Kanga And Wombats Adventures

Day 6

Our first wet day! Drizzly, consistent all day, but we were not deterred!

Our aim was to get to Tipperary, via what they call the Holy Glen and then return via the Blackwater Valley.

Our first stop was Clonmel, which the guidebooks told us was County Tipperary’s busiest town. Not today! Not another person in sight. We made our way to the towns most imposing building and were greeted by the volunteer on duty like long lost cousins. The building was originally a courthouse dating from 1675, now beautifully restored and called the Main Guard. Vanessa, our guide, was passionate about the building and had many stories to tell about it and her town. One hour later we escaped!

DESPITE every guide book telling you, and every local telling you that the Rock of Cashel was overated, we went, and it was! Braving the cold wind and rain we struggled up the hill to the site of the caiseal, Irish meaning fortress, along with busloads of other tourists. It is built on a rocky outcrop rising out of a flat grassy plain, and I imagine it would look quite spectacular say in the fog, or at sunset. But not today. The best photo I could get to capture it’s magnificence was from afar.

Onwards to Tipperary! A hot pub lunch warmed our spirits and had us singing our version of the wartime classic all the way down the N24.

Tipperary….tick!

At the eastern tip of the Galtee Mountains (well we think they were there, couldn’t tell because of the rain), is the moated Cahir Castle. Pretty intact, but largely rebuilt, it certainly looked imposing jutting out into the river.

We walked along the river bank while the rain ceased temporarily, and discovered the local preschool had made the forest walk into a fairy glade. Very cute!

By far the loveliest part of the day was to come. We drove further south across the Vee Gap down to Lismore, site of yet another castle by the river. This castle is 19th century and still being used by it’s owners, so it’s a ‘look from the outside’ only.

Our last stop for the day saw us nearby at the amazing Ballysaggartmore Towers, built in 1834 by the cruel Irish landlord Arthur Keily, to appease his wife. She wanted a residence grander than her sister-in-law’s. Arthur began by building two Gothic style gatehouses, about a km apart, both totally different. But poor Arthur ran out of money at this stage and the house was never built. Nowadays, you can walk through a forest to visit the lodges on a loop trail. It was just magical. We were the only ones there, such a beautiful place.

So, although the weather was not too good, our day ended on a high.