A new day with even more promise of sunshine! We were somewhat lazy again and wanted to enjoy much of the morning at Marlfield House before heading down the east coast to the town of Ardmore and the Cliff House Hotel.
The landscape at Marlfield is quite amazing.......and so lush!
Breakfast was wonderful.........including the Black and White Blood Pudding!
Off we go! Hopefully only two hours! In time for lunch!
Success!
An Unplanned and Totally Amazing Walk
After lunch, the folks at the front desk said we should take the peninsula walk just beyond the hotel. It turned out to be a really fun exploration along the cliffs......only to stumble upon the ruins of an historic church and well. Apparently this is one of the more important religious sites in Ireland, at least for those who believe that Christianity was brought to Ireland by St. Declan and not St. Patrick (more widely held belief). The evidence and fables here, however, totally convinced us in favor of Declan!
St Declan founded a seminary in Ardmore circa 416. The Holy Well at the beginning of the Cliff Walk served as a baptistery for St. Declan who Christianised the area of Decies before St. Patrick came in 431 A.D. They met a number of times at Cashel. St. Declan later retired for greater seclusion to a little cell he constructed at the spot where now stands the ruined church beside the Holy Well. There is no uniform date for this church; the western section is the earlier construction, whereas parts of the eastern end show signs of 14th-century work.
The Holy Well is dedicated, like every other ancient monument in Ardmore, to St. Declan. Three rude crucifixions (apparently late medieval) in stone have seen built into the modern masonry which surmounts the well. Rounds or Stations are performed at the well and church ruin by thousands of persons on each recurring feast day of the saint (July 24th) or on the Sunday within its octave. At midnight on the 23rd of July, a mass sometimes celebrated at the Well.
The following is quoted from a local paper [Dungarvan Observer 1936] under the heading “St. Declan’s Well, Ardmore”: “A young local man writes stating that on his first visit to St. Declan’s Blessed Well at Ardmore he was cured of an ailment which the doctor had failed to cure. He exhorts people to visit the Holy Well on July 23rd and 24th each year.”
The walk was quite an adventure and it turned out to be a favorite walking trail for the local golden retrievers!
Our Room and Terrace..........another adventure........with 'Hot Pink!'
The entire building was covered with a 'green' roof and plantings.
Totally amazing view from our terrace! and the clouds.........
A late afternoon visit to the spa and indoor pool
After the swim we saw this guy on some kind of hover board cruising all over the place. Incredibly athletic to say the least!!!
We checked this out on the internet.........not a cheap toy!
Drinks and Dinner
The sky remained absolutely stunning from the afternoon into the evening. As the sun does not set until almost 11:00, there was plenty of time to enjoy the view and unusual display of cloud forms and colors. This went on until almost midnight. The end of the blog for today has a series of just a few of the images we captured. This was such a stimulating day we had a bit of trouble getting to sleep! Lots to remember!
The shot below was taken at 3:15 AM........seriously, from our balcony......moonlight only!
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