R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 69

Ireland — Glendalough

Glendalough Monastic City

I will today show you yet another Irish wonder. This is Glendalough, the ruins of an entire Early Medieval monastic city dating back to the 6th century. Glendalough by the way means “Valley of Two Lakes”, and this monastic city does indeed sit just east of both the Glendalough Upper Lake and Glendalough Lower Lake.

Glendalough Upper Lake The hills above Glendalough Upper Lake

Let us wander around the monastic city and take in a few of the sights, beginning w...

Ireland — Sandycove to Wicklow Mountains

Our next Irish destination aboard Brilliance of the Seas was Dublin. We wasted little time boarding our next tour, which on this day took us first to Sandycove, a Dublin suburb. Here you’ll find James Joyce Tower and Museum. It was here that James Joyce spent six nights in 1904, and he would later using this setting for the opening of his 1922 novel Ulysses.

James Joyce Tower and Museum

Just a few minutes’ walk from this Martello fortification is Sandycove Beach, which offers a charmi...

Fun Photo Friday — Kilkenny and Waterford favorites

Ursula About to Go Medieval on Me in Waterford

Today’s picks of Waterford and Kilkenny favorites:

Ireland — Waterford

Time to start heading back to our ship, Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas, but first our tour brings us to the town of Waterford. Let’s start with Reginald’s Tower, a 54-foot/16-meter stone tower most likely constructed in the mid- to late-13th century:

Reginald’s Tower, Waterford, Ireland

Around the corner from Reginald’s Tower, on Bailey’s New Street, stand the ruins of Greyfriars Abbey, also known as French Church (and sometimes called Blackfriars Abbey as if that wasn’t conf...

Ireland — Kilkenny Castle Interiors

Today we move inside Kilkenny Castle. I hope you enjoy the show, beginning with the State Dining Room:

State Dining Room, Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny, Ireland

And I’ll bet you wish you had a Library such as this one:

But the most impressive room by far at Kilkenny Castle is the Picture Gallery Wing. This massive wing was constructed in the 19th century:

Kilkenny Castle Picture Gallery Wing

You can see from the photograph above that the gallery takes up the entire upper floor...

Fun Photo Friday — Kilkenny Favorites

Butler Gallery, Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny, Ireland

Time for a Kilkenny edition of Fun Photo Friday:

Lanigan’s Lounge in Vibrant Blue Saint Mary’s Cathedral Leaded Window Copper Beech at Kilkenny Castle

Ireland — Kilkenny Castle

Today I present to you the magnificent KilKenny Castle. This incredible residence was home to the Butler family from 1391 until 1935. Alas, that taxes did them in, and in 1967 Lord Ormonde relinquished the dilapidated remains of the estate to the State for the bargain basement price of £50. See: History of Kilkenny Castle.

Butler/Osmonde Coat of Arms

Next week I’ll show you the interiors of this wonder, but today we’re concentrating on the exteriors:

Kilkenny Castle

The grounds y...

Ireland — Kilkenny

About forty minutes after leaving Jerpoint Abbey we reached our next destination, Kilkenny. Kilkenny is a smallish town with about 27,000 residents, but it feels larger.

Kilkenny, Ireland

The downtown area, adjacent to the sprawling and impressive Kilkenny Castle (Wednesday’s article) has a bright, colorful charm all its own. Below is Saint Mary’s Roman Catholic Cathedral as seen from The Parade, a street that runs alongside Kilkenny Castle:

Kilkenny, Ireland

There is much to ph...

Fun Photo Friday — Jerpoint Abbey Favorites

It’s Fun Photo Friday, and these are my picks for Jerpoint Abbey favorites:

Oh, what a tangled web we weave . . . Wouldn’t Mind Having This as My Backyard Wall Picturing the Sky Bellyachin’ Serf? Framing Jerpoint

Ireland — Jerpoint Abbey interior

Today we’ll spend most, but not all, of our time perusing the interior the ruins of Jerpoint Abbey (1180-1541):

Jerpoint Abbey, Ireland

This wondrous area was declared an Irish National Monument in 1880, and I’m sure you can see why.

Jerpoint Abbey, Ireland

Inside you’ll even find the occasional sarcophagus-type tomb:

Other memorials dot the site as well:

When one considers that these structures were constructed using late 12th century methods, the detail is quite...