One of the most famous monastic cities in the world nestled in the garden of Ireland.

Glendalough (Gleann Dá Loch) meaning ‘valley of two lakes’ is a glacial valley in Wicklow renowned for an early medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin. From 1825 to 1957, the head of the Glendalough valley was the site of a galena lead mine. Glendalough is now a recreational area for picnics, for walking along networks of maintained trails of varying difficulty, and also for rock-climbing.

Kevin, a descendant of one of the ruling families in Leinster, studied as a boy under the care of three holy men, Eoghan, Lochan, and Eanna. During this time, he went to Glendalough. He was to return later, with a small group of monks to found a monastery where the ‘two rivers form a confluence’. His fame as a holy man spread and he attracted numerous followers. He died in 618 on 3 June. For the next six centuries, Glendalough flourished and the Irish Annals contain references to the deaths of abbots and raids on the settlement.

https://glendalough.ie/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glendalough

Things To See @ Glendalough

  • Visitor Centre
  • The Upper Lake
  • Cathedral Ruins
  • Round Tower
  • St Kevin’s Church
  • Monastic City Gateway
  • St Kevin’s Cross
  • The Priest House
  • St Kieran’s Church
  • Trinity Church
  • The Caher
  • Reefert Church

Location

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