It’s a Long Way to Tipperary …

 …from New Zealand but just 22kms from Fethard so we made it our first stop this morning.

In truth Tipperary is better in the song than in the flesh as it was a rather drab place at least along the main street where we walked.

Though there was a colourful barrel of flowers on one corner

We then drove to Clonmel, the largest town in County Tipperary, approximately 20kms south east of Tipperary arriving around midday.

Clonmel is relatively typical of the towns that we have seen so far being dominated by a church and in this case also by a river.

The river Suir flows along the southern edge of the town

while the church is more in the centre of the town

At the time we visited, around 1pm, there was a mass in progress being attended by a handful.

The gent at the Tourist Information kiosk had suggested that a trip to St Patrick’s Well just outside the town was worth visiting.

The following was found on Google:

St Patrick’s Well is situated in a tranquil valley to the west of Clonmel, close to the village of Marlfield in County Tipperary. It is a picturesque setting for this holy site, which has been revered for centuries. There are over 3,000 holy wells in Ireland and St Patrick’s Well is thought to be one of the largest. Holy wells are sacred places where natural springs or man-made hollows that collect water are thought to have a religious significance because of their association with a saint. Many are thought to have been originally places of pre-Christian worship and tradition which were then co-opted as Christian sites following the conversion of the local population.

Legend has it that St Patrick stopped off at this valley on his journey through South Tipperary and Waterford where he reputedly converted the King of Munster to Christianity at the Rock of Cashel. St Patrick was said to have stopped here to bathe and baptise local people. Unfortunately, however, it is unlikely that Patrick was ever in this part of Ireland, as he does not mention travelling to the south of the country in his writings Confessio or Epistola. In fact, the story of Patrick’s journey in Munster comes from a source written nearly 500 years after Patrick’s death, the 10th-century Life of St Declan. Despite this, St Patrick’s association with the well is still strong today.

The well has been enclosed by a circular wall. The natural water which bubbles up is channeled through two narrow stone cut openings that appear to be possible flumes from an early medieval mill. The water descends into a large, shallow pool, from where it flows into a narrow stream, a tributary of the River Suir, which flows nearby to the south of the site.

A small sandstone cross stands on a small island in the pool, and this is probably one of the oldest visible archaeological features at St Patrick’s Well. This cross is thought to date to the 8th century. It was originally positioned close to the church on marshy ground, but a programme of renovation and reconstruction was carried out at this site in the 1960s and the cross was moved to its current position.

The roofless ruin of the stone church is likely to date to the 15th or 16th century. There is a historical record of the Abbot of Inishlounaght being buried at the church in 1617. Inislounaght was once a thriving Cistercian abbey that was founded in the 12th century nearby at Marlfield, but there are no traces left of it today. However, some architectural fragments may have been brought from the abbey to St Patrick’s Well and incorporated into the parish church. Within the church you can see some architectural fragments and an altar tomb dating from 1622, dedicated to the White family.

The 5th century stone cross with the 15th century church behind

The stone cross

The actual well

Looking into the remains of the Church

We then drove to Cashel, the town we visited for dinner last night to have a look at the Rock of Cashel which is one of Ireland’s most spectacular archeological sites. Over the centuries there have been numerous religious as well as royal “events” happening on this site, one of the earliest being in 978 when Brian Boru was crowned here as High King of Ireland

A question: If Ireland is the agricultural country that it is reputed to be how is it that for dinner tonight we purchased broccolini sourced from Spain and potatoes sourced from Egypt? Is it sacrilege for Ireland, renowned for its love of potatoes, to import them - just asking for a friend!