Baltinglass and Glendalough are historic medieval Christian sites located in the beautiful Wicklow Mountains. They are not high mountains, but more like large, rolling hills. Lugnaquilla is the highest peak at 925 meters (3,035 feet).
Baltinglass
Baltinglass was a Cistercian abbey founded in 1148. In 1536 the abbey was closed as part of Henry VIII’s campaign against the Church. In 1815 a Protestant church was inserted into the ruins of the abbey. It was abandoned in 1883, and only the tower remains.
Glendalough
Glendalough was a monastary founded by Saint Kevin in the 6th century. The ruins at Glendalough are more expansive than those at Baltinglass. At Glendalough, the monastic structures segue effortlessly into wooded paths leading to twin lakes, the lower and the upper. The name Glendalough comes from the Irish “Gleann Dá Loch,” meaning “Valley of two lakes.”
The structure in the foreground is called Saint Kevin’s kitchen, as it was said to be the saint’s preferred reclusive spot. Saint Kevin’s kitchen has a conical tower, and there is another, larger one nearby (right). This type of conical tower can be found in many places in Ireland.
Dublin 2019 