1. Mt. Melleray Grotto
This grotto was set up in 1832 by the Cistercian Monks when they discovered the area of steep land. They believed it was the perfect site for peace and prayer so he placed a statue of Mary in the mountain with a cross on the top. This grotto is very well known for the visitation of Our Lady in August of 1985. Two young boys were praying when they saw the statue of Mary move and a voice began to speak to them. One of the witnesses of the appearance was able to meet with us and tell us about her experience She too saw the statue move, however Mary only spoke to the young boys.
I thought this grotto was beautiful, especially since it was made by nature! The small running water is said to be be Holy so I blessed myself, said a prayer, and drank a sip of the water (apparently all visitors sip the water for a blessing)
" My message is peace and prayer and tell the people that the water is blessed"
2. The Vee
A breath taking view of Knockmealdown and Galtee Mountain Ranges
3. Clogheen Memorial to Father Sheehy (St. Mary's Church)
A memorial to 18th Century Irish Roman Catholic priest, Nicholas Sheehy, who was hanged in 1766, but regarded as a martyr.
4. Balleyporeen
Home village of the Reagan family
5. Mitchelstown Caves
This limestone cave is located in County Tipperary and was discovered in May of 1833. It was the first cave in Ireland to have electricity and footpaths installed in order to allow the public (and us!) to tour it. To get into the cave, we had to go climb down a steep and extremly narrow staircase made from the rocks. Considering that I hate small spaces, this part of the tour made me a little nervous! There was rock less than a foot away on either side of me, with people behind and in front... no turning back now!
It was crazy once we actually got into the cave! The idea that this cave was carved out thousands of years ago by flowing water is hard to grasp. It is about 200 feet underground and extends 2 miles long. It was very wet and dark down there which gave us an unreal experience. At one point, the tour guide turned off all the lights! She told us to put our hands in front of our faces (which we could not see at all) and then explained that a human's eyes will NEVER adjust to this much darkness because there is not a single bit of light anywhere. Needless to say, I have never been in such blackness before. We also saw a fossil that is 350 million years old and a section of rock that looks like the face of Jesus
6. Cahir Castle
This is one of the largest castles in Ireland, located in South Tipperary. It was built pretty much only with defensive tactics in mind. We walked through all the different traps set for invaders, including a giant moat. Two cannon balls from medieval times are still stuck in the castle walls
7. Ormonde Castle
This castle was built before 1315 by the Butler family. It is mainly in ruins now, but we were still able to go inside the newest part of the castle, the Mansion House
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