Glendalough

Glendalough, Ireland

The Round Tower at Glendalough rises above the grass beside the gateway in low golden evening light.

Glendalough pairs a ruined monastic town with two lakes in a glacier-carved valley, close enough to Dublin for a day, wild enough for a long walk.

The place

Glendalough lies in County Wicklow, in the hills south of Dublin, and its Irish name, Gleann Dá Loch, means valley of two lakes. Ice made the place. A glacier carved a steep-sided, U-shaped trough with a flat floor, and a single lake gathered behind a dam of glacial debris. Later the Poulanass River came tumbling down the southern slope, dropped silt across the water and split it in two: a large Upper Lake and a small Lower Lake. The monastic settlement began with Kevin, a hermit who settled here in the sixth century. His following grew into a small town of church and everyday buildings. The earliest sites probably lie around the Upper Lake, while the structures around the Lower Lake were mostly raised between the tenth and twelfth centuries, and most of what stands today, the round tower included, belongs to that later phase. The head of the valley also has an industrial past, because a lead mine worked there through the nineteenth century and into the twentieth. Today the valley is a recreation area as much as a heritage site, with picnic spots, maintained walking trails of varying difficulty and rock climbing on the crags. It is honest to say that it gets busy. Summer weekends fill the car parks and the road in from Dublin, while early mornings and weekdays outside high season feel far more like a quiet valley. The monastic ruins can be entered free at any hour, though parking is charged and the car parks close overnight.

Its story

Glendalough's story starts with Kevin, said to come from one of the ruling families of Leinster. As a boy he was taught by three holy men, and he first came to this valley during that time. He returned later with a few monks and founded a monastery near a meeting of two rivers. The accounts of his life were written long after his death, so little about him is certain. His writings describe battles with knights, which scholars now read as a picture of his inner struggles and temptations. His reputation as a holy man drew followers, and he died in the early seventh century, traditionally on the third of June. For the next six hundred years or so the settlement thrived, and the Irish Annals record the deaths of its abbots and the raids made on it. Vikings attacked more than once, yet oak from the valley also went into a Viking longship, and a modern replica of that vessel now sits in Roskilde, Denmark. In the early twelfth century Glendalough became one of the two dioceses of North Leinster, and the Book of Glendalough was written here soon afterwards. Laurence O'Toole, born in the same century, served as abbot and was remembered for his holiness and hospitality. After he became Archbishop of Dublin he still came back to the solitude of St Kevin's Bed. In the early thirteenth century the diocese was merged with Dublin, and the settlement's long decline followed.

What to see

Culture

Glendalough's culture is bound up with Irish monasticism, where learning, prayer and hospitality mattered as much as solitude. Kevin is still honoured as the founding saint, and his feast on the third of June is the day most associated with the valley. The settlement was a place of writing and teaching as well as devotion, and the Book of Glendalough is a reminder that scribes worked here. The round tower is typical of Irish monasteries. It served as a belfry and landmark and, according to tradition, a refuge when raiders came, though the tale of safe sanctuary behind the cross on the gateway did not always hold. The landscape itself carries a strong sense of retreat. Stories of Kevin living in a hollow above the Upper Lake, and of Laurence O'Toole coming back to the same solitude, give the lakes a quiet, almost penitential feel that locals and pilgrims have long recognised. The ruins sit beside a working graveyard, so the place is still part of living community life rather than a museum. Many visitors come on a family day out, with picnics and walks, and others come as pilgrims or history readers. The two sit comfortably together here so long as everyone keeps their voices low near the old churches. Walk quietly through the graveyard and the ruined churches, keep to the paths, and do not climb on the old walls or step on the graves.

What to wear

Traditional dress in Wicklow and the wider Irish countryside is built from wool and other plant fibres. The best-known pieces are the cable-knit Aran jumper, made from thick undyed wool, and tweed cloth woven for caps, jackets and coats, with Donegal tweed the name most often heard. Linen was a staple fabric in earlier centuries. The monks of early Glendalough would have worn simple wool habits, which suited a cold and wet valley. Nobody wears folk costume in daily life now, apart from dancers and festival performers. What people actually wear around the valley is practical outdoor clothing: waterproof jackets, fleeces, walking trousers and sturdy boots, with a woollen hat on cold mornings. Locals dress for variable weather and often carry a layer just in case. Visitors should do the same. Wear waterproof, grippy shoes, because paths around the lakes can be muddy, uneven or wet underfoot, and boardwalks turn slippery in rain. Pack layers, since a bright morning can turn cool and showery within the hour, and bring a waterproof even in summer. There is no strict dress code at the ruins, but because the graveyard is in use and the sites are former churches, shoulders and knees need not be covered, though quiet, tidy clothing feels right. A hat and sunscreen help on the rarer clear, bright days.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. May, June and September: long daylight and easier walking, though summer weekends are busy, so go midweek if possible. Spring and autumn weekdays are quieter. Ireland's weather can turn wet in any month, so plan for rain whenever you visit.

How long. 1–2

Getting there. Fly into Dublin Airport, then travel into the city. From Dublin, take a coach excursion or the St Kevin's Bus from St Stephen's Green, or drive via the M11 and the R755 through Roundwood. Local Link bus 183 links Wicklow town with Laragh and the valley. Check current timetables with the operators.

Budget. low

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources