An Irish Day Tour, Trinity City Hotel, and the Dublin City Center
It was a clear, crisp day in the month of May in the Republic of Ireland, and the wind carried a welcomed chill. The pandemic travel restrictions had finally been lifted throughout the European Union, and it was time for me to make a trip across the Atlantic to see the beautiful Emerald Isle of Ireland. During this trip, I stayed at Trinity City Hotel in Dublin, the lovely, boutique style hotel that I highly recommend. This hotel is not only centrally located within the City Center of Dublin, making it just a short walk away from Grafton street, Trinity College Dublin, and other significant tourists hot-spots, but it is also a beautifully designed hotel that serves a delicious Irish breakfast buffet every morning and has outstanding customer service. I also want to take this moment to compliment the Westin Dublin Marriott Hotel. When I arrived at the City Center of Dublin, via the bus route from the Dublin airport, I felt a little lost because this was my first time in Ireland. However, as I walked past the beautiful Westin Hotel, not far from Trinity City Hotel, I asked the bellhop if I was going in the right direction. I was so thankful for what happened next. The bellhop not only pointed me in the right direction, he grabbed my luggage and wheeled it down the street while walking and chatting with me to make sure my hotel was within sight. This was one of my first interactions with anyone in Ireland, and I felt that if most people here were this kind, I was going to be in for a great trip. I continue to thank God for that man to this day because during this part of the trip I was traveling alone, and he was one of the angels on earth who helped guide me safely through my journey. A few minutes later I arrived at Trinity City Hotel, and when I reached the front desk I received a very warm welcome. I also felt like I already knew these people because I had talked with them several times prior to arriving in Ireland. They were so willing to answer all of my questions about the hotel and the Dublin City Center, which is a great area to stay in if you are visiting Dublin for the first time.
It was the fifth day of what turned out to be a three-week excursion throughout the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. An Irish friend of mine once told me that you need at least three to four weeks to really see this nation, and they were so right! Travelers can certainly enjoy a shorter trip to Ireland as there are many wonderful things to see; however, if you have the time to stay, it is well worth extending the journey. After having an Irish breakfast complete with those deliciously roasted Irish breakfast tomatoes, I set out to make the short three-minute walk to the tour-bus pick-up station at the Molly Malone monument on Grafton street. Also, as an avid espresso, tea, and coffee lover, I will taka moment to say that Bewley’s coffee has become one of my favorite coffee brands and is definitely worth trying if you are looking for a toasty, strong espresso drink to start your day.
The day before this excursion I had caught a slight cold and was feeling a little under the weather, but by the next morning I felt strong and determined to not miss my planned visit to the Rock of Cashel. For this excursion, I took a day trip with the tour-bus company, Irish Day Tours, which I would give a 5-star rating. While in Ireland, I took at least three tours with Irish Day Tours and was able to see many legendary Irish castles, cathedrals, and wonders of the world, including the Giants Causeway, which I will share in another blog post. The tour guides were highly educated, talented individuals who provided us with a tremendous amount of information about each of the sites we visited. In addition, when taking an Irish Day Tour, tourists not only experience guided tours of historically significant locations across Ireland but are also able to taste local Irish food at restaurants and pubs along the way. Taking a bus-tour is also a great way to meet new people from Ireland and beyond. The best traditional Irish coffee I’ve ever tasted was at a small café in Northern Ireland not far from the Dark Hedges, which I will share more about in an upcoming post! On this day, however, one of the scheduled stops on our bus tour was the Rock of Cashel. The Rock of Cashel is located in Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland in the Province of Munster. The Rock of Cashel, also known as St. Patricks Rock, or the Cashel of Kings, is an historical site where you will find the ruins of a medieval castle belonging to the ancient Irish Kings of Munster. The oldest surviving structure on this site dates back to around 900 A. D.
History of the Ancient Rock of Cashel
The history of the Rock of Cashel begins in the pre-Christian era of Ireland and is inextricably linked with Ireland’s patron saint, St. Patrick (387-461). Its history is also tied to the ancient Irish Kings of Munster, including King Aengus, also known as Óengus mac Nad Froich (430-489) of the house of Eoganachta. King Aengus was the first Christian King of Munster.
Prior to St. Patrick arriving in Ireland around 432 A.D., Conall Corc or Conall mac Luigthig (340 -379 A. D.), King of Munster, received a supernatural message from God foretelling the arrival of Ireland's patron saint (Hardy, 1833). This experience inspired Conall Corc to begin the construction of the first Rock of Cashel, or Carriag-Phádraig. Initially, Conall Corc called his palace Coisoil Castle (Hardy, 1833). The name Coisoil, which eventually amalgamated into the name Cashel, can be directly translated into English as Revenue Rock (Hardy, 1833). The name of the castle signified the location wherein Conall Corc, King of Munster, received his prophetic message from God, which he believed brought himself and his family increase and continual power over the province of Munster until the late 10th century (Ó Fiaich, 1954). The Coisoil Castle also symbolized the blessing that God would bring to Ireland and the Kings of Munster through the evangelistic work of St. Patrick (Hardy, 1833). It was roughly 80 years later when Conall Corc's descendent, Aengus, King of Munster, finally received a visit from St. Patrick. Subsequently, King Aengus, along with his entire family and many Irish nobles, converted to Christianity (Hardy, 1833; Barrow, 1976). Prior to St. Patrick's arrival in the province of Munster, a pagan temple existed within the ancient Cashel of Kings; however, after King Aengus' baptism, the pagan temple was destroyed. King Aengus, along with his brother Oillioll and at least 17 of his reigning descendants, were ordained monks. Therefore, beginning in 450 A.D., the Rock of Cashel, or Caiseal na Rí, served as both a royal palace and monastic community of kings. In 1101 A.D., the Rock of Cashel was granted as a gift to the Roman Catholic Church by Muirchertach Ó Briain, King of Munster of the House of Carthach. The Carthach family ascended to the throne in the province of Munster around 977 A. D (Ó Fiaich, 1954). This gift to the church was in part Ó Briain's attempt to keep the Rock of Cashel from falling back into the hands of the Eoghanact family. The Eoghanact family was the bloodline of King Aengus, the first Christian King of Munster (Barrow, 1976).
The Present-Day Ruins of the Rock of Cashel
The oldest existing structure on the current site of the Rock of Cashel is the Round Tower which dates back to the 10th century and its made of freestone (P., 1840, p. 18). The Round Tower, shown in the photos above, is also near the remains of the rock where the ancient Kings of Munster were crowned. It is speculated that this might also be the area where the early Christian church of the time of St. Patrick was located (Barrow, 1976; Lewis, O'Fiaich, 1954). In 1134 A.D., under the kingship of Cormac MacCarthy, another ecclesiastical structure, Cormac's Cathedral, was built. The construction of the current cathedral at Rock of Cashel was most likely started in the 13th century (Barrow, 1976). This construction, continued into the 15th century under Donald O'Brien, King of Limerick. The Vicars Choral which sits opposite Cormac's Castle was most likely constructed in the early part of the 15th century under Archbishop Richard O'Hedian (1406-40) (Barrow, 1976).
Although the Rock of Cashel has undergone many refurbishments since its founding, the cathedral is recorded to have been in use until 1752 (P., 1840). In 1752, Archbishop Price removed the roof of the Choir, which was reported to be an artistic jewel of the Gothic age of architecture (P., 1840). Due to failing health, Archbishop Price could no longer make the journey up St. Patrick's Rock in his carriage (P., 1840). Subsequently, the Archbishop had the roof removed in order to use the materials to build a new church located in the town nearby (P., 1840). The Rock of Cashel incorporates the traditions of both the Roman Catholic Church (450 - 1561) and the Anglican Church of England. (1561-1752).
History of Gregorian Chant
Although some sources state that Gregorian chant began during the papacy of Pope Gregory I (590-604) of Rome, more accurate historical accounts indicate that this type of liturgical singing was not common practice of the Roman Catholic Church until the time of Charlemagne, King of Franks (768-814). Gregorian chant became an integral part of the Roman Catholic Church during the Middle Ages and this type of singing would have certainly been heard at the monastic community of the Rock of Cashel by the 8th century. Gregorian chant is sung in Latin and consists of monophonic singing, wherein an individual cantor (singer) or a group of singers (a choir) sing melodies in unison without any harmonies to accompanying the vocal line. Some Gregorian chants may be accompanied by a single sustained pitch as you can hear in the travel vlog. I also decided to include a church bell in this recording because I was inspired by the 9th century church bell found near the Rock of Cashel in 1849, which may have been used in the early monastic communities of Patrick's Rock. This bell is now housed in the Hunt Museum in Limerick, Ireland. You will also hear me perform the call and response passages in the travel vlog. These passages are traditionally identified as antiphonal renditions of chant. However, since my version is only sung by one cantor (singer), it is identified as a direct psalmody, which is a type of church music dating back to the music of first century Jewish synagogues. The early music of the Jewish synagogues inspired much of the music heard in the Roman Catholic Church during the Middle Ages. Gregorian chant was initially only sung by men, but, in the 4th century, women within monastic communities were known to also perform it. In the Middle Ages, Gregorian chant was an advanced form of singing that required great vocal skill and effort. The text of the chant heard in the vlog post includes the Introit of the Mass, parts of the Kyrie Eleison, Angus Dei, and Domine Deus. The English translations to the Latin text heard in the travel vlog are as follows:
In Nomine Patris, Et Fili, Et Spiritus Sancti, Amen
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen
Kyrie eleison, Christe Eleison
Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy
Domine Deus, Angus Dei, Filius Patris
Lord God, the Lamb of God, Son of the Father
Agnus Dei, qui tollis, peccata mundi, miserere Nobis
The Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us
Conclusion
As our Irish Day Tour bus came upon the Rock of Cashel, our tour guide-bus driver warned us of its impressive beauty. Never having seen the Rock of Cashel, my initial thought upon seeing it was that it was breathtaking. It is not so often that the beauty of an architectural structure sustains its ability to impress its visitors for nearly two hundred years. Therefore, to end this blog, I will leave travelers with two descriptive quotes I found rummaging around in some historical documents about the Rock of Cashel from the early 19th century. The first quote is from a 19th century traveler, and the author of the second quote, I think you will recognize.
"In no other part of the country is there to be seen such a magnificent display of every variety of ecclesiastical architecture, round and square towers, stone roofs, crypts and shrines, arches, Saxon, Roman, and Norman, all in one common ruin, as the Rock of Cashel displays to view" (Hardy, 1833, p. 105).
The great Sir Walter Scott (1771-1882) said of the Rock of Cashel “though the scenery of our lakes and mountains may be rivalled in many parts of the sister islands, there is nothing of their class, viewed as a whole, comparable in interest with the ruins on the Rock of Cashel” (The Irish Penny Journal, 1840, p. 18).
P. S. Travelers,
Stayed tuned for more posts on Ireland, including the Giants Causeway!
Safe Travels,
Nadine Traveler
References
Barrow, L. (1976). The rock of cashel. Dublin Historical Record, 29(4), 133-137.
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2023, October 27). Gregorian chant. Encyclopedia
Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/Gregorian-chant
MacKillop, J. (2004). Corc mac Luigthig. In A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. : Oxford
University Press. Retrieved 17 Nov. 2023, from
9780198609674-e-1133.
Fiaich, T. O. (1954). The king returns to cashel. The Furrow, 5(6), 377-379.
Harbison, P. (1993). A high cross base from the rock of cashel and a historical reconsideration
of 'ahenny group' of crosses. Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History,
Literature, 93C(1), 1-20.
Hardy, P. H. (1833) The ruins of the rock of cashel. The Dublin Penny Journal, 2(66), 105-106.
P. (1840). The rock of cashel, as seen from the south. Irish Penny Journal, 1(3), 17-18.
Stolba,M. K. (1998). The development of western music. (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
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