Jerpoint Abbey

About 20 minutes out of Kilkenny is Jerpoint Abbey, one of many abbeys established by Cistercian monks in the twelfth century.  The Jerpoint structures were built and enlarged between 1180 and the 1400s, and they provided a place for the monks to live and worship.

During the dissolution of monasteries by Henry VIII in the 1530s, the roofs of most abbeys were destroyed to prevent the monks from using them.  After that, Jerpoint passed to wealthy earls and lords and was used as a burial site for these influential families.

Cistercian abbeys all have roughly the same layout, including the main cathedral, a cloister surrounding a courtyard garden, and living space for the monks.  The cloister at Jerpoint is well-preserved, and some of the carvings are still visible in the columns.  It was amazing to walk along the cloister and imagine all the columns containing these carvings.

Bishop's tomb

Carvings on the cloister columns

The cloister viewed from above

Medieval Mile Museum

Kilkenny's newest museum just opened 6 months ago and contains some interesting artifacts from St. Mary's Church in Kilkenny.  It also tells of important and powerful people that lived in Kilkenny during the city's medieval heyday.

Tombs of Kilkenny's medieval elite

Sword and ceremonial artifacts

Kilkenny's town record book from 1231 to 1537

The Rock of Cashel

High on a hill, The Rock has had important political and religious standing since the 5th century when St. Patrick was up there baptizing the local king.  Most of the current structures were built in the 12th and 13th centuries.  It was quite impressive to see the complex emerge high up on the hill as we came into town.

The site is a bit maze-like, with a lot of large buildings concentrated on the hill.  We went inside the original Romanesque chapel and the larger 13th century cathedral.  The graveyards were also interesting to peek around.  It was very windy and a bit chilly up there!

The Cross of Cashel (a replica on its original site)

Empty tomb in the chapel

We earned a hearty Irish dinner after that trip!

Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny Castle was built in 1195 and served as a defensive point and seat of power for the city.  It was lived in until the 1930s and transferred to the city in the 1960s, when it was restored and opened as a tourist site.  The massive painting gallery was impressive and includes paintings of 17th century monarchs.  The kids enjoyed peeking at the nursery!  There is also a fine playground on the castle premises where we spent some time after our tour.

The nursery

Late 19th century library

Castle gate

In Kilkenny, Ireland

Kilkenny is a great small city for a weekend trip.  Five centuries ago, it was a large and powerful city.  Its medieval layout and some structures are still nicely preserved.  Our hotel was in a great location near the city center and the "medieval mile" (the High Street and St. Kieran's Street).

Kilkenny Castle on the banks of the River Nore

The Tholsel (Town Hall)

Our hotel is the cute yellow building in the foreground

In the lobby

Green postboxes in Ireland!

And of course, good beer.

Trim Castle

We departed Belfast and headed south into Ireland.  En route to Kilkenny, we stopped at Trim Castle, the largest castle in Ireland from the Norman era. This castle was rehabilitated in the 1990s to accommodate visitors, and it was the filming site for many scenes in the epic movie Braveheart.

We had an excellent guide, who gave a very engaging tour.  She told us all the interesting and gory bits from the castle's history.  The keep had many defensive characteristics, including a maze-like interior to make it difficult for intruders to locate the lord of the castle.  The keep has 20 sides - an experimental defensive tactic that ultimately was not ideal (it took too many look-out guards).  We were also told that the moat was used to discard bits lepers that had rotted off... thus infecting the moat waters and making it less desirable to cross.  Yikes!

In the stocks!

A. got the job of key-keeper.  This giant key

actually opened and closed the gate doors.

Inside the keep.  The original floors

separating levels are gone.

At the top!

St. George's Market, Belfast

On Friday morning, we stopped into St. George's Market.  This covered marketplace has been around since the 1890s.  We got to experience the Friday Variety Market.  There were all sorts of interesting vendors, and also a musician who we enjoyed listening to.

That fluff of blond hair is C with her new Rapunzel doll