Cashel: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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The Rock of Cashel was the seat of the kings of Munster for centuries before they gave it to the Church in 1101. On top stand a round tower, a Romanesque chapel and a roofless Gothic cathedral, and the town grew up at its foot around the archbishops' palace. This walk climbs the Rock, drops through the fields to a Cistercian abbey and returns along Main Street. About three hours; the Rock is exposed, so bring a layer even in summer.

A short history of Cashel

On the Rock of Cashel, a limestone hill above the town, the Kings of Munster had their seat from the 4th or 5th century. According to tradition, Saint Patrick baptised King Aengus here. In 1101 King Muirchertach O'Brien gave the Rock to the Church, and from then on it was the seat of an archbishop. In 1134 Cormac's Chapel, one of the most important Romanesque buildings in Ireland, was consecrated on it, and in the 13th century a Gothic cathedral was built beside it. In 1647, during the Confederate Wars, Lord Inchiquin's soldiers massacred people who had taken refuge in the cathedral. In the 18th century the cathedral was abandoned and its roof removed, and that is how it stands today.

The ten best sights in Cashel

1
Rock of Cashel
The great medieval complex on its limestone rock; come at opening time or late afternoon
2
Cormac's Chapel
The Romanesque jewel on the Rock; entry by timed guided visit only
3
Hore Abbey
Roofless Cistercian abbey in a field below the Rock; free and usually empty
4
Brú Ború
Cultural centre at the foot of the Rock with Irish music and dance shows in summer
5
Bolton Library
An archbishop's 18th-century library of rare books and maps
6
St John's Cathedral
The Georgian cathedral that replaced the one on the Rock
7
Cashel Palace
The archbishops' palace on Main Street, now a hotel; the garden path leads up toward the Rock
8
Cashel Folk Museum
Small private collection of rural life and 1916 memorabilia
9
Cashel Heritage Centre
Tourist office with a model of the medieval town
10
Athassel Priory
Huge ruined priory in the fields, 15 minutes west; walk across a pasture to reach it

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Cashel →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Cashel:

Free walking tours in Cashel

The Rock of the kings

Rock of Cashel · Legend says the Devil bit a chunk out of a mountain to the north, still called the Devil's Bit, and spat it out here, forming the Rock.
Cormac's Chapel · Consecrated in 1134, the chapel holds what are thought to be the oldest surviving Romanesque wall paintings in Ireland.
Hore Abbey · Archbishop David MacCarville founded this Cistercian abbey in 1272, after expelling the Benedictines who had been here before.
Brú Ború · The centre is named after Brian Boru, crowned king of Munster at Cashel, who went on to become high king of Ireland and died at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014.
Cashel Palace · Richard Guinness worked here as agent to Archbishop Arthur Price, who left £100 in his will to Richard's son Arthur, the money often said to have started the Guinness brewery.
Bolton Library · Archbishop Theophilus Bolton gathered this collection in the 18th century, and it includes books printed in the first decades after Gutenberg.

Abbeys of the Suir

The river Suir runs past Cashel on its way to Waterford, and its rich valley drew the great religious orders of the Middle Ages. Within half an hour lie the ruins of one of the largest medieval priories in Ireland and an abbey named after a relic of the True Cross. This route links them with the medieval walls of Fethard. A day by car, about 90 km, all on quiet country roads.

Athassel Priory · William de Burgh founded the Augustinian priory around 1200, and it grew into one of the largest in medieval Ireland, with a town of its own outside the walls.
Holycross Abbey · The abbey takes its name from a fragment of the True Cross brought here in the Middle Ages, which made it one of Ireland's great pilgrim sites.
Lár na Páirce · The Gaelic Athletic Association was founded in Hayes's Hotel in Thurles in 1884, and the museum tells the story of hurling and Gaelic football.
Fethard · Fethard keeps one of the most complete circuits of medieval town walls in Ireland.
Fethard Horse Country Experience · The country around Fethard is home to some of the most famous racehorse studs in the world, and the centre explains the town's long bond with the horse.
St John's Cathedral · When the cathedral on the Rock was abandoned in the 18th century, the Church of Ireland built this Georgian cathedral in town instead.

Castles under the Galtees

South of Cashel the plain meets the Galtee Mountains, the highest inland range in Ireland. On the way lie a castle on a river island, a cottage built for a lord's romantic fantasy and a cave discovered by a quarryman. This route ends in the Glen of Aherlow with the whole range in view. A day by car, about 100 km.

Cahir Castle · The Earl of Essex took the castle after a short siege in 1599, and its walls later appeared in the film Excalibur.
Cahir Farmers Market · Tipperary is the home of Cashel Blue, Ireland's first farmhouse blue cheese, made near Fethard since 1984; the market is the place to taste local cheese.
Swiss Cottage · The cottage was designed by the London architect John Nash for Richard Butler, Lord Cahir, around 1810, as a picturesque retreat where the gentry could play at country life.
Mitchelstown Cave · In 1833 a labourer, Michael Condon, was quarrying limestone here when his crowbar slipped into a crack and revealed the cave.
Galtymore · At 919 metres Galtymore is the highest inland mountain in Ireland, the top of the Galtee range above the glen.
Glen of Aherlow · The viewpoint has a white statue of Christ the King, put up in 1950, looking across the glen to the Galtees.

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Getting to Cashel and getting around

Thurles Station · The nearest main-line station, 25 minutes north, on the Dublin–Cork line
Cashel Main Street bus stop · Dublin–Cork coaches stop in the centre; check the timetable, some run only a few times a day

Cheap eats in Cashel

Tipperary is the dairy heart of Ireland, so the food here is butter, cream and cheese, above all Cashel Blue, made on a farm near Fethard. Lunch means soup and brown bread, a toasted sandwich or a pot of tea and scones in a tea room under the Rock. Cashel is small and its cafés sit on Main Street and the lanes up to the Rock; a light lunch costs about €8-14.

Granny's Kitchen · Tea room right under the Rock; tea and scones about €5-7
Hansie's · Café on Moor Lane; soups and sandwiches about €8-12
Spearman's Tea Rooms · Bakery tea rooms on Main Street; cakes and lunches about €6-12
The Bake House · Bakery-café on Main Street; coffee and a pastry about €5-7
65 Degrees Coffee Bar · Coffee and a cake about €5-8
Cashel Blue at the market · A wedge about €5-8

Museums in Cashel

Rock of Cashel · Give it two hours; timed tours of Cormac's Chapel
Bolton Library · Rare books and maps of an 18th-century archbishop
Cashel Folk Museum · Small and quirky; half an hour
Cahir Castle · 20 minutes south; an hour inside
Holycross Abbey · Restored abbey, still a parish church

Nature and day trips near Cashel

Glen of Aherlow · Forest loops and the Galtee view
Galtymore · A full hike; for experienced walkers in good weather
Swiss Cottage riverside walk · Flat walk along the Suir from Cahir
Athassel Priory fields · Ruins in open pasture by the Suir

Things to do in Cashel with kids

Mitchelstown Cave · About an hour; cool inside
Cahir Castle · Towers, walls and a portcullis to explore
Brú Ború · Summer evening shows; book ahead
Hore Abbey · Ruins to run around in, free

Where to eat in Cashel

Chez Hans · Long-established restaurant in a former church under the Rock; book ahead
Sam's Table · Bistro on Ladyswell Street
The Brian Ború · Pub food on Main Street
Ruen Mying Thai · Thai restaurant off Main Street
Mikey Ryan's · Bar and kitchen on Main Street with a garden
John J Feehan · Traditional pub for a pint after dinner

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Frequently asked questions about Cashel

What is there to see in Cashel?

The top sights in Cashel are Rock of Cashel, Cormac's Chapel and Hore Abbey. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Cashel?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Cashel without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Cashel?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Cashel, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The Rock of the kings.

How do you get to Cashel and get around?

The main ways are Thurles Station and Cashel Main Street bus stop. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Cashel, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Cashel that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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