Such an enjoyable trip to Wicklow in early February '23. Wicklow is one of the few counties in Ireland with a name that originates from the Viking era, and in its original format "Vykyngelo" it meant the "meadow of the Vikings". The Irish name Cill Mhantáin has a completely different origin!
One of the places we visited was Black Castle, right outside the town of Wicklow. Built in the 12th century by Maurice Fitzgerald on land "given" to him by the infamous Norman invader, Strongbow, it had a short life span, being destroyed by the native O'Byrne and O'Toole clans in the 13th century. And it is here that the story of how Wicklow got its name, comes from. It is said that St. Patrick tried to set ashore with a few followers on one of the small inlets but a stone or object of some sort, came flying towards the boat from a not too friendly local. It hit one of the men in the face, knocking out his teeth. This same man was to found a church later and so it became known as Cill Mhantáin or the church of the toothless one! Black Castle is now very much a ruin, hanging on by its fingernails to the rocky coastline which boasts amazing views over the town and back towards Bray Head.
Earlier we went off on a little spin to look for Kindlestown Castle. This turned out to be right slap in the middle of a residential area but funnily we drove up and by it a couple of times before seeing it as we thought the fence along the road was a garden border. It dates from the late 13th Century and built by the Norman Walter de Bendville. Also associated with Augaire, a King of Leinster who was defeated by the Norse King Sitric of Dublin in 917.
We then went to the Castletimon Ogham stone which was, according to legend, thrown by a giant who left his nail marks on the stone, thus making the Ogham!! It lies rather inconspicuously in a hedge though there is an information plaque above it. There is also a small area to park in almost opposite.
On to Glendalough at sundown and with light fading fast, I did a quick watercolour sketch with a view to the lake. The Monastic site, which was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century, is rich with monuments which mostly date from the 10th to 12 centuries.
As you enter the monastic site, you pass under the arched gateway, perhaps one of the last surviving such entrances from this period and immediately you are struck by the fact that you are entering another world. In the site itself, the most obvious building is of course, the Round Tower. Built about 1000 years ago, it is made of mica schist and granite. The roof was destroyed in the 19th century by lightning but replaced not too long after. The ruined Cathedral would have been quite an imposing structure and probably the most important in Ireland outside of Dublin. It dates from between the 10th and 13th century so was obviously a work in progress for some time and it was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.
Saint Kevin's church from the 12th century is still completely intact, right down to its stone roof and along with the Round Tower is part of that view that is unmistakably Glendalough. There are also several other buildings such as the Reefert church which was the burial place of the princes of the O'Toole clan, and the Priest's house, but to be honest as light was fading, we really were limited as to what we could see properly.
I also missed the Deer Stone. The Deer stone is a Balluan stone, which is a type of hollowed stone often found in early medieval or Christian sites. Sometimes considered having had ritualistic purposes, it is also thought they could have been used for grinding. This particular one derives its name from a tale told about the saint. It is said that when the wife of workman died giving birth to twins, St. Kevin prayed for help and a young Doe came from the forest, giving her milk which lay in the hollow for the workman to bring to his new born children. There is a similar story concerning a young boy who Kevin fostered and the boy grew up strong, to inherit his title.
Considering it was raided by Vikings, Glendalough was still a light of learning and faith until the 13th century when the site became absorbed into the greater diocese of Dublin. In 1398 the English forces laid waste to the site, and this wonderful place was left in ruins. Five hundred years later, in the late 19th century, there began some efforts to restore and revive the site, although throughout those centuries, till 1862 a Patron day in honour of St. Kevin was held. However it was banned by Cardinal Cullen of Dublin.
There's so much to see here and the night was approaching, so I hope to come back again sometime soon.