Rock of Cashel (Ireland)

For those who are kidnapped by the charm of the Celtic history, there is nothing like the Rock of Cashel.

In the plains of Tipperary, Southern Shannon, 160 km south-west of Dublin (by car it takes about two hours and a half), it is the small town of Cashel. Right on top of a rocky hill, it stands the fortress, one of the best preserved archaeological sites and most visited of Ireland. Indeed, to read on his web page, the most visited tourist attraction in absolute green island.
The history of the Rock of Cashel - for reasons which will become clear in a moment is also St. Patrick's Rock and called in Gaelic is called Carraig Phádraig - dates from the fourth century and lasted for over a millennium: from the fifth to the tenth century it was the stronghold of the kings of Munster who controlled much of southern Ireland, when it passed under the Church at the hands of the king of the O'Brien clan in 1101 and become an important religious center.