Rock of Cashel

I am going to be behind on posts because we didn't have internet on Monday night, but here are a few from Monday morning. We were picked up by our tour in Dublin at 8:30 AM. We are in a 15 passenger van which is very comfortable. Besides Michelle and I, there is a family of seven: Mom, Dad, three daughters and a couple of boyfriends, all about Michelle's age, so at least six of our 14 are right around her age which is making it more fun for her :) There is a couple from Guatemala (they speak English), and a couple from New Orleans, LA (they are in their eighties and are having absolutely no trouble keeping up with the rest of us), and Pat from Oregon who came over for a watercolor class last week and stayed an extra week for a tour, she's close to my age and expecting her first grandchild :)

Our first stop was in Tipperary at the Rock of Cashel. We took a tour of this castle ruin which was built in about the 11th century.

In the picture below is the ruins of the Abbey, looking down from the castle.

Here is a picture of Michelle and I by our van in the Gougane Barra forest. More pictures from here later!

Looking up from inside Rock of Cashel.

The cemetery out behind. The guide said there are a few elderly ladies in the area who will still be allowed to be buried there then it will be closed.

In this picture you can see the windows were shortened at one point and she said that is probably what saved most of the structure.

What is left of the original sandstone cross that used to be out in front of the castle but was moved inside for preservation. We are having SO much fun! I will try to post again later when we get to Dingle (where by the way, they've been filming Star Wars for the past two weeks :)