We continue our travels through Ireland, an island of extreme history and beauty. It seems that in every direction we turn, we encounter a castle ruin, an abbey ruin, a delightful B&B, beautiful gardens, waterfalls, hikes, and genuinely wonderful people.
We don’t have much time left here in Ireland, and we both already dread having to leave this favorite island of ours.
Cullohill Castle Castle Ruins
One fun stop today was at the ginormous Cullohill Castle ruins in County Laois which is sitting on solid rock. This castle belonged to the MacGillapatricks during the 15th century. At one time, it was 90 feet tall and boasted a five-story tower house.
Unfortunately, as often happened during this time in Ireland, in the 17th century, the infamous Cromwellian forces destroyed the castle. Also, unfortunately, the castle is on private property, and we could only view the castle from the outside.
Cullohill is one of several Irish castles with a sheela-na-gig built into its east wall. Although we searched for it, we never did catch a glimpse. Sheela-na-gigs are medieval and very explicit figures of naked women carved into the walls of castles.
Some believe that these sheela-na-gigs can protect from evil. They are certainly a remarkable and unusual sight to see. Ireland has the most significant number of these carvings, but they are on castle walls in Spain, England, and France. Very curious.
Rock of Dunamase
Relatively nearby, also in County Laois, we discovered the Rock of Dunamase, another castle ruin on a hilltop. It is an excellent walk up a not-too-steep inclined walkway. The views at the top are well worth the trek too. Stunning countryside views are visible in all directions.
A small stone church, the Holy Trinity Church, from the late 1800s, is at the bottom of the hill and has a very convenient parking lot we were able to use. We did not enter the church, which was closed at the time.
I could find very little information about this 13-14th century structure besides signs at the entrance. However, just as Cullohill did, Rock of Dunamase fell to the Cromwellian forces in the mid-1600s.
While reading about this castle ruin, I did learn the Legend of Bandog concerning this castle. It says a treasure is hidden somewhere on this hill, but no one can find or search for it even because a frightening dog named Bandog that can shoot flames out of his eyes protects the treasure.
Kilcooley Cistercian Abbey
Our favorite experience for this day’s adventure is our visit to this abbey ruin that we spotted off in the distance as we drove around the area. We decided, of course, to take a closer look and walked across the field to it.
A high chainlink fence and gate protected the entrance with a sign that the structure may have loose rocks and be dangerous. Fortunately for us, the caretaker showed up and invited us in. He kindly walked us through the whole place, telling great stories as we walked.
This abbey, founded about 1182, is a magnificent example of Georgian architecture and is considered a daughter or sister abbey to Jerpoint Abbey in County Kilkenny, a beautiful abbey we visited on one of our earlier Ireland vacations.
Kilcooley’s history states that in 1418 it experienced a fire; again, in 1445 was mostly destroyed by fire and dissolved in 1540.
One of the fantastic pieces of craftsmanship in this abbey is the 1526 tomb of Piers Fitzjames Oge Butler. The tomb’s base contains an ornate carving of several of the apostles, while the top of the tomb displays a carved effigy of Butler with his faithful dog at his feet.
The dog, a symbol of loyalty, has its teeth showing, which the caretaker told us indicated Butler died from a violent death.
The caretaker permitted us to view the upper floor of the abbey, where we could see the beautiful green surrounding landscape for miles and miles.
Emo Court
Emo Court is an estate home that took its architect (James Gandon) over 70 years to complete. It originally was home to the Earls of Portarlington. This building was restored in the 60s and opened to the public. Finally, in 1994, Emo Court was gifted to Ireland.
It is undergoing extensive restoration by the OPW today and is not open to the public during that restoration. The beautiful and extensive gardens are available, and we spent quite a while wandering through the gardens’ paths. A tearoom is also onsite for visitors.
Heywood Gardens
Heywood Gardens’ 50 acres of wood and gardens are recent arrivals since they were not complete until 1912. This is not one, but two different gardens.
One garden was created in the 1700s by Frederick Trench, and the smaller formal gardens are a 1900s design by Sir Edwin Luytens and Gertrude. A large, by Irish standards, parking area made it easy for us to visit here. It was such a quiet and peaceful place.
Cradog Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast
Cragdog Farmhouse B&B, about half an hour from Kilkenney, became our wonderful home for two days and nights while we visited sights in this part of Ireland. We very much enjoyed our brief stay here.
Our hostess, Lil, was one of the sweetest and most interesting ladies we’ve encountered in Ireland. Her home is spotless, provides exceptionally comfortable sleeping accommodations, and the breakfasts are outstanding.
These are only the highlights of our one-day meandering through Ireland. As I have mentioned before, in past years, we have visited many of the major tourist attractions in Ireland and are now having a wonderful time discovering lesser-known sights; at least they are unknown to us.
The way this trip has gone so far, I cannot forsee us running out of castle and abbey ruins anytime soon. Each has a great story about its contribution to Irish history and legend.
- Lush, green beautiful Ireland
- Ireland continues to amaze us
- Derry, Northern Ireland’s walled city
- A day trip exploring Ireland
- Ancient history in County Louth
- Seaside charm, leprechauns, and history
- Nine things to see in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland
- Why do we keep returning to Ireland?
- Must-know tips before traveling to Ireland
- Ireland has its hooks in me!
- Ireland – Making a Plan
