On 10th June , about 30 of our members set off by coach on our annual summer outing. This year it was a ‘Trip to Tipp’, a short trip over the border. In a week of wet weather we were blessed with a fine day for our visit to Cashel.

We stopped off at the Horse and Jockey Hotel for tea/coffee and scones. It’s quite a number of years since I last stopped at this hotel and couldn’t believe how much it has expanded.

It was only a short distance from there to our main destination, The Rock of Cashel. Here we had a guided tour at 12 noon. Our guide was Helen and she very ably brought us through the history of the rock. The Rock is built on a dramatic outcrop of limestone in the Golden Vale and this is where the tour started before we entered the cluster of medieval buildings which constitutes the site. Among the monuments to be found there is a round tower, high cross, Romanesque chapel, Gothic cathedral, an abbey, the Hall of the Vicars Choral and a 15th century tower house.

The Rock was originally the seat of the kings of Munster and according to legend St. Patrick himself converted King Aenghus to Christianity here. King Brian Boru was crowned High King of Ireland at Cashel in 978 AD.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to see the inside of Cormac’s Chapel which contains the only surviving Romanesque frescoes in Ireland.

We finished our visit with an audio visual presentation. The Rock of Cashel is one of Ireland’s most spectacular and deservedly most visited tourist attractions in Ireland.

After our visit to the Rock we were free to visit the beautiful town of Cashel. Some went straight to the Cashel Palace Hotel and treated themselves to tea/coffee and even gin!! I visited some of the fine antique shops in the town.

On our way home we stopped off at Sadler’s restaurant in Fethard where we had a lovely 2 course meal with wine. It was a very enjoyable day and thanks to Rose for organising the event.