The R673, a coast road about five kilometres south-east of the main Cork N25 route, leads to Ardmore, Co Waterford. It is a tricky road of many bends that rises, at times quite steeply, while also appearing to embrace the sea itself. Beautiful open views alternate with the tighter blind pockets of the bends.
For some miles before arrival at Ardmore village, which is situated in a bay, this special place appears to be proclaiming its presence through its most famous landmark, its elegant 12th-century round tower. The tower at Ardmore, complete with its intact conical cap, is one of the most distinctive in Ireland; it is also one of the best-preserved, most complete and, possibly, one of the last - even, perhaps, the last - to be built.
Once its dramatic silhouette against the skyline becomes visible, the tower momentarily slips from view only a couple of times on the winding approach.
Gradually it becomes possible to see the cross that was placed on the top of the conical cap during the 19th century, a time when Irish antiquarians such as George Petrie became fascinated with the enigmatic round towers, debating their original purpose, as well as the techniques used in their construction. In the village, modern life intervenes in the form of a crossroads with some shops, parked cars and varying numbers of people according to the season. Final arrival at the sloping churchyard at once reveals itself to be surprisingly far less remote than the many photographs of it suggest.
Ardmore is not an isolated spot. Unlike many former monastic sites, it is a well-established settlement, no doubt because of the bay and the wide beach. Sir Walter Raleigh had an interest here for some two years from 1591, while half a century later the Confederation of Kilkenny army sought refuge in the church and round tower, where it was then besieged by the English.
A steep, narrow road leads up a hill out of the village and opens out on a rise. Some sense of the original monastic enclosure survives through an encircling wall separating the site from the road around it.
It was here at Ardmore that St Declan is believed to have founded his monastery in the 5th century, thus pre-dating the arrival of St Patrick in Ireland. Declan may even be buried here. The site is dominated of course by the majestic tower with its unusual series of three string courses, bands of stone encircling its tapering form. The combination of the round-headed doorway, encased with a simple rolled moulding or architrave, and the assortment of numerous non-structural human and animal-headed corbels inside the tower reiterate theories about its being a late 12th-century structure. (Internal floors were installed during the 19th century, but were removed within 50 years.)
Ardmore churchyard initially creates the impression of a peculiarly friendly, higgledy-piggledy burial ground, with a mix of ancient stones now bare and anonymous, their inscriptions long since erased, juxtaposed with welltended modern graves. The undulating, rutted ground and uneven paths imply more than one coffin-bearer may have stumbled and tripped over the centuries.
Standing at the highest point of the churchyard offers a wide view of the long side wall of the larger of two buildings. Recognised as a cathedral in the 12th century, the nave and chancel church is now clearly a multi-period structure. Though roofless and with several of its windows encroached upon by ground levels that have risen over time, it remains imposing. Its glory is contained in the magnificent series of 12th-century sculptures adorning the west gable in the form of Romanesque arcading.
These extraordinary works may have been added at some later date. Although severely weathered and difficult to decipher, two of the carved Biblical panels contained within blind arches or arcades are still identifiable as episodes from the Old Testament. Adam and Eve remain clearly depicted in the middle of the left lunette. The right one appears to be based on the judgment of Solomon. Peter Harbison has suggested that the theme of Solomon's temple would be most suitable for the decoration of what was a cathedral. Among the surviving carvings in the upper arches is Archangel Michael weighing the souls.
Inside the cathedral, where two Ogham stones are housed, is a variety of interesting architectural features, including a recessed Romanesque window and a transitional chancel-arch. There is also the sense of two churches having been joined, a larger one partially superimposed upon a smaller and then extended. To the side of the east wall is a large tomb. A bishop of Ardmore, Eugene, is recorded as having signed a charter in the 1170s. He may well have been Ardmore's only bishop. Perhaps it was during his years here that the carvings were added. The round tower may have been erected during the years Bishop Eugene presided over Ardmore.
Time rests in layers at Ardmore. To the east of the cathedral is a small tomb shrine, St Declan's Oratory. It was re-roofed in 1716 and remains quite sound. Tradition holds that the saint is buried here and a deep rectangular hollow is believed to mark the spot. One of the two Ogham stones now in the cathedral was found in the oratory. A large 19th-century tombstone was erected at the east gable of the cathedral. It seems an ideal place for a grave, a peaceful, rather private spot protected, indeed overlooked, by the church and safe from being crowded in by other graves.
Aside from its size - and the large, plain, flat headstone is unusually big - it is also noticeable for the daring 45-degree angle at which it leans towards the churchyard grass. Could it fall over? It won't for a long while yet. The austere memorial remains firm in the ground. To read it, though, requires kneeling, an act well suited to the surroundings. "Remember Death and Fear the Lord" declares the formal inscription. "Erected by Patrick Mulcahy in memory of his beloved wife, Mary Mulcahy, alias Conway, who departed this life June 16th 1838, aged 43 years." As a seasoned churchyard explorer, I was taken aback at the use of "alias" for a maiden name - how common a usage is this? Also honoured on this leaning stone of Ardmore are Mulcahy's father John, who died in 1831, and his mother Catherine, also "alias Ronayne", who died in 1814.
Leaving the churchyard behind, the road descends back to the village, which itself leads on to its waterfront and beach. The seafront seems characterless but for the round tower, its height of more than 90 feet further enhanced by the elevation of the churchyard site overlooking the scene. Ardmore in summer is a relatively busy little resort, complete with a trailer park of mobile homes and further holiday accommodation currently being built along the front. At low tide the seaweed lies in tangled clusters on the sand. A slow-moving red setter prepares to take on a game little dachshund.
Once the ancient monastery of Declan, the saint who strove to spread Christianity throughout Munster, Ardmore, with its monastic stone treasures, is now for some visitors, simply a quieter version of Tramore.