRIORY : County Kilkenny : Republic of Ireland
The Augustine priory is situated alongside King's River beside the village of Kells. One of its most striking features is a collection of medieval tower houses spaced at intervals along and within walls which enclose a site of just over 3 acres. These give the priory the appearance more of a fortress than of a place of worship and from them comes its local name of 'Seven Castles'. During its first century and a half the priory was attacked and burned on three occasions, firstly by Lord William de Bermingham in 1252, by the Scots army of Edward Bruce on Palm Sunday 1326, and by a second William de Bermingham in 1327. It seems likely then that the walls and fortifications date back to this period of unrest.
Our first stop for the day was Kells Priory. Getting there we had the sense that we were really getting into the heartland of rural Ireland, especially when we had to pull off the road and stop the engine so that a couple of farmers could lead their young skittish horses down the road.
What is impressive about Kells Priory is firstly the size of the place, and this is quickly followed by the absence of tour buses, tour guides, souvenir shops, and admission fees. This is the ruin of a 12th century priory covering a large area of a farmers land, whose sole occupants (in fact the only sign of life) are the sheep and lambs. Unfortunately the sheep and lambs are rather prolific, so we spent much of our time watching where we were putting our feet. However it was a pleasure to have the freedom of roaming from room to room through this site without the usual visual pollution.
As we left here we spotted a sign directing us towards a ‘Round Tower’ in Kilree, the only indigenous building style of Ireland. After driving through more of rural Ireland, we found the site. Beside the stile leading towards the tower was a bright yellow warning sign stating ‘Bull in Field’. We have to say that it made us think twice and have a good look around before progressing across the self same field to the tower and the ruin of the little church with its graveyard. We didn’t get to see the bull, and so we aren’t sure if it was put there as a deterrent or as a bit of Irish humour. Just a few meters from the graveyard (in the bull paddock) is an early high cross, which marks the resting place of one of a 9th century Irish high king, who drowned in the nearby river trying to save one of his servants.
BENNETTSBRIDGE : County Kilkenny : Republic of Ireland : Population 685
Situated on the river Nore, it has become a craft centre in recent years, with several pottery and craft producers located at the old mill beside the weir.
From here it was on to Bennettsbridge, to check out the pottery at Nicholas Mosse Irish Country Shop. The pottery was very nice, although the prices not so nice. It seems they are going for the Provonce look with sponged designs along the lines of Laura Ashley. Not really what we were looking for and so we moved on. However it was an interesting place starting off as a flour mill and then converting to pottery. They have a small hydro generator running off the river outside and so they are completely self sufficient.
INISTIOGE : County Kilkenny : Republic of Ireland : Population 263
The earliest recorded reference to Inistioge refers to a battle between the kingdom of Osraighi and an army of Norse, recorded as taking place in the year 962 AD in the Annals of the Four Masters.
We stopped at Inisitioge for lunch, and despite what the guidebooks say, the most impressive feature of this town is the ten arch stone bridge over the river. What this town inspired from us were the questions how, why and where? How do people survive in a place like this, why do they stay here, where do they go to for work? This was the first in a series of ghost towns that we went through that seemed to have the majority of houses empty, no one on the streets, and no signs of life at all. It makes us wonder if they are always like this, or whether they come to life over summer. Has this been the result of the economic downturn, and the collapse of the Celtic Tiger, or have they always been like this?
WATERFORD : County Waterford : Republic of Ireland : Population 45,750
Founded in 914 AD by the Vikings, it is the country's oldest city. The city motto Urbs Intacta Manet Waterfordia ("Waterford remains the untaken city") was granted by King Henry VII of England in 1497 after Waterford refused to recognise the claims of the pretenders Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck to the English throne. Today, Waterford is known for Waterford Crystal, a legacy of the city's former glass making industry.
Our reason for going to Waterford was to go to the Waterford Crystal Visitor Centre. What we found there was a lot of crystal that our grandmothers would have liked to own, but not really to our taste. However they seem to cater very well to the American tourists and seem to be doing their best to milk them for their dollars. A lot of the pieces are obviously directed at them and the Irish-American connections. There were large crystal centerpieces with cowboys and western themes, there were crystal gridiron helmets, there were large ostentatious pieces that no one in their right mind would be attracted to this side of the Mississippi. I was a little disappointed that in the toilets they didn’t have a crystal urinal. Perhaps the receivers took that when they moved in a few years ago.
Once we headed out of the visitor centre we found the rest of the city very quiet. Very much in keeping with the smaller ghost towns that we have been passing through, rather surprising for a city this size.
ROSSLARE : County Wexford : Republic of Ireland : Population 1000
The village of Rosslare grew up to serve the needs of the harbour, first developed in 1906 by the Great Western Railway and the Great Southern and Western Railway to accommodate steam ferry traffic between Great Britain and Ireland.
From here we headed back out onto the back roads and byways, around the coast to our destination for this evening, Rosslare. This is the ferry terminal, the ferry that we will be taking tomorrow morning to head back to the UK. It is sad to think that our holiday is over, sad to think that we are leaving these shores. The last few weeks have gone way too fast, although it also seems like so long ago that we arrived in Dublin at the commencement of this journey. Along the way we have seen so much, experienced so much, and met so many wonderful people. It really has been an adventure. We have learned so much about this island, about the history, we think we have come some way to understanding a little bit more the people that live here.
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