The Ham Nomads

22 May 2014. <IE> Thomastown, & Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny; Waterford, Co. Munster —

Jerpoint Abbey

Inside Jerpoint Abbey

Figures on tomb

Ogham Stone

Went back to Jerpoint Abbey. A totally different feel — overcast, even light, quite cool. A bus tour came through while we were there. Really love doing our own thing rather than being part of a herd! Spent about an hour just wandering. In the Chapter House they've set up a little museum with some special finds from the region. There's a quite fine ogham stone in there, for example. [Ogham: an early form of writing, consisting of lines etched into the corner of a stone]

Susie's Parking!

We then went to Inistogue to visit the Woodstock Gardens, but somebody had obviously moved them! Okay! We missed the sign for the turnoff! Went on to our next destination instead — Graiguenamanagh (Graig na Manach) to visit Duiske Abbey. Entering the town, we were held up by a funeral procession, most of the town walking down behind the hearse to — guess where! — Duiske Abbey! What a good time to park and visit a tea room — Susie actually became a local, and crossed the street to park on what we would call "the wrong side", just outside the tea-room door! But that's the way they do it here!

After a long leisurely coffee to wash down beautiful home-baked cranberry scones, the funeral had not yet ended, so we walked about the village enjoying its ambience.

Duiske Abbey

Duiske Abbey interior

After another half hour the Abbey was clear, so we made our way towards it. Met a gentleman who just happened to be the president of the local historical society, so we got a very lively discussion of the history of the Abbey, from its Catholic beginnings, its near destruction at the hands of the Protestant English (who will never be forgiven!), and its rehabilitation since about 1754, with its western end re-roofed by 1886, and then the complete renovation including full re-roofing between 1974 and 1980. The current restoration is not a recreation of the medieval church but is instead a sympathetic adaptation leaving the original fabric unaltered. What they have created is a magnificent space, suitable for all modern uses, but still with the feel of the medieval about it.

Peg Washington's Lane

After the Abbey we wandered into the village again. On a city map we noticed "Peg Washington's Lane", reputed to be the narrowest lane in the whole of Europe. Apparently a kind-hearted landlord left a lane between two buildings on the riverbank to allow Peg Washington access to the river to do her washing — it was exactly her body's width wide. We were talking to one of her descendants who said he is going to get the council to put a plaque on the entrance to the lane, so that tourists can recognize the lane when they find it.

After this, we moved on to Waterford, where we blogged at Macca's for a while, then went to Tesco and Susie walked from there to the Crystal Factory and the river while Warren dozed in the van. She also worked out tomorrow's plan of action. Then we bought some food at Tesco before returning to McDonald's for a little more internet time. We then returned to the van and realized that the car park for the Waterford Autism Charity Showroom, right behind Macca's, would be an ideal overnight location. And so it was!

Distance driven — today, 49 miles ( 79 km ); to date, 1,408 miles ( 2,266 km )