The round tower at Glendalough. It was built in the 900s and restored in the 1800s.
I had read that Glendalough was a beautiful place. The unique blend of monastic ruins and natural scenery has inspired incredible words from authors more talented than I am. However, no words prepared me for it. It's simply one of the most magnificent places I've ever visited.
We pulled into the parking lot by the visitor's center. From
there, one follows a path toward the lower lake. On the way to the lower
lake, one crosses a bridge over a small stream. It is from this bridge that
one first realizes the stunning nature of this place. This is one place where
the cliche about a picture being worth a thousand words is true. So, instead of me babbling, look
at the picture to the right for the view of Glendalough from this bridge.
If the monks that founded Glendalough weren't dedicated to a religious life, they would've made either great real estate agents or developers. The site they selected is very picturesque. And the buildings they built blend in well with the natural beauty. Most of the buildings are ruins now. However, enough of the complex remains to give the visitor a strong indication of what the place looked like in its heyday. Of particular note are St. Kevin's Kitchen and the Bell Tower. I stood in the shadow of the Bell Tower for about 15 minutes, simply marveling at its existence. Not only is this structure 100 feet high, it has also been around for over 1000 years. True, it was renovated with St. Kevin's Kitchen about 100 years ago. Still, that fact doesn't detract from appreciating the engineering of the structure.
After visiting the ruins, one gets back on the trail to the lakes. The lower lake is a five minute walk from the ruins, while the upper lake is another 20 minute walk from the lower lake. The scenery from the upper lake is spectacular. The lake is surrounded on both sides by steep, green mountains. There are also some ruins on the shores of the upper lake. We only got as far as Reefert Church, but there are other sights further up the trail.
Glendalough most reminded me of Yosemite. There's a tremendous amount of natural beauty to enjoy in both places. And both places are packed with people. But, like Yosemite, the crowds never bothered me. I still felt the same peace and tranquility that must have attracted the monks to this location.
It doesn't cost anything to enter the park and the ruins. There is a charge to enter the visitor's center. We didn't go into it. While I'm sure that it would've provided some interesting information about the site, we didn't feel cheated by not visiting the center. I did feel cheated in not staying longer. I usually didn't regret the amount of time that I spent at a location. My visits to any attraction typically end only when I'm satisfied that I've seen all that was worth seeing. That wasn't the case at Glendalough. I spent two and a half hours there. I wish I'd have spent two and a half days. It was easily the best attraction I visited on the entire trip (U.K. and Ireland). No one going to Ireland should miss this spot. If you don't visit it, you haven't been to Ireland.
A windy day on the upper lake at Glendalough.
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