Day 13, July 11, 2012

We reluctantly left our excellent B&B, the Lawcus Farm, but not before seeing the new B&B Mark is working on just above the one we stayed in. He has. been working on it for 2 yers and the craftsmanship is amazing. It has concrete, steel, and rock walls that are two feet thick. It truly is more like a castle than a house. If you're ever in the Kilkenny area, I encourage you stay with Mark and Anne-Marie at their B&B

Our next stop was the Rock of Cashel, one of the most historic spots in all of Ireland. It was the home of the kings of southern Ireland (Munster) since at least the fourth century. St. Patrick baptized one of the kings of Munster in about 400 A.D. Patrick unknowingly stuck the sharp end of his staff through the king's foot during the baptism. The king thought it was part of the ceremony so he stoically kept silent. At the beginning of the twelfth century, there were two groups both after the Rock of Cashel. The king who had possession of it deeded it over to the church in 1101 A.D. and that solved the problem .

We stayed at the Rockside B&B at the base of the Rock of Cashel. At 9 p.m., we went to an excellent musical and dance show at the Bru Boru Cultural Center in Cashel. The group sang and danced for about an hour, then we moved to a different room and had a more informal gathering with the group members. They asked for volunteers to share a song, dance, or poem so I gave them a rendition of "The Math Class Blues", a song I wrote for my students. It went over well and the musicians were able to play along before I even made it through the first line. This group has performed for the President of the United States and many other foreign dignitaries.