Holy Cross Abbey

The pretty village of Holycross, with its thatched cottages, eight-arch stone bridge across the River Suir, and village green dotted with ducks, is 15km north of Cashel. Its magnificently restored Cistercian abbey, founded in 1168, proudly displays two relics of the True Cross, and Ireland's only intact medieval chapter-house doorway. Look for the ornately carved sedilia near the altar and pause to appreciate the early form of ‘stadium seating’. Phone ahead to book a tour.