Page 151 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Ireland

SOUTHEAST IRELAND  149

u Jerpoint Abbey
Road map D5. Thomastown,
Co Kilkenny. Tel 056 772 4623. £
@ to Thomastown. Open Mar–Sep:
9am–5:30pm daily; Oct: 9am–5pm
daily; Nov: 9:30am–4pm daily; Dec–
Feb: by appt only. Closed 25 Dec. &
8 Dec–Mar: pre-booked tours only
7 ∑ heritageireland.ie
On the banks of the Little Arrigle,
just south of Thomastown, is Stylized carving of saints on 16th-century tomb in Jerpoint Abbey
Jerpoint Abbey, one of the
finest Cistercian ruins in Ireland. i Lismore vaulting, and a stained-glass
Founded in 1160, the fortified Road map C5. Co Waterford. window by the Pre-Raphaelite
medieval complex rivalled * 1,500. @ n Lismore Heritage artist, Sir Edward Burne-Jones.
Duiske Abbey (see p153) in Centre, Main St (058 54975). = craft
prestige. Jerpoint flourished shop. ∑ discoverlismore.com + Lismore Castle
until the Dissolution of the Gardens: Tel 058 54061. Open mid-
Monasteries (see pp42–3), when This genteel riverside town is Apr–mid-Oct: 10:30am–5:30pm daily.
it passed to the Earl of Ormonde. dwarfed by Lismore Castle, & ∑ lismorecastlegardens.com
The 15th-century cloisters perched above the River
have not survived as well Blackwater. Built in 1185 Environs
as some earlier parts of but remodelled in the From Lismore you can follow a
the abbey. Despite this, 19th century, the castle picturesque route through the
they are the highlight, is the Irish seat of the Blackwater Valley (see p181).
with their amusing Duke of Devonshire and This runs from Cappo quin, in
sculptures of knights, is closed to the public. an idyllic woodland setting east
courtly ladies, bishops However, you can visit of Lismore, to the estuary at
and dragons. The church the sumptuous gardens, Youghal (see p183).
itself is well preserved. which include a lovely
The Irish-Romanesque riverside walk. Lismore
transepts date back to Heritage Centre tells the o Ardmore
the earliest period of the story of St Carthage, Road map C5. Co Waterford. * 450.
Abbey’s develop ment who founded a monas tic @ n 024 94444.
and contain16th-century centre here in the
tombs with exqui site 7th century. The town Ardmore is a popular seaside
stylized carvings. The has two cathedrals resort with a splendid beach,
north side of the nave dedicated to him. The lively pubs, good cliff walks and
has a rich array of Protestant Cathedral some interesting architecture.
decorated Roman- Burne-Jones window of St Carthage is the The hill beside the village is the
esque capitals and in St Carthage’s more interesting. It site of a monastery established
throughout the abbey Cathedral, Lismore dates from 1633 but in the 5th century by St Declan,
are tombs and effigies incorporates older the first missionary to bring
of bishops. The battlemented elements and was later altered Christianity to this area.
crossing tower was added to suit the Neo-Gothic tastes of Most of the buildings, includ-
during the 1400s. the Victorians. It has fine Gothic ing the ruined St Declan’s
Cathedral, one of Ireland’s
earliest ecclesiastical sites, date
from the 12th century. The
cathedral’s west wall has fine
Romanesque sculptures,
arranged in a series of arcades.
The scenes include The Arch-
angel Michael Weighing Souls
in the upper row, and below
this The Adoration of the Magi
and The Judgment of Solomon.
The adjacent round tower is
one of the best-preserved
examples in Ireland, and rises
to a height of 30 m (98 ft). An
oratory nearby is said to mark
St Declan’s Cathedral at Ardmore, with its near-perfect round tower the site of St Declan’s grave.

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