73. Ardmore and the historic Monastic Site

Co. Waterford, Southeast Ireland

SCENES from IRELAND

You pass the Church of Ireland St Paul's Church on the way up to the monastic site of the ruined Ardmore Cathedral

The Little Library, Ardmore

The Old Rectory, Ardmore

St Declan's Monastery site and the ruins of Ardmore Cathedral.

St Declan's Oratory, the 5th century grave, reputed to be the burial site of St Declan in the 5th century, one of the oldest Christian burial sites in Ireland. The burial site is housed in an 9th/10th century early medieval shrine chapel, re-roofed and 'modernised' in 1716.

The round tower, graveyard and below them the ruins of Ardmore Cathedral. The round tower and cathedral were built as part of a political struggle between the Bishops of Ardmore and Lismore and Bishop Eugene of Ardmore was politically more successful in his dealings with the new Anglo-Norman lords.

 

 

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The oldest stone church dating to the 9th/10th century evident from stones in the north wall of the chancel.

Ogham stone and some fine Anglo-Norman carvings from the original cathedral.

The very impressive Romanesque carvings on the west wall of the ruined Ardmore Cathedral. The panels show many scenes from the Old Testament and maybe some local clergy e.g. bishops or saints associated with the site and area. The carvings are not in their original place but assembled in the west wall during the reconstruction of the cathedral in the 1600s after a century of turmoil and war.

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Ogham stones in the chancel of the ruined Ardmore Cathedral.

A memorial to the lives lost in the tragic sinking of the coal ship S.S. ARY in 1947 while sailing from Port Talbot in South Wales bound for the Port of Waterford which ran aground in bitter stormy weather of the coast of Co. Waterford and there was only one survivor.

St Declan's Catholic Church, Ardmore, built from 1836 to 1846.

Stained glass window of St Declan in St Declan's RC Church, Ardmore

The interior of St Declan's RC Church, Ardmore

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Statues of St Patrick and St Declan in St Declan's RC Church, Ardmore

The fine long beach at Ardmore

Ardmore harbour

The Anchor Art & Design Boutique, Ardmore

The Ardmore Pottery and Gallery, Ardmore

Some old anchors above Ardmore Beach!

Walking part of St Declan's Way starting from above Ardmore Harbour

The ruins by St Declan's Well, nicely situated overlooking Ardmore Bay, on the footpath of St Declan's Way. The ruins were once part of an ancient hermitage and medieval 12th century church.

Over the 19th century St Declan's well house are two old (late medieval) very eroded sculptures depicting the crucifixion.

The symbol of the footpath of St Declan's Way near Ardmore

Part of the coastal section of St Declan's Way near to the west of Ardmore beach

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A strange rusting structure, the curious wreck of the Samson crane barge which ran aground in 1987 off Rams Head near Ardmore.

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The life of St Declan (from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decl%C3%A1n_of_Ardmore )

Declán of Ardmore (Old Irish: Declán mac Eircc; Irish: Deaglán, Deuglán; Latin: Declanus; died 5th century AD), also called Déclán, was an early Irish saint of the Déisi Muman, who was remembered for having converted the Déisi in the late 5th century and for having founded the monastery of Ardmore (Ard Mór) in what is now County Waterford. The principal source for his life and cult is a Latin Life of the 12th century. Like Ailbe of Emly, Ciarán of Saigir and Abbán of Moyarney, Declán is presented as a Munster saint who preceded Saint Patrick in bringing Christianity to Ireland. He was regarded as a patron saint of the Déisi of East Munster.

It was through his father that Declán belonged to the royal dynasty of the Déisi Muman. The Latin Life names his father Erc(c), as do the Félire Óengusso and the genealogy in the Book of Ballymote, f. 231b. Variant traditions are recorded in the Book of Leinster (f. 348c) and the Book of Ballymote, f. 218b, which call his father Ernbrand, and in the Leabhar Breac (f. 15d), which calls him Ross (or Russ). The conflated version Ercbrand is found in Rawlinson B 502.[9] Declán's mother Dethiden or Dethidin, as she is called in the Latin Life (§ 3), is not given any pedigree in the sources. Declán's birthplace is said to be Drumroe, near Cappoquin (western County Waterford).

In the Latin Life, Declán first embarks on a journey to Rome, where he studied and was ordained bishop by the Pope. At Rome, he meets his fellow countryman St Ailbe of Emly, and on returning to Ireland, he meets Saint Patrick. Throughout the text, Declán recognises the supreme authority of both saints and with Patrick, he comes to an arrangement about the sphere of their mission in Ireland. On St Patrick's instructions, Declán founds the monastery of Ardmore (Irish Ard Mór), which lies near the Irish coast, in the southeast of the kingdom of the Déisi Muman, and having obtained Patrick's blessing, goes on to convert the Déisi to Christianity.

The span of Declán's lifetime and career is extended in another chapter (§ 15), which makes him a contemporary of Saint David of Wales in the 6th century. Likewise, the even later saint Ultan of Ardbraccan (d. 655 - 657) is presented as Declán's pupil.

The Lives also relates that the saint later paid a visit to the Déisi of Mide/Meath, where the King of Tara welcomed him and granted him land for the purpose of founding a "monastery of canons". The monastery founded there became known as Cill Décláin (Killegland, Ashbourne, County Meath).

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The Urchin Bar and Adventures, Ardmore

 

Left: The Beachcomber cafe and shop, Ardmore

Right and below: The Garden Kitchen Cafe, Ardmore

 

Left: The Whitehorses Restaurant, Ardmore

Right: Matt's Takeaway, Ardmore

No idea what this is?

 

	The White Horses Restaurant, a great place to eat like tea and scones and cakes in Ardmore!

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