COUNTY TIPPERARY - Cahir Castle, Ireland's Best Preserved Thirteenth Century Stronghold

Cahir Castle is located in the town of Cahir, along the River Suir. It’s one of Ireland largest and best preserved castles and has been used in many film and TV productions like Excalibur and The Tudors.

As I mentioned earlier, we decided to skip Blarney Castle while in Cork and visit Cahir Castle on the way home instead. It’s surprisingly overlooked, which means it’s less touristy and has cheaper admission prices. (Children under 12 are free)

We were able to have lunch at a cafe right across the road and we didn’t need to book tickets in advance.

The girls really enjoyed climbing up many of the narrow stone spiral stairways and taking in the view out over the river and town below. They particularly like the model of the castle (photograph below), which has an interactive light-up scene that depicted the timeline of events leading up to the castle being captured by Devereux, Earl of Essex, in 1599. Cahir Castle was the powerful stronghold of the Butler Family and was considered impenetrable, however this during this siege it had been battered for three days - the first time heavy artillery was used against it.

I would recommend Cahir Castle to anyone who is also making a stop at The Rock of Cashel, 2. - 3 hours is more than enough time to join the free tour, watch the audiovisual show about the castles history and wander through all the rooms. Plus it’s located in the centre of town which makes it great for a lunch stop, with parking very close by.

COUNTY TIPPERARY - Exploring The Subterranean Wonders of Mitchelstown Caves

On the way back from Cork, we stopped off at two different destinations; the Mitchelstown Caves and Cahir Castle. The two are quite close together and also quite close to The Rock of Cashel, you could do all three in a day of you really wanted to. But this post is just about the Mitchelstown Caves.

I really love visting caves, there is something so fascinating about them. Last year in September, we visited the Wellington Caves near Dubbo in New South Wales, with my extended family - it was such a good trip with all the cousins. The Wellington caves were the highlight of the trip for me. I think I also remember visiting a cave when I was really young while staying with relatives who lived near Ashford in Country New South Wales. But anyway, Ireland has a number of ‘showcaves’ as they call them, so we decided to stop off and see the Mitchelstown Caves on the way back.

The caves were discovered by a local farmer, Michael Condon in 1833. He found them when his crowbar fell down though a crack in the ground. The land that the caves are on have been owned by the same family ever since, and the original farm house still serves as the admin / ticket building. There isn’t any indication that the caves were used by humans throughout history, there hasn’t even been any animal fossils found in the limestone cave systems.

On arrival we entered through the hole pictured below and descended down some very steep steps that were construction with concrete in the 1970’s. We were in a decent sized group of about 12 people with two young ladies as our guides. They provided some fascinating facts about the caves as they led us through three large caverns. The sheer scale of the caves is simply breathtaking, it’s such an otherwordly feeling being deep below the surface of the earth and I always think of how intrepid the people who first explored the cave were, venturing deep into the unknown

At one point, the guides turned all the lights off to demonstrate how dark the caves really were and my gosh, it was pitch black! It was a very unsettling sensation but the girls were really brave. Electricity was run down in to the cave systems in the 1970’s, before that the explorers and visitors used candlelight and torches.

In recent years, the caves have been used for events, concerts, film premieres and as film locations. Visiting the caves was such a great experience for the girls, it challenges them a bit in terms of getting out of their comfort zone and building self confidence. They were so brave, having already experience what caves are like in Australia and so well behaved in terms of listening to the guides . It also gives them a bit of an intro into geology and earth science. I’d highly recommend a visit to a cave as a learning experience for kids.

If you are planning to visit the Mitchelstown Caves, do call ahead and make a booking. We called on the morning of our visit and had no trouble booking into one of the time slots that day. They have guided tours every hour or so between 10am - 4pm. From memory - the tickets were about 8 euro each.

COUNTY TIPPERARY - The Rock of Cashel, Where Legends and History Converge

The Rock of Cashel is truly a magical sight. Perched high on a rocky limestone hill, it looms over the town of Cashel and is steeped in the legends and history of ancient Ireland. Also known as St Patrick’s Rock, it is said to be the place where St. Patrick converted the King of Munster to Christianity in the 5th century. The site features a collection of remarkable buildings, including a round tower, a high cross, Cormac's Chapel, and the imposing cathedral.

We visited The Rock of Cashel on our way down to stay in Cork for 2 nights. It’s set on the edge of the small town of Cashel and it is popular with tour groups. We didn’t book in advance but we had no problems arriving and paying the admission fee, which is about 8 euro for adults but children under 12 are free. We didn’t do the free tour that is available, however in hindsight I wish we did.

The cathedral, constructed in the 13th century, is so vast and cavernous, it exemplifies Gothic architecture with its towering arches and expansive nave.

The round tower is even older, dating back to the 12th century. It stands 28 meters tall and is remarkably well-preserved, previously having served as a lookout and refuge.

For an additional cost you can enter Cormac's Chapel, which was built between 1127 and 1134. It is a masterpiece of Hiberno-Romanesque architecture, featuring intricate stone carvings and the remnants of vibrant frescoes.

The Rock of Cashel offers a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside and just down below is the ruins of Hore Abbey. Hore Abbey was founded in 1272 and inhabited for the next 300 years, The ruins today make for an added bonus when visiting The Rock of Cashel and offers a great vantage point of The Rock, high in the hill in the distance. It is only a short walk from The Rock; its open to the public and is free to enter. Hore Abbey sits in the middle a field with cattle so you may need to walk past some cows to get there.

I would say that The Rock of Cashel is a must see place to visit in Ireland. It offers a captivating glimpse into Ireland's architectural and religious heritage, attracting visitors with its impressive ruins and panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. We also enjoyed wandered around the quaint little town of Cashel too.

If you have more time in Cashel, there is the Cashel Folk Village, which is a museum covering various periods of Irish history, including the famine and the War of Independence.