Glendalough

Glendalough (

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'. Kevin's writings discuss his fighting "knights" at Glendalough; scholars today believe this refers to his process of self-examination and his personal temptations.^[3] His fame as a holy man spread and he attracted numerous followers. He died in about 618, traditionally 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.^[4]

Circa 1042, oak timber from Glendalough was used to build the second-longest

Glendalough is on the 1598 map "A Modern Depiction of Ireland, One of the British Isles"[6] by Abraham Ortelius as "Glandalag". Descriptions of Glendalough from the 18th and 19th centuries include references to occasions of "riotous assembly" on the feast of St. Kevin on 3 June.^[4]

The present remains in Glendalough tell only a small part of its story. The monastery in its heyday included workshops, areas for manuscript writing and copying, guest houses, an infirmary, farm buildings and dwellings for both the monks and a large lay population. The buildings which survive probably date from between the 10th and 12th centuries.^[4]

Titular see

Glendalough is a

• Raymond D'Mello (20 December 1969 – 13 December 1973)
• Marian Przykucki (12 December 1973 – 15 June 1981)
• Donal Murray (4 March 1982 – 10 February 1996)
• Diarmuid Martin (5 December 1998 – 14 October 2004)
• Guy Sansaricq (6 June 2006 – 21 August, 2021)^[7][8]
• Kevin S. Randall (13 August 2023 – present)^[9]

Annalistic references

See Annals of Inisfallen (AI)

• AI800.2 Minndenach, abbot of Glenn dá Locha, rested.
• AI809.2 Échtbrann, abbot of Glenn dá Locha, [rested].
• AI1003.6 Dúnchad Ua Mancháin, abbot of Glenn dá Locha, rested.

Monuments in the Lower Glen

Gateway

The Gateway to the monastic city of Glendalough is one of the most important monuments, now totally unique in Ireland. It was originally two-storeyed with two fine,

This fine tower, built of mica-slate interspersed with granite is about 30 metres high, with an entrance 3.5 metres from the base. The conical roof was rebuilt in 1876 using the original stones. The tower originally had six timber floors, connected by ladders. The four storeys above entrance level are each lit by a small window; while the top storey has four windows facing the cardinal compass points. Round towers, landmarks for approaching visitors, were built as bell towers, but also served on occasion as store-houses and as places of refuge in times of attack.^[4]

St. Peter and St. Pauls' Cathedral

St. Peter and St. Pauls' Cathedral

Almost totally reconstructed from the original stones, based on a 1779 sketch made by Beranger, the Priests' House is a small Romanesque building, with a decorative arch at the east end. It gets its name from the practice of interring priests there in the 18th and 19th centuries. Its original purpose is unknown although it may have been used to house relics of St. Kevin.^[4]

St. Kevin's Church or "Kitchen"

This stone-roofed building originally had a nave only, with an entrance at the west end and a small round-headed window in the east gable. The upper part of the window can be seen above what became the chancel arch when the chancel (now missing) and the sacristy were added later. The steep roof, formed of overlapping stones, is supported internally by a semi-circular vault. Access to the croft or roof chamber was through a rectangular opening towards the western end of the vault. The church also had a timber first floor. The belfry with its conical cap and four small windows rises from the west end of the stone roof in the form of a miniature round tower. It is commonly known as St. Kevin's Kitchen as the bell tower resembles a kitchen chimney. However, food was not cooked here.^[4]

St. Ciarán's Church

The remains of this nave-and-chancel church were uncovered in 1875. The church is currently thought to commemorate St. Ciarán, the founder of Clonmacnoise, a monastic settlement that had associations with Glendalough during the 10th century.^[4]

St. Mary's or Our Lady's Church

One of the earliest and best constructed of the churches, St. Mary's or Our Lady's Church consists of a nave with a later chancel. Its granite west doorway with an architrave, has inclined jambs and a massive lintel. The underside of the lintel is inscribed with an unusual saltire or x-shaped cross. The east window is round-headed, with a hood moulding and two very worn carved heads on the outside.^[4]

Trinity Church

A simple nave-and-chancel church, with a fine chancel arch. Trinity Church is beside the main road. A square-headed doorway in the west gable leads into a later annexe, possibly a sacristy. A round tower or belfry was constructed over a vault in this chamber. This fell in a storm in 1818. The doorway inserted in the south wall of the nave also dates from this period. Projecting corbels at the gables would have carried the verge timbers of the roof.^[4] It is a simple nave and chancel church with an addition to the west end of the 9 metre long by 5.5 metre wide nave.

St. Saviour's Church

The most recent of the Glendalough churches, St. Saviour's priory was built in the 12th century, probably at the time of St. Laurence O'Toole. The nave and chancel with their fine decorate stones were restored in the 1870s using stones found on the site. The Romanesque chancel arch has three orders, with highly ornamented capitals. The east window has two round-headed lights. Its decorated features include a serpent, a lion, and two birds holding a human head between their beaks. A staircase in the eastern wall leading from an adjoining domestic building would have given access to a room over the chancel.^[4]

The Deer Stone

The Deer stone is a bullaun stone. It sits on the south side of the Glenealo River, directly opposite ruins of St Ciarán’s church, beside the green road leading to the upper lake. Their original use is largely unknown, their original use many of these stones over time developed associations with the saints and were part of the post medieval pilgrim rituals.^[11] In August 2023, The Deer Stone was vandalised, causing permanent damage.^[12]

Monuments near the Upper Lough

Reefert Church

Situated in a grove of trees, this nave-and-chancel church dates from around 1100. Most of the surrounding walls are modern. The name derives from Righ Fearta, the burial place of the kings. The church, built in a simple style, has a granite doorway with sloping jambs and flat lintel and a granite chancel arch. The projecting corbels at each gable carried verge timbers for the roof. East of the church there are two crosses of note, one with an elaborate

Built on a rocky spur over the lake, this stone structure was 3.6 metres in diameter with walls 0.9 metres thick and a doorway on the east side. Only the foundations survive today and it is possible that the cell had a stone-corbelled roof, similar to the beehive huts on Skellig Michael, County Kerry.^[4]

St. Kevin's Bed

St. Kevin's Bed is a cave in the rock face about 8 metres above the level of the Upper Lake on its southerly side (with The Spinc cliffs above it). It was reputedly a retreat for St. Kevin and later for St. Laurence O'Toole. Partly man-made, it runs back 2 metres into the rock.^[4]

The "Caher"

This stone-walled circular enclosure on the level ground between the two lakes is 20 metres in diameter and is of unknown date. Close by, are several crosses, apparently used as stations on the pilgrim's route.^[4]

Temple-na-Skellig

This small rectangular church on the southern shore of the Upper Lake is accessible only by boat, via a series of steps from the landing stage. West of the church is a raised platform with stone enclosure walls, where dwelling huts probably stood. The church, partly rebuilt in the 12th century, has a granite doorway with inclined jambs. At the east gable is an inscribed Latin Cross together with several plain grave slabs and three small crosses.^[4]

Miner's Village

Miner's Village

Ore Crusher

Camaderry Mountain 699 metres (2,293 ft) which overlooks the upper Glendalough Lake from the north shore, contains the Luganure mineral vein which is a source of lead in the form of galena (PbS), and also contains traces of silver.^[13] While the main Camaderry mines were in the neighbouring Glendasan Valley, a second Miner's Village and processing facilities were constructed at the head of the Glendalough valley, which was nick-named Van Diemen's Land by the miners.^[13][14]

In 1859 the Glendasan and Glendalough mines were connected with each other by a series of tunnels called adits, which are now mostly flooded, through the Camaderry mountain. These tunnels helped drain the mineral vein and made it easier to transport ore to Glendalough where it could be more easily processed. The rusted remains of ore crushers can still be seen at the Miner's Village, however, the tramway and inclined rails system are gone.^[13][14]

Mining in Glendalough/Glendasan took place in three phases. The first phase was from 1825 to 1890 by the Mining Company of Ireland. A second phase took place between 1890 and 1925 by the local Wynne family.^[14] The mines were re-opened briefly from 1948 to 1957 after which mining ceased completely.^[13]

Nature

Geography

Poulanass River

Poulanass Waterfall

The valley of Glendalough was formed during the

There are nine way-marked trails of varying difficulty around Glendalough that are maintained by the Wicklow Mountains National Park (and who provide a map of all trails).^[19] Some of the trails stay on mostly flat-ground pathways around the two lakes of Glendalough (The Miner's Road Walk, Green Road Walk), others lead up the Poolanass Waterfall area with options beyond into a network of forest paths (e.g. Derrybawn Woodland Trail).^[19] The most notable trails used to take the steep 600–step boarded path (using railway sleepers), but replaced by a zig-zag path in 2020 from the Poolanass Waterfall up to vantage platform of The Spinc (from the Irish "An Spinc"; meaning "pointed hill"), which overlooks the upper lake and the Glendalough valley below.^[20][19]

The most noted Spinc trail is the White Route which follows a further scenic boarded path westwards along the cliffs of the upper lake to the Glenealo Valley (home to herds of red deer), and down on stone paths to the Miner's Village, and back along the Miner's Road on the north shore of the upper lake, to finish at the upper lake car park, (off the R757).^[21][20][22] As the entire White Route loop is on paths (either stone/sand paths or boarded railway sleepers), it can be completed in running shoes and does not require climbing footwear; the entire 9-kilometre loop of the White Route, starting and ending at the upper lake car-park, takes circa 2–3 hours.^[19][20]

The

The 30-kilometre medieval pilgrimage tail, Saint Kevin's Way, starts in Hollywood, and ends in Glendalough.

Rock climbing

Glendalough's south-facing granite cliffs, situated on slopes of Camaderry above the north-western end of the valley (just above the Miner's Village), have been a rock climbing location since 1948.^[24][25] The north-facing cliffs on the other side of the upper lake are not considered suitable for rock-climbing.^[26]

The 2009 Mountaineering Ireland climbing guidebook for Wicklow,^[27] as well as the online guidebooks for Glendalough,^[28] list about 144 routes at all grades up to E5 6b (Bathsheba and The Wake); the cliffs are particularly noted for their long, and multi-pitch, VS/HVS routes.^[29][25]

The climbs vary between one and four

• Twin Buttress, lying at the far western end of the cliffs overlooking the Miner's Village, is a large buttress divided by a seasonal waterfall (which itself is often split into two streams), with the most popular climbs split over West Buttress, Expectancy Slab and Main Face.[30]
• The Upper Cliffs, a band of cliffs high up on the hillside east of Twin Buttress.
• Acorn Buttress, a small buttress just below Twin Buttress, which is a popular base-camp location.
• Hobnail Buttress, a small buttress with some easy climbing, on the hillside one kilometre to the east.

The Irish Mountaineering Club has operated a climbing hut since the 1950s.

Below the crag is an extensive boulder field which is also used for bouldering activities.^[31]

Gallery

• 
  Lower Lake
• 
  Higher Lake
• 
  One shilling Irish stamp with Vox Hiberniae flying over Gleann Dá Loċ (1949)
• 
  Glendalough (1890s)
• 
  Glendalough (2011)
• 
  St. Kevin's Church on the coat of arms of County Wicklow

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Glendalough.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Miners' Village, Glendalough.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Poulanass Waterfall.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Camaderry.

• Abbot of Glendalough
• Bishop of Glendalough
• Irish round tower
• Saint Kevin
• List of abbeys and priories in County Wicklow

References

Further reading

Climbing guides

• Wicklow Rockclimbing Guide. Mountaineering Ireland. 2009. p. 334.
  ISBN 9780902940239
  .
• Flanagan, David (2014). Rock Climbing in Ireland. Three Rock Books.
  ISBN 978-0956787422
  .
• Fairbairn, Helen (2014). Dublin & Wicklow: A Walking Guide. Collins Press.
  ISBN 978-1848892019
  .

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Glendalough, Vale of".

• Glendalough travel guide from Wikivoyage
• List of the various monuments in Glendalough
• Megalithic Ireland's Glendalough Monastic Site
• Monastic buildings of Glendalough (Archived link)
• Walking Trails of Glendalough
• God's Cottage Prayer Centre and to The Bible Chapel, Glendalough - Pilgrimage Centre