The Wicklow Mountains National Park was created to conserve the ecosystem and natural beauty of the mountain range in County Wicklow.
Glendalough
Attractions in Ireland
The Park attracts a million visitors a year and runs activities and educational events including wildlife walks, family fun days and workshops, and even astronomical events.
It is worth checking their website to see what will be on when you visit.
Walking and climbing in Glendalough
There are several trails that you can follow around Glendalough. The trails are all maintained by the Park and have varying degrees of difficulty.
You can purchase maps and follow the colour coded trails yourself or take a guided tour.
Some energetic visitors might like to try rock climbing. Glendalough is one of the most popular areas for rock climbers in Ireland.
There are over 100 routes in the guidebook so climbers of all standards will be able to enjoy the grandeur of the granite cliffs.
St Kevin fighting against the knights of temptation
When St Kevin was a boy he visited Glendalough while he was studying.
Years later he returned with a group of monks and founded the monastery ‘where two rivers form a confluence’.
He was a reclusive man who was able to resist personal temptations. He was able to do this because he saw his temptations as ‘knights’ that he was able to fight.
He spent seven years of his life in total solitude. His reputation as a holy man gained him many followers before his death around 618AD
Glendalough is not only an area of outstanding beauty, it is also an ideal place to visit to get a real sense of early Irish history and the beginnings of Christianity in Ireland.
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