Kilmacduagh Multi Multi-cache
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(regular)
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A Cache of Two Provinces, with extensive puzzle portion on Kilmacduagh monastic site. Although the monastery and all puzzle stages are in Co. Galway, Connacht, the Final is located in Co. Clare, Munster! Allow plenty of time for completing and collecting. Enjoy! Do NOT climb the Dry Stone Walls (DSWs), except through advised stiles! Do not harm national monuments, beware of life stock! The advised coords are for the 1st Question to Answer, look up waypoints for parking and stiles..
General Description and Instructions
I provide transparently – as publicly visible reference points – locations of several stiles that are needed to complete the stages of the multi WITHOUT scaling dry stone walls (DSWs) in an illegal manner. I did not figure how to legally get to one of the monastic buildings, so I did not include this one (somewhat separated) building in the multi. The DSWs are mostly in precarious condition, so do NOT try to scale them except through the stiles (there are a few I did not mark explicitly as they are too close to the marked ones and the listing is rather crowded even without them).
The whole monastery is an area of intensive cattle farming, so beware of life stock and do NOT try to open or scale LOCKED farm gates. Between the Car Park and the Main Entrance Stile, there is a farm gate that is NOT locked and that you will need to go through (and close behind you) to get to a few Question to Answer Stages. All stages at the monastery are just Questions to Answer. Most of them are accessible simply through stiles or cemetery gates; however, the cemetery gates may be closed at times. Still EVERYTHING you need for the multi is accessible 24/7. Still you might have considerable difficulties with Q6 after dark.
I did not find a legal hiding place at the monastery, except for the Park & Grab magnetic nano (visit link) . I obviously wanted this one to be regular, so that kids that “suffered” through all the stages can exchange toys, so I hid the final in a Coillte Woodland area in nearby Co. Clare making the cache a Multi of Two Provinces. The inspiration is from one of the legends connected with Kilmacduagh. It is said that no one can be killed by lightning within the Kilmagduagh diocese limits. So it happened that a person struck with lightning was propelled by the power of the strike to the nearby Co. Clare, where it is possible to be killed by lightning as anywhere else in the world. Similarly, as it was impossible to hide a regular box in the area of private farm roads, pastures, DSWs, and national monuments, I was propelled with the box to the nearby county Clare! I hope that you and your kids will enjoy both legs of the Cache of Two Provinces! To motivate the adults, the final box contains an unregistered dog tag (along with its copy tag) as the FTF prize.
I say that the cache is kids and tourist friendly, and that it needs teamwork. This is perhaps in need of qualification.
Because of intensive cattle farming I mention above all the grounds at the monastic complex are very muddy, almost no matter what the weather. So the tourists or kids must wear sturdy hiking footwear or wellies to feel comfortable :-)
The requirement of teamwork is not an absolute one, there is nothing that in principle could not be performed by a lone cacher. However, there are many stages, a few of them intellectually or methodologically challenging and all in all, loads of number crunching, that can always use a second pair of eyes if only for transcription errors checking.
Initial
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Park your car at the advised coords, the official car park at Kilmagduagh monastery and cathedral, and proceed straight to Q1 (through stile S1).
There are many puzzle stages, so the rest of the multi is described in the additional waypoints, Questions to Answer 1-7, 6 stile trailhead reference points, Last But One and Final Stage. The reference point Main Entrance Stile is not related to the Multi and only gives additional tourist friendly details, just FYI.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Zhygv: Nsgre fbyivat D1 gubhtu D7 svryq chmmyrf, lbh jvyy or noyr gb pnyphyngr gur Svany.
Svany Ybpngvba: n zbffl ebpx bhgpebc jvguva 20z bss cngu, frr fcbvyre..