St McDuagh's Church Traditional Cache
This cache has been locked, but it is available for viewing.
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Follow cattle track across limestone pavement, through some light hazel scrub to ancient monastic ruins.
On the nearby road there is an area where cars may be parked, and a gateway and stile with an old cattle track leading across the limestone paving. This ancient roadway then leads up through cleared fields in the encroaching hazel scrub on the slopes of the cliff face directly to an old monastic site, the Church of St MacDuagh, entirely hidden from view by the hazel. This consists of the remains of a church gable wall, two square tombs of drystone, and a holy well. The trees are festooned with strips of cloth, offerings to cure various ailments of those that tied them there. To the left up the hill above the church gable is a cave known as the Bed of the Saint, reputed to be where he spent his days before the church was built. Legend has it that when once when he was in need of food, he prayed and the entire contents of a feast in a nearby castle rose up into the air and flew to land before him. At various points around the site are reputed to be the marks in the rock where the different plates and bowls came to rest. You can continue to climb up through the scrub into the scree above until you come to a large boulder, the top of which is an excellent place for a sit down or picnic. You will be rewarded not only with a magnificent view, but also if the season is right, an abundance of wild strawberries. You can see clear across down to the South Galway plain, the wind turbines on Slieve Aughty, as well as the bare limestone hills of the eastern Burren like a line of great grey battleships.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybir znexf gur fcbg!