Vive la LIFE: Why are you driving on the left side...

Well, the day has arrived… Driving Day. It started off rough, as I had a hard time getting back to the airport (it took much longer going to than it did coming from) and then it took me forever to find my rental car place (it was sharing a spot with another company). I finally got to the car lot (it was raining pretty good by now) and I was able to get my keys. I am going to admit that I was scared down to my brand new sandals. I was picturing driving on the wrong side of the road, accidents, and death. Lucky for they gave me a car that I was comfortable with (it was a KIA).

Here is the Blue Smurf

I got into the car (it took me a minute because I tried to get in on the wrong side) and then I just sat there trying to get comfortable. Word of advice: if you have never driven in Ireland or the UK, then get an automatic. I was so glad that I did because I don't know how I would have managed with a manual (trying to shift with my left hand, yeah that was going to work). My friend Kim had served a mission in Scotland so she and I talked about things to do to help me out. We went over road signs, round about procedures and what to do if I ended up on a road with no line in the middle. Everything we went over came again to my mind and a fresh wave of panic swept over me. I sat in the parking lot for the next 10 minutes playing with all the knobs so I knew where everything was and taking deep breaths, in and out, trying to relax. I had a mantra that I started to say to myself which was "Always walk on the left side" (for you Lady Hawk fans out there) and after a couple of fervent prayers for safety, I put the key in the ignition and I was off. I had a little trouble getting out of the parking lot, but managed to see the sign to the pay way in time to get into the correct lane and then followed the car in front of me. The really smart think I did making my first stop 90 min into the drive. The second was to drive primarily on the payway. Having the opportunity for that long of a drive on a good two lane payway to start did wonders for my confidence. Kim had told me that people either get it or they have trouble and I am grateful to say that I got it. It was really fun. I had gotten a GPS and it was rubbish. It could not keep up with me. I imagine that if I had gotten an expensive one, I would have had better luck, but I decided to stick to the really good road map that I had gotten. Once I got a hang of the signs, it was really easy (for the most part) to get around. I loved the freedom of being able to stop and go as I wanted. To have the freedom to see what I wanted and to drive when I wanted. It was a really good way for me to see the country. This was a good rain day, but lucky for me, it only seemed to rain while I was in the car. My first stop was the Rock of Cashel.

This fortress, turned Cathedral, was once the seat of the overkings of Munster. Its origins go back to the 4th or 5th centuries AD when the Eoganacht, the descendants of Eógan Mór, first came into power and prominence. Conall Corc is said to be the founder of the Cashel kingship and an unusual feature of the Cashel kingships that a number of its kings were also ecclesiastics. According to tradition St. Patrick baptized the grandsons of Conall Corc at Cashel. By the later 10th century, the kings of Dál Cais, centered around Killaloe in Co. Clare, ousted the Eóganacht from the Cashel kingship. Brian Boraimhe of the Dál Cais succeeded his brother as king of Cashel in 978 and later became the first Munster king to achieve the high kingship of Ireland when he became king of Tara in 1002. In 1101, Muircheartach Ua Briain, king of Cashel, gave the Rock of Cashel to the Church. By doing this he advanced his credentials as a church reformer and simultaneously deprived his old enemies, the Eóganacht, of their ancient royal seat. In 1111, Ireland was for the first time divided into territorial dioceses and at the synod of Kells (1152) approval arrived from Rome for four archbishoprics to be set up, at Armagh, Cashel, Tuam and Dublin. This system of dioceses has remained largely unchanged to this day.

Exterior of Cormac's chapel

The cathedral is a large cruciform Gothic church without aisles built between 1230 and 1270. The cathedral was crudely fitted in between three earlier features; the round tower, Cormac's Chapel and a rock-cut well.

Tower over Crossing or Cathedral

The Irish Government currently owns the Rock of Cashel and are in the process of doing extensive repairs on the cathedral. This would have been the North Transept with the two chapels and you can see the Round Tower at the top.