Roscrea

Roscrea is a small town in the Southern midlands. We were welcomed by the Roscrea Heritage Council and got a tour through the old gate tower of Roscrea castle, a 13th century royal castle which was later used by the British army in the 17th century.

The round tower is part of the complex of St. Cronin's church and was built around the 12th century:
The high cross that belonged to the church is now situated in the former mill:

This is a portrait from the 1720s Damer House which was built in the castle courtyard:

We then had a short drive to see the Monaincha monastery which was built on a small island. The lake was drained in the last century, so we could easily walk there. It became a famous pilgrimage site and it is still called the'holy island'. In the 10th century publication The Annals of the Four Masters it was described as the 31st Wonder of The World, though unfortunately it didn't say what the other wonders were.

We then went to the Cistercian Abbey Mount St. Joseph Abbey, which was founded in 1878. We had lunch there in the guest house and then a tour through the monastery and it's library:

This was the end of our WAC-6 post-congress tour and we returned safely to Dublin. So this is my last night on the UCD campus.