Day 28: It’s a long way to Tipperary

Today was looking like a big day. We checked out of the hotel, determined to be on the doorstep of the Waterford Crystal Factory when it opened at 9.30am. Those who know me well know that I quite like crystal and Waterford is one of the benchmark names. Well we made it too early, so wandered a bit, finding the Reginald Tower which dates back to 914 when the Vikings settled the area. It was added to by the Normans and had provided a strategic defensive position throughout many years. Apparently there is still a cannonball lodged in part of the wall from Cromwell’s time! We even managed some silly cheeky Viking photo poses (ah those Barbarians). But the crystal centre was definitely the big ticket item today. 

We were fortunate that we could be on the 9.40 tour and, because the factory is a working factory 7 days per week, we actually got to see the craftsmen at work... and it was astounding. From blowing and moulding to quality control, sculpting, etching and every part of the process, I was in awe of the skill and the concentration that they demonstrated. One particularly moving piece was a copy (they do 4 copies of every unique piece) of an artwork which was presented to the NY Fire Brigade in honour of their work in 2001 after 9/11. Its centrepiece is an etching of the firemen carrying out Fr Mychal Judge’s body. He was the chaplain of the closest ladder to the Twin Towers that fateful day and the first recorded casualty of 9/11. It brought tears to my eyes.

Back in the car with a lovely coffee in hand, it was a longish drive to Cashel, a medieval market town. Cashel has a very special significance for me. It is in County Tipperary, and those of you who know my Mum and her regular singing obsessions, she bursts into ‘It’s a long way to Tipperary’ very regularly. When she was a little more mentally adept, she would often say of her grandfather, that he felt that every Irish Australian was born in sight of the Rock of Cashel. Her grandfather was John Finnan (II), born in County Tipperary in July of 1855. We do not know anything more about him than that, except that his father, John Finnan also lived in  County Tipperary. So today it was walking in the footsteps of my Grandmother’s father. And as I looked out on the sites of Tipperary from the top of the Rock of Cashel, I imagined what life might have been like - old and challenging no doubt, given that it was blowing a gale and raining intermittently and this was summer.

The Rock of Cashel, like so many other historical sites had been repurposed throughout history. Originally connected with the Munster Kings, it is reputed to be the site of the conversion of Aenghus the King of Munster by St Patrick in the 5th century. The rock’s name is actually Carraig Phadraig, St Patrick’s Rock. Most of the buildings on the current site date their history from around the 12th Century and sadly, again given Ireland’s complex political and religious history, the site was subject to many attacks. The worst one was at the hands of Cromwell and his henchmen, when many locals retreated to the Rock, thinking they would be safe and hundreds of religious and townspeople were slain and the complex was torched. Sooooo sad. What was pretty amazing was our guide told us that the Queen and prince Phillip visited the Rock in 2011 which was a pretty significant gesture of reconciliation methinks. The site absolutely captivated me: in the depths of who I am there is something very Irish and something very special about this place. Holy ground.

We grabbed lunch in Tesco and ate it in the car in sight of the rock, before continuing our journey to the actual town of Tipperary. It was a meander down a few more lanes, and all of the lanes were be ribboned in Blue and Gold. It turns out that today is the Grand Final of the All Ireland Hurling and Tipperary were playing their arch rivals and neighbouring team Kilkenny, There was a fair bit of Black and Gold bunting in Kilkenny was we drove through, but nothing like the show of support from Tipperary. Anyway we arrived and were driving through the Main Street and shifted off into a side street to stop and consider whether we could find the monument to Mum’s favourite song... and sure enough, there it was just by the side of the street. It felt grand, to quote a local expression! 

There was more driving to get to our B&B in Killarney and we made a brief driver change stop in Mallow as I was getting tired and we made ourselves a cup of tea... like the old travelling people do! ‘Oops! The rain continued in waves and we had trouble locating our accomodation on the outskirts of town, but when we found it, it was great. Up a flight of stairs, so some bag sorting was in order, but we made it. Shelia is our host and she was very helpful. But we had laundry to do, and Liz had discovered that there was a 24 hour coin op laundry in the car park of Tesco at Killarney... so when in Killarney, what better activity than to kill some time in the Tesco carpark. In just under one hour and 45 minutes we had washed dried and collected all of our clothes, dined just down the road in the Scottish restaurant and were back on the road, returning to the Shepherd's Lodge to blog and sleep. Yes, it was or is a long long way to Tipperary, but my heart’s right there!