Spiritual Destination: Rock of Cashel, Ireland

In County Tipperary sits the Rock of Cashel, home to the ruins of a great Celtic cathedral. Among the different sites, the most striking structure of the Cashel is the round tower, which has been preserved and rises above 28 metres (90 feet) high, dating back from 1100c.

The Rock of Cashel served as the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion. Only few remnants if any of the early structures survived, with the majority of buildings on the current site dating back from the 12th and 13th centuries. Cashel is reputed to be the site of the conversion of the King of Munster by St. Patrick in the 5th century AD, bringing with it the significance and historic value.

Among the tower sits the Chapel of King Cormac, also known as Cormac’s Chapel, considered the most important building, historically and architecturally, which was sanctified in 1134. Compared to most other Irish-Roman churches and buildings, the Chapel appears sophisticated and refined.

Sitting slightly west of the immense residential castle is a cathedral, built around 1235, which is surrounded by an intricate graveyard sprawled across the grounds. The entire plateau atop the rock, where the buildings and graveyard lie, is walled and contain a number of high crosses.