Ardmore Group Fieldtrip
(Optional Conference event)
A group excursion to the historic seaside village of Ardmore will to take place on Sunday, June 16 in the afternoon (exact time TBC) following the conclusion of the ISSRNC conference. The event will be departing from Gaol Cross, near back entrance to University College Cork. Registration is required ($25), which includes transportation and a boxed lunch.
Ireland’s Ancient East” Round Tower and Cathedral of Fáilte Ireland (Image Credit: Tourist Board)
About Ardmore
The trip will be to Ardmore, a seaside village in County Waterford. Ardmore is the anglicized name from the Irish language, Aird Mhór, meaning ‘Great Height’. The tour, which will be lead by Liam Suipéil, will address the history and local culture of the place, with attention to Christian heritage, as it is one of the oldest Christian settlements in Ireland, as well as folk religious practices. The guide is a native speaker of Irish (Gaelic) and can explain the meanings and significance of place names. You will see St. Declan’s stone, the ruined church, a holy well, and a round tower (said to be one of the last ones built).
St. Declan is said to have founded a monastic settlement in Ardmore circa 416 CE and to have converted the local population of the Déisi (or Decies, ancient clan of Ireland) before the arrival of St. Patrick which is recorded as 432 CE.
St. Declan, in his wish for greater seclusion, constructed a little cell in the place where the ruined church now stands, beside the holy well in which legends tell of the saint baptising the locals. The well and the stone have been the focus of a ‘pattern day’ or local pilgrimage on the saint’s feast day of July 24th or nearest Sunday.