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View of the Rock of Cashel. Photo
Oliver Regelmann.
General view of the cathedral ruins.
Exterior of the cathedral, with Cormac's Chapel to the right.
Exterior of Cormac's Chapel.
Romanesque murals and carvings on the ceiling of Cormac's Chapel.
Interior view of Cormac's Chapel.
Back view of the cathedral complex.
Graveyard with high crosses. Photo
joe81x.
Carvings on a sarcophagus in the cathedral.
The Rock of Cashel (also known as Cashel of the Kings) in County Tipperary is home to the ruins of a great Celtic cathedral.
What to See
The earliest and most lofty of the Cashel edifices is the round tower, a very perfectly preserved 28 metre (90 feet) high example, which dates from c.1100.
The Chapel of King Cormac, or Cormac's Chapel was consecrated in 1134 and is the most important building, historically and architecturally speaking, at Cashel. Begun in 1127, it is a very sophisticated structure, unlike most Irish Romanesque churches which are very simple in plan with limited decoration.
The Abbot of Regensburg sent two of his carpenters to help in the work and the twin towers on either side of the junction of the nave and chancel are strongly suggestive of their Germanic influence, as this feature is otherwise unknown in Ireland.
Other notable features of the building incude: interior and exterior arcading; a barrel-vaulted roof; a carved tympanum over both doorways, the magnificent north doorway; and the chancel arch.
The cathedral, built between 1235 and 1270, is an aisleless building of cruciform plan with a central tower. It terminates westwards in a massive residential castle.
The Hall of the Vicars Choral was built in the fifteenth century. The vicars choral were laymen (sometimes minor canons) appointed to assist in chanting the cathedral services.
The restoration of the Hall was undertaken by the Office of Public Works as a project in connection with the European Architectural Heritage Year, 1975. It is now the building through which visitors enter the site.
The grounds around the buildings are home to an extensive graveyard, which includes a number of beautiful high crosses. The entire plateau atop the rock is walled.
Quick Facts
| Names: | Rock of Cashel |
| Type of site: | Cathedral; chapel; round tower |
| Dates: | Tower: c1100; chapel: 1127-34; cathedral: 1235-70 |
| Architecture: | Romanesque and Gothic |
| Status: | Ruins |
| Location: | Cashel, County Tipperary |
| Phone: | 062/61437 |
| Hours: | Mid-June to mid-Sept daily 9am-7:30pm; mid-Sept to mid-Mar daily 9am-4:45pm; mid-Mar to mid-June daily 9am-5:30pm. Last admission 45 min. before closing |
| Cost: | €5 adults, €3.50 seniors, €2 students and children, €11 family |
Article Sources
- Personal visit (August 29, 2007)
- The Rock of Cashel - Historic Irish Castles
- Rock of Cashel - Comhaltas
- Rock of Cashel - All Ireland Travel
- Cashel - Catholic Encyclopedia
- St. Peter the Rock Cathedral Cashel - The United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory
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Location Map
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