Cliffs, Castles and Cork

It was a nice awakening to be so close to the cliff and to the sea. The wind was blowing quite heavily during the night, otherwise it was quiet. But that day we briefly drove away from the sea to visit two old castles inland. After an hour's drive, we reached the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary, a hilltop with decayed church buildings. Once the seat of the high kings of Munster, the Rock of Cashel first became important as a fortress. Its origins as a center of power date back to the 4th or 5th century AD. In 1101, the King of Cashel handed over the royal seat to the Church. The history continues for about 700 years. In the 18th century, the Anglican Church abandoned the site and subsequently it fell apart.

After a short lunch, we continued for 15 minutes and arrived at Cahir, where one of the largest and best-preserved castles in Ireland stands. The castle was built in the 13th century and served as the stronghold of the mighty Butler family. Its design was so effective that it was considered impregnable, but it eventually fell to the Earl of Essex in 1599, when heavy artillery was first used against it. It was besieged two more times during the Confederate wars. By the way, a cannonball from that time is still stuck in the wall today.

In the afternoon, we went back down to the sea to Dungarvan, where we were allowed to use Pat and Birdie's house for the night.

On Tuesday, we took our mountain bikes off the bus for the first time. We wanted to ride a section of the Waterford Greenway, a bicycle path on a former railway track. Apart from a crumbled railway station and two viaducts, there is nothing more reminiscent of a railway. But the path gave us some glimpses of the sea, and on the way back, we came back to the beaches at the bottom. Of course, we didn't want to miss the opportunity to walk barefoot in the sea on a beautiful sandy beach. And yes, the water was cold, we estimated it to be about 10 degrees. It's not enough for a swim.

Once back at the house, we prepared to drive on to Cork. After an hour's drive, we arrived exactly at dinner time. In the city, we treated ourselves to delicious burgers and had a look at the city in the last light of the day. We liked it, it was bright and spacious with many beautiful churches and buildings. But the few hours were enough for us, which is why we set off to Killarney today after breakfast. There is the Killarney National Park, which we will explore a little from tomorrow.