July 6 - Ruined Monks

Today, we left Dublin. I was sad to depart. It's a wonderful city and there is so much more for us to explore. But time is pressing when you are covering five countries in one month.

We left Dublin and headed south to Glendalough (GLEN - da - lock). It is an ancient monestary about 40 kilometers south of the capital. We first saw Powerscourt, which Gene will tell you about later. But after viewing that estate, we drove through the Wicklow mountains and over the Sally Gap toward Gelendalough. On the way, we saw huge fields of peat being cut. We also were able to view the splendid Guinness Estate, nesteled in a damp valley high in the Wicklow mountains. Once we arrived at Glendalogh, I was surprised at how populous that immediate area is. It's obviously a major tourist destination. I was picturing a remote outpost, but I was very wrong.

Glendalough was started by St. Kevin in the 10th century. Many of the buildings that we toured date from the 11th - 12th centuries. They are constructed only from dry stone (no mortar). The ability to view and walk among thousand year old buildings is truly awesome. I was honored to walk the same ground as so many holy men. We saw the ruined cathedral, St. Kevin's church, and the ancient graveyard. Then a tour group of Texas teenagers showed up, and we beat a fast retreat. From there we headed to Kilkenny - a beautiful and ancient village in the heart of Ireland. I'll write more about that later.