Pictured on 23rd July 2012,,, a very foggy and misty day,,I don't think anybody would go out with a camera,with the intention of getting good pictures,,,so instead of being stuck indoors,,I thought I would just do that and get a bit of excersise and some air be it foggy or not,some people wouldn't dream of posting pictures without a bit of sky and nice clouds,,,I think the fog/mist adds something different,,,,Hope You think the same,,,,it's just different!
This early Christian settlement was founded by St. Declan in the 5th century,and may have been prior to the arrival of St.Patrick in Ireland. " The Archaelogical Inventory of Co. Waterford " page 164 notes the following,," With the exception of the death of Ultan,Declan's successor who died in AD555,,little is known of the later History of the Monestary,,Ardmore was recognised as a Diocesan centre between 1170 - 1210 [Gwynne and Hadcock 1970-62] After which time the Diocese was united with Lismore and the Church became Parochial,,in 1642 the Cathedral and Round Tower were besieged [Windele 1856 - 7],,but the Chancel of the Cathedral continued in use as a Protestant Church until 1838,when the present Church of Ireland was built and the Font was moved to it "
The Round Tower which was built in the 12th century stands at 29 metres high and is comprised of four floors,,there are four windows on the top floor of the tower,each being equi - distant from each other,,,,there are a number of simpler openings on the other floors which also provide light,,the entrance doorway is roughly four metres from the ground,,The Round Tower was to serve as a refuge for the inhabitants of the settlement and was also used as a safe storage location for their various possessions,,,which would have included books,chalices etc. The Archaelogical Inventory p.164,,also notes the following,,," Internally there are sixteen corbels to support wooden floors,,five of which are carved with grotesque faces "The Church or Cathedral spans a number of periods,,with the Nave dating from the 12th century,,perhaps the most prominent or interesting part of the structure is the West Gable and its various pictorial panels,,depicting various Biblical scenes,,,,, Waterford County Library through their site at,, www.waterfordcoco.ie/library/,,,,,have made available a number of Illustrations,,,,,if ever you are in the area this is a " Do not miss",,,,,,thank you!