Glendalough, Ireland

Glendalough is, literally, "the glen of the two lakes" and is famous for the remains of an early medieval monastic settlement. The monastery was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century and is definitely worth a visit if you're every in the area.


This is what's left of St Kevin's church, surrounded by gravestones. Glendalough was our first exposure to a somewhat unusual form of overcrowding that is very widespread in Ireland. In a small country with a long religious tradition of headstone marked burial, graves end up consuming a lot of real estate. On sites like this, that have been consecrated ground for centuries, the graves are packed so tightly that the bodies have to be stacked up underground in family plots. I'm not sure how peaceful my final resting place would be if I had to share it with generations of my family.



Some headstones are pleasantly run down. Others are clean and brightly maintained. We later learned that this is because care for headstones at these heritage sites is the sole financial responsibility of the family of the deceased. When the descendants of once great families die out or move away the inscriptions on the graves of their ancestors start to fade slowly away.

I'm always impressed by the tiny architectural details, as much as the big ones. Note this early drain, part of the wall of the structure below. It drains into a gutter by the walkway and eventually runs down into the lake.

Glendalough was also the first of many round towers we encountered. Round towers were built as landmarks for approaching visitors as well as bell towers, but they were also used as store-houses and defensible hiding places in times of attack. This tower is about 30 metres high and the entrance is about 3 and a half metres off the ground. Several reasons were given for this architectural feature. One is that due to the great weight of the tower it requires a solid foundation. Building technologies of the time were better suited to erecting such foundations mainly on top of the ground than to attempting major excavations. Another explanation is that the raised door is a defensive feature. When under attack, the defenders could climb up into the tower, pull up the ladder or burn down the wooden stairs, and be safe from attackers. We later heard an alternate take on this theory from a tour guide at the Rock of Cashel, but I'll save that for a later post.


Glendalough was also an important lesson for us in interpreting terminology on tourist maps. For example, a label that says "St Kevin's TV Room" will probably turn out to be the ruined remains of something rather interesting. However, a label that says "Site of St Kevin's TV Room" will look like nothing at all. It will be a place, with no distinguishing features whatsoever, except for, possibly, a small sign that says "Site of St Kevin's TV Room."

If ever you're travelling in Ireland, be warned. Never run in a hurry towards anything labelled "Site of Public Toilets." It will be a disappointment.