WATERFORD, IRELAND

Departing from the Viking City of Waterford, we will travel north to the neighbouring county of Kilkenny. Before arriving at Thomastown, a stop will be made for us to visit Jerpoint Abbey. Jerpoint is one of the finest monastic ruins in Ireland.

Departing from the Viking City of Waterford, we will travel north to the neighbouring county of Kilkenny. Before arriving at Thomastown, a stop will be made for us to visit Jerpoint Abbey. Jerpoint is one of the finest monastic ruins in Ireland. The King of Ossory, Donagh Mac Gillapatrick, founded this Cistercian Abbey in 1158. In 1387, the abbot was fined for violating the Statute of Kilkenny, which forbade the admission of Irishmen as members of the community. In 1540, the Abbey was suppressed and its lands given to the Ormonde family. Departing from Jerpoint, we will soon arrive in Thomastown. This town in beautiful surroundings in the Nore Valley is named after Thomas Fitz Anthony Walsh, Seneschal of Leinster. From Thomastown we will travel eastwards to the quaint village of Inistioge. This is a charming village with a tree-lined square, lying in a pretty part of the Nore valley where the river winds between wooded banks flanked by hills. A stop will be made in Inistioge and we will have time to photograph this picturesque village. Continuing with our tour, we proceed to Graiguenamanagh, where we shall visit Duiske Abbey. The abbey takes it name from the ‘Black Water’ which rushes down from Brandon Hill into the River barrow, in the deep secluded valley where the two rivers meet. The Norman Cistercians from Stanley Abbey in Wiltshire founded a monastery here in 1204. It was William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, who had invited the Stanley monks to found a monastery on these lands – the entire abbey complex took forty years to build, the church itself, twenty. Our return journey, will see us turning south and travelling through the county of Wexford and one of the oldest towns in the county, New Ross, before returning to our awaiting ship.

Please be advised that there will be approximately 1¾ hours of walking over uneven ground, as a guided tour will be given at both the abbeys visited. There are approximately 20 steps to negotiate. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. This tour is not advisable for passengers with limited mobility or wheelchair users. Should either abbey not be open for visitors, this tour will not operate.

THIS DESCRIPTION IS CORRECT FOR 2007 CRUISES