August 15th Dingle to Kilkenny to Waterford to Sneem (365 miles)

We woke up in Dingle and got an early start on the Slea Head Drive, a highly recommended scenic drive on the peninsula. It did not disappoint. We headed on to the town of Kilkenny and then on to Waterford where we thought we’d stay the night. However! Our reservations were not in their system. Providential, maybe, because the place didn’t have a good feel to it. We took advantage of the situation and declined to take the available room. We started driving and kept going all the way back to the western coast and lucked into a great stay at a very nice hotel in Sneem. Sneem is on the famous Ring of Kerry – another famous scenic route that has incredible views. It is a little surprising and nice to see statues and other religious art seemingly in the middle of rural Ireland.

Kilkenny Cathedral is a 13th century church. It was taken over by The Church of Ireland as part of the Reformation. The Catholic faith of the majority of Kilkenny’s native population was outlawed under the English Penal Laws. However, the Kilkenny city authorities tolerated its practice as long as it was outside the city walls. Catholics were also forbidden to own land, receive an education, or vote. Irish culture, music, and education were banned.

When the Penal Laws were relaxed in the 18th century, Catholic schools, seminaries, and churches which had developed outside the city walls now flourished. The Kilkenny Cathedral is part of that community.

The English Reformation took place in 16th century England when the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. In 1527 King Henry the VIII requested an annulment from Catherine of Aragon (who had been the wife of his deceased brother), wife and mother of their daughter, Mary. He wanted to marry Anne Boleyn. Henry was an observant Roman Catholic reportedly attending up to five masses a day (except during hunting season). The Catholic Church did not find grounds for an annulment, so Henry took matters into his own hands. Parliament passed laws making Henry the leader of The Church of England, and in May, 1532, Henry was granted an annulment by the Church of England. He married Anne, and in 1533 she gave birth to their first child, Elizabeth so after. In 1534, Parliament said it was high treason to not recognize the King’s supremacy and required civil servants to take an Oath of Supremacy. In 1535 the King had Sir Thomas More, his former Chancellor and personal friend, executed for not recognizing the King as head of the Church. In 1536 King Henry had his wife Anne, now the mother of two, tried for treason and beheaded. Interestingly, after Henry VIII’s death, Queen Mary (Henry and Catherine of Aragon’s daughter) repealed the Oath of Supremacy law. Queen Mary is known as “Bloody Mary” because she had 280 people burned at the stake for opposing her wish to put the Catholic Church back in power in England. She was eventually successful in putting the Catholic Church back as the official church in England, but this was reversed when her half-sister, Elizabeth (daughter of Henry and Anne), came into power and reinstated The Church of England as the official Church of the country. I bet their family reunions were a blast!

Kilkenny Black Abbey. The Order of St. Dominic (Dominicans) have a strong presence in Kilkenny, too. The Black Abbey, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was built in 1225. The Church of England suppressed and took the Abbey from the Dominicans and was used for some time as a Courthouse. Later it fell into ruins. The Order regained possession in the early 19th century restoring the nave and transept. Many treasured objects were unearthed during the restoration including some coffins and a 15th century alabaster statue of the Holy Trinity found hidden in a wall!