Theresa's Mixed Nuts: Rock of Dunamase Ireland

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Rock of Dunamase Ireland

After leaving The Wonderful Barn in Kildare, the next stop on our Ireland travel itinerary was The Rock of Dunamase. Since my family wasn't super impressed with the barn (even though I loved it), they weren't quite trusting my judgement on the rest of what I had plotted out on the map. "We've seen a wonderful barn, now we get to go see a wonderful rock. Whoopie!" I knew that if this stop was a bust, that was going to set the tone for the rest of the trip. We set the navigation, and after a long, bumpy drive down a narrow Irish country road, we finally came upon our destination. Watching the ruins of this old fortress come into view, I let out a sigh of relief because I knew we were coming upon something special.

Rock of Dunamase

Rock of Dunamase

According to Wikipedia, the Rock was first settled in the 9th century, and later in the second half of the 12th century the castle was built. It's in ruins now with not much left standing, but it was still quite a treat to walk the trails leading up to the top of the fortress and imagine what it must have been like for the people who lived here centuries ago. I loved standing at the top of the castle grounds and looking out wondering if the view had much changed from when the first settlers arrived. All I know, the view was pretty spectacular from where I was standing.

Rock of Dunamase

We arrived midday and I was surprised that there were only a few other tourists walking the grounds, so it felt like we had the whole place pretty much to ourselves. Allison fancies herself an explorer and had a blast crawling around inside the castle and climbing the walls. She could have stayed there all day exploring if we let her!

Rock of Dunamase

Rock of Dunamase

Rock of Dunamase
Rock of Dunamase
Rock of Dunamase

Of course, a castle needs a queen and I was happy to oblige for a bit ;)

Rock of Dunamase

Rock of Dunamase

Rock of Dunamase


I am smitten with Ireland's countryside, so I sat down to just breathe in that magical Irish air and just enjoy the view. Below the ruins sits a charming little church that I couldn't help but admire up close and from afar.

Rock of Dunamase

Rock of Dunamase

Rock of Dunamase

While we didn't go inside the church, we did walk the grounds and spent some time reading the grave headstones. Most of the deceased stones were from the 1900's, but we did find a few older graves too.

Rock of Dunamase

Rock of Dunamase

Rock of Dunamase

Rock of Dunamase

There was no entrance fee to explore the Rock of Dunamase, so that made our stop all that much better (and gave me a little redemption over the barn fiasco). It's open to the public 24 hours a day and can be found in Co. Laois, Ireland. I highly recommend penciling in a stop if you have a road trip through Ireland in your future!





Old castle ruins, take 'em or leave 'em?




48 comments:

  1. Pffffttt your gang is soooo untrustworthy!
    Such amazing photos, dear, I especially like the one with you from the back gazing into the distance, it should be your cover photo at Facebook!
    Hope you had nice May Day today!

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    1. I do need to update my Facebook cover, I'm just being lazy lol.
      Hope your May has been off to a wonderful start!

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  2. I could have spent the whole trip just in that one spot. It's so pretty, and unique. I like the old window view into the pretty landscape!

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    1. Right, Alissa? I wouldn't have minded spending more time there, but we only stayed about an hour, then had to hit the road. So much to see and do in Ireland, our week long stay wasn't near enough time.

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  3. I LOVE Ireland, it was the first place I ever went outside the US and set the stage for me wanting to live abroad (I am now living in my 3rd country abroad). I enjoyed seeing your pictures and I really love the deep history that you can find there. Thank you for sharing and I'm glad it was more than just a rock :-)

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    1. I have been dreaming of living abroad since our European travels as well. That's so cool that you've lived in 3 countries so far. That's the best way to learn about new places and cultures- live it, don't just tour it!

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  4. My youngest daughter has always wanted to visit Ireland. She also wanted to get married there but had to settle on staying in the states. :) The photos are beautiful!

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    1. There are so many beautiful little chapels in Ireland, I think if I were to marry again, it would definitely be planned in Ireland!

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  5. I would love to go see something like this. It must have been magical to walk amidst those rocks.

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  6. That is so cool! I love old castles and the ruins.

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  7. So cool! I love exploring places like this. I am all about history. So yes, for me, I will gladly take old castle ruins, because they are neat.

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    1. You really can't help but picture yourself in that era, walking through the ruins. History is so cool!

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  8. Wow beautiful, the countryside of Ireland is stunning. The grounds of the castle looks cool to explore.

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    1. Thank you! It really was a neat experience to roam through the ruins!

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  9. I am hoping that in the next few years we can make it to Ireland! We have family there that I want to see! I can't wait to explore this place!

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    1. I hope you do get there soon Jeanette. And how awesome that you have family there too. They can give you an insiders look at some of the hidden gems Ireland has to offer as well!

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  10. She sure looked to be having a blast exploring. Hey, at least you set the bar low so you could top the barn lol just looking at teh view has to make one want to stop and take it in.

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    1. I like your way of thinking. Glad I didn't go from a high point to a low point. Thankfully, everything else only went up from there on this trip until we hit Iceland.

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  11. This looks like a pretty amazing experience. Ireland is on my bucket list of places to first.

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    1. I hope you knock it off of your bucket list soon. I think you'll instantly fall in love with the country once you arrive.

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  12. Your pictures make this look like an awesome place to visit. I always like seeing historical sites.

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    1. It really was an awesome place to visit. I don't think you can go wrong with any stop you make in Ireland though. It's such an incredible place to explore.

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  13. Wow. This looks absolutely incredible. I've never been to Ireland but am dying to go. So much history!

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    1. I hope you do book a trip. You'll love it there, I'm sure!

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  14. Wow,what a beautiful place! Love the views and all your pics☺

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  15. What an awesome place to see and explore! I would love to spend a whole day there enjoying the relaxing view.

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    1. And breathing in that Irish air too. Your soul just feel at peace when you're exploring the Irish countryside.

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  16. I want to go there! Those ruins are calling to me! Thanks for sharing your photos. What beautiful shots.

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  17. Ireland is on my bucket list of places to visit. I cannot wait to get there someday.

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    1. I hope you blog about it when you do go. I'd love to hear about your adventures there!

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  18. We are hoping to go to the UK soon. Our brother in law lives in England and he has been bragging about his exploring.

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    1. I hope he takes you around and shows you some of the cool places he's visited. Nothing beats having a free tour guide to show you the best spots in the UK :)

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  19. Those photos are so beautiful! I would sure love to visit there someday. I love seeing sites like these. They're so worth going to.

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  20. Your pictures are so beautiful! I've never been to Ireland, but would surely want to visit the Rock of Dunamase.

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  21. Wow, this looks like an amazing place to travel! I'll have to check it out!

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  22. I love seeing and exploring old, historic ruins like this. It's so fascinating to me.

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  23. Your photos are all amazing! Ireland is on the top of our list of places to visit. Someday, we'll get there, I hope. :)

    -Lynndee

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    1. I hope you do too, Lynndee. It's a place that I think can't be missed on your travels.

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  24. Such a gorgeous view, agreed!! I would love to visit here. We went to Bothwell Castle, about 10 miles East of Glasgow (where we were staying). It was in ruins, but it was marvelous too. Still some of my most favorite pictures today, from the visit.

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  25. Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos, Theresa! I'd be with Allison. I love to explore ruins and climb everywhere I can. Your family will treasure these memories forever!

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Thanks for your comments! I appreciate every one of them :) Except promotional posts with added links. Those will be deleted.

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