Approached by night, the Rock of Cashel, or St Patrick's Rock, offers a dramatic return to the splendours of medieval Ireland. Even by day, and now presiding over a modern landscape and a heritage town under pressure to sustain its heritage identity, it remains an imposing, mysterious sight with its historical significance well-matched by its physical beauty.
Perched on a dome of rock some 60 metres above the flat, fertile plain of the Golden Vale and the Suir Valley, the fortress, once the seat of the overkings of Munster, stands, fittingly, in the heart of old Munster. The Rock of Cashel, though its immediate setting lacks the dramatic beauty of the Rock of Dunamase in Co Laois, possesses the most impressive cluster of medieval buildings in Ireland. It is a celebration of stone and, specifically, of the mason's art. The golden warmth of the red sandstone of Cormac's Chapel, a glorious stone-roofed Romanesque building, contrasts with the colder limestone of the now gaunt, 13th-century Gothic cathedral which flanks - and indeed - dwarfs it. Cormac's Chapel is a superb example of Romanesque architecture, Ireland's first and only genuine Romanesque building, with its unusual twin square towers in place of transepts.
It is full of innovation, much of it inspired by the west of England cathedrals. Its gorgeous frescos, traces of which have been revealed, confer an Italian feel. It is a pity that the restoration work carried out on the south face is not yet quite sensitive enough to justify itself. Perhaps the gaps left by crumbling stone should have been left unrepaired? In time, the newly inserted sandstone will weather and blend in. Still, archaeologists, conservationists and art historians remain somewhat divided. Either way, Cormac's Chapel is unlike any other building in Ireland. Its stone roof, ceiling and general atmosphere leave the viewer in no doubt as to experiencing a true sense of the Middle Ages. It is interesting that the building of the massive cathedral, virtually on top of it, meant that the original front entrance at the north was supplanted by the south door, which came to be used as the main entrance. Apparently, mad building decisions were also taken during an earlier boom time, which must have hit 13th-century Ireland. Standing at the west end of the nave is an ornate stone sarcophagus boasting highly unusual intertwined beasts.
But the Rock of Cashel is more than a symbol of early Christian Ireland; it testifies to the emerging political realities of a feudal Europe in which temporal power and religion often walked hand in hand.
While the ecclesiastical structures have long dominated, and for several centuries the site was traded between the Protestant and Catholic faiths, the history of the Rock of Cashel, begins far earlier. As expected, its natural defensive site was obvious from ancient times. From about the 4th or 5th century, descendants of a legendary Eogan Mor, son of Ailill, appear to have used it as a fort, or so legends suggest. One of Eogan Mor's descendants, Conal Corc, is believed to have established the Cashel Kingship. Myth and legend offer colourful variations in the absence of formal, written history. There is also the possibility that St Patrick himself performed baptisms here. A 7thcentury life of the saint records his having accidentally pierced with his crozier the foot of one royal son, who, believing the injury to be part of the ritual, made no complaint.
It is difficult to look at Cashel with its churches and round tower without seeing it in a religious context. But it was as a statement of kingship that Cashel first prevailed. The overkingship of Munster sat here and its kings were inaugurated. It was an Eoganacht stronghold. Only those of the Eoganacht dynasty powerful throughout Munster were eligible for the Cashel kingship. During this period, the Eoganacht dynasty had one rival, the Ui Neill of Tara, dominant in the north. Each developed ambitions as to the entire country.
But the Cashel kings had an additional source of power - many of them were also bishops. Yet, by the late 10th century, the kings of Dal Cais, of which Brian Boru was one, supplanted the Eoganacht at Cashel. In 978, Brian Boru became king of Cashel, becoming king of Tara and, 20 years later, of Ireland. He may have fortified the Rock.
His great grandson, Muircheartach Ua Brian, as king of Cashel and contender for the high kingship of Ireland, later struck an inspired and highly opportunistic bargain. It secured his political future and also consolidated that of Cashel. He did what no king of Cashel had done before him. In 1101 he gave it to the clergy. Not only did this make him appear an enlightened church reformer, it deprived his rivals, the Eoganacht, of their their royal seat. Some 10 years later, Ireland was divided into territorial dioceses with archbishoprics at Cashel and Armagh. These archbishoprics were not officially approved by Rome until the Synod at Kells in 1152.
The Rock and its buildings were fortified by the late Middle Ages. In 1495, the Earl of Kildare set fire to the cathedral. It did, however, remain in use until 1749, when it was replaced by the present St John the Baptist cathedral.
Now roofless, the great cathedral on the Rock remains an imposing sight. Built on the site where a long-vanished 12th-century church once stood, it is a large, cruciform building without aisles. The choir seems disproportionately long, while the nave is curiously short. There are chapels in each transept, and these are being re-roofed in order to house various stone pieces. The nave also had porch arches half-way along its projected length, but only one of these was completed. Among the many objects of interest in the cathedral is the tomb complete with dog of the colourful pluralist renegade Miler Mac Grath, who successfully spent his life serving both the Catholic and Protestant churches, largely for his personal benefit. Within two years of being consecrated bishop of Down and Conor by the Pope in 1567, he conformed to the Protestant church. Elizabeth I gave him the bishopric of his native Clogher in 1570. Rome took no action for 10 years. By then, Mac Grath had promoted himself to the Protestant archbishopric of Cashel, later gathering those of Lismore and Waterford. By the time of his death, around 1622, he enjoyed almost 80 other benefices. It is difficult to believe that such a character ever actually died. His presence adds another dimension to the story of the cathedral, much of which is still a mystery.
Con Manning, a senior archaeologist with Duchas, has a particular interest in medieval buildings. Having worked on excavations at Cashel, he has an affinity with the site and has also written an excellent short study it for Duchas. "It involved a lot of historical research," says Manning, "Cashel is always exciting. It's a dramatic place. It needs a lot of study. I don't think the cathedral is really understood." The cathedral's incomplete state may be explained by the decision of Bishop O Hedian to build a massive fortified residence at the west end of the nave. Earlier, the central tower had been raised in height and battlements were added to the church walls.
Standing at the north-east corner of the north transept is the Rock's fine round tower, the oldest surviving building on the Rock. It may have been built to mark the handing over of the Rock of Cashel to the Church in 1101. Not only is it an excellent example of the Irish round tower, evidence suggests it is one of the oldest. About 15 years ago, it was struck by lightening but, following repair work, remains as robust looking as ever.
The Rock of Cashel with its authentic aura is widely regarded as one of Duchas's success stories. The tour guides are well skilled in telling a remarkable story. The most extensive act of restoration to the point of rebuilding carried out at the Rock has been the hall of the Vicars Choir. It has its own remarkable history, built as it was to house the members of the cathedral choir. Much of the work is that of modern craftsmen but it is a sensitive and practical act of restoration which evokes the medieval world and also serves to house many stone artefacts, including the original high cross, a replica of which now stands outside.
While now standing above a scene greatly changed over the centuries, the Rock remains atmospheric. About 800 metres to the west is Hore Abbey. Founded in 1272 for the Cistercians on the site of an earlier priory for the Irish Benedictines, it was to be the last Cistercian foundation in Ireland before the Reformation. At one time, the abbey had a leper house in Cashel. Many of the stone masons who worked on the buildings up on the Rock of Cashel probably worked there as well. A tower was added in the 15th century, but Hore Abbey, despite the unusual position of its cloisters - here to the north of the church - is typically Cistercian in style and was the last daughter house of Mellifont Abbey in Co Louth.
An obvious eyesore impinging on the view from the Rock is the garish colour scheme of a restaurant visible from this great monument. Perhaps the owners might consider painting the exterior in colours more in sympathy with what pertains to be a heritage town with, presumably, a heritage streetscape.
