A year ago at this time I was exploring the ancient ruins of Ireland’s County Tipperary in the Munster province, a beautiful, landlocked rural county home to mountains, rivers, lakes and rolling farmland. I have a weakness for architecture, so I always try to incorporate at least a brief self-guided or guided tour when I travel, and the structures in Tipperary are among the most memorable.

Cormac’s Chapel, the chapel of King Cormac Mac Carthaigh, built between 1127 and 1134

Hoor Abbey through a window at the Rock of Cashel

Tipperary is home to a medieval and Celtic collection of ruins at the iconic Rock of Cashel, a high point in the county overlooking surrounding pastures and villages. The Rock of Cashel, also known as St. Patrick’s Rock and Cashel of the Kings, is an important historic landmark for Ireland as the reported site of the conversion of Aenghus the King of Munster by St. Patrick in the fifth century.

Before the Norman invasion, the Rock of Cashel was the seat of the High Kings of Munster, and most of the buildings on the site date from the 12th and 13th centuries, representing Hiberno-Romanesque and Germanic architectural influences.

The picturesque complex is one of the most remarkable collections of Celtic art and medieval architecture anywhere in Europe.

The oldest of the buildings in the complex, the well-preserved Round Tower, is also the tallest, at 90 feet. Cormac’s Chapel, the chapel of King Cormac Mac Carthaigh was built between 1127 and 1134 and is a sophisticated structure with vaulted ceilings and wide arches. The chapel is built mostly of sandstone which has become waterlogged over the centuries, damaging the interior frescoes. Restoration and preservation projects were put in place to protect the structure from further damage.

In 1647, during the Irish Confederate Wars, Cashel was sacked by English Parliamentary troops, and important religious artifacts were destroyed along with parts of the structure. The remains of the Rock of Cashel are a stunning portrayal of Irish history, architecture and folklore.

The land on which the buildings and a large graveyard lie are walled in, and the graveyard includes a number of beautifully ornate high crosses.

From the castle, you can gaze out of the original windows, cut out of the stone walls, and see Hore Abbey in the distance. The abbey, now in ruins, was a Cistercian monastery in 1269.

Queen Elizabeth II visited the Rock of Cashel during her 2011 visit to Ireland due its importance in Ireland’s history.

— Nicole Quasté, assistant editor