Scoil: Kilrane (uimhir rolla 16605)

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1. Tintern and the Hook

   

   Roinn Roinn Postáil

   THE OLDEST LIGHTHOUSE IN IRELAND
   by John. J. O'Brien
   Hook Head is perhaps the most interesting of Ireland's peninsulas, rich as it is in it's historic associations with Danish and Norman days. Added to this, is the fact that a well-known travel writer declares that the journey by water from Hook Tower up to Waterford can reveal scenery equal to anything the Rhine can show. The grim cliffs of the coastline rise to great heights over the deep waters of the harbour, and in rough weather, steamers, warned by the flashing beam of light, give the treacherous coast a wide berth. Across the entrance to Hook Peninsula proper, lies Tintern Abbey, an ecclesiastical pile, still in almost perfect preservation despite the encroaching hand of Time.
   Tintern was built in fulfillment of a vow made by William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, who, when beset by storm on a voyage from Milford (in Wales) to Waterford, promised to found an abbey and church, to the glory of God, on the spot where he should safely land.
   Marshal and his fellow voyagers were safely delivered from the perils of the sea, and came ashore in Bannow Bay. He chose a deep, wooded valley, running inland from the bay, as the site of his abbey and church. Under these romantic circumstances, Tintern Abbey was founded, A.D. 1208.
   The craftsmen of olden days built well, and now, after the lapse of so many centuries, the Abbey is still in a state of remarkable preservation. The massive walls bear no traces of crumbling decay; the immense central quadrangular tower, in particular, is in excellent condition, and to ascend the winding stone stairway to it's embrasured head is a unique and thrilling experience, calling for some skill in climbing, and the possession of steady nerves.
   Even from a distant viewpoint, the solidity of the building is apparent. Tintern was a fortified Abbey - of necessity. In those far-off days, the Kavanaghs and other merrymen were wont to issue forth from their isolated retreats high up in the Wicklow and Wexford hills and take toll of all and sundry. Art Boy, father of Caherincourt, and his wild followers, upon occasion, raided the mule-laden convoys of wines and other necessities for the use of the monks, on their way to the Abbey from New Ross.
   Nor was the home of the peaceful monks safe from molestation. Upon the central tower, a brazier was placed and lighted when in danger of attack. The fire of this brazier was visible from a long distance, and was the signal to the faithful of the countryside that the monks were in need of assistance.
   The monks of Tintern belonged to the Cistercian Order, and the

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