The Glendalough valley was formed in the last ice age when a glacier left a moraine (an accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris...soil and rock) across the mouth of the valley. A delta was created by water from the Poulanass River and eventually divided into two lakes.

Glendalough was originally founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. Kevin, born in 498, is said to have descended from the House of Leinster but rejected his life of privilege to pursue a more spiritual calling. After spending some time living in a cave in the Wicklow Mountains, Kevin eventually founded a monastery in the valley situated between two lakes. This monastery was to become one of Ireland's most notable centers of learning which, at its height of popularity, once housed over 200 monks and 2000 students!

Many legends have built up around Kevin over the years, like that he'd lived to be 120 years old when he died in 618. But one of the most popular tales claims that while sitting in a tree one day meditating, a blackbird came to sit in his outstretched hand. The bird laid an egg there and Kevin took this as a sign from God and remained with an outstretch hand until the egg hatched and the bird flew away.

Monuments in the Lower Valley, the main site —

The Gatehouse - the original main entrance into the monastery. This structure originally had two-stories over a pair of granite arches. Projecting walls on either side suggest that it had a timber roof. All that remains of it today are the original granite arches, which you will pass through on entering the grounds. As you enter you will see on your right side a large stone tablet imbedded into the stone wall. The cross carved into it denoted sanctuary. That didn't stop the monastery from being sacked over the years though.

The Round Tower - by far the most recognizable structure on the entire site. It's built of mica-slate interspersed with granite is about 33 meters (110 feet) in height. It's one of the finest of its kind in Ireland. Its cap was rebuilt in 1876 using its original stones which were found inside the tower. This is not the tallest roundtower in Ireland. That accolade goes to the roundtower at Kilmacduagh Monastery near Gort, County Galway.

The Cathedral - is the largest building on the site, second to the roundtower. It was built in several phases between the 12th and 13th centuries, using mica-shist stones that are evident to a height of the squared western doorway. The stones were used from an earlier and smaller church that once stood on this site. The roofless church dominates the center of the main graveyard.

Kevin's Cross - built in the 12th century and is one of the finest examples of Celtic High Crosses on the monastery grounds today. It's located beside the Cathedral.

The Priest's House - stands in the center of one of the original burial grounds within the monastery. It is so named because these grounds buried the clergy only in the 18th and 19th centuries. The building was mostly in ruin, but in 1779, sketches made by Beranger enabled the reconstruction of the building.

St. Kevin's Kitchen - built in the 11th century. This was in fact an oratory and not a kitchen. The building is most noted for its belfry and steep pitched roof.

St. Kieran's Church - the ruins of this church were all but lost until 1875 when they were rediscovered. The church is made up of a nave and chancel. It's expected that this church commemorates St. Kieran, the founder of Clonmacnoise, which had close ties with Glendalough in the 10th century.

St. Mary's Church - still shows traces of its Romanesque architecture and is one of the earliest churches on the site. The underside of the lintel is inscribed with an unusual saltire, or X-shaped cross. In all likelihood, this church was the original sanctuary until the time the site grew into a proper walled settlement.

Trinity Church - located beside the main road. A roundtower or belfry was constructed over a sacristy attached to the church, but it fell in the storm of 1818.

St. Saviour's Church - the newest or youngest of all the churches at Glendalough. It was built in the 12th century, at the time of St. Laurence O'Toole, Archbishop of Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. This church was in ruin until the 1870s when it was restored using original stones found on the site. Hand carved stones depict a serpent, a lion and two birds holding a head between their beaks.

Monuments on the Upper Lake —

Reefert Church - a very simple Romanesque church on the hillside just above Poulanass Waterfall. The name is thought to be a corrupted version of the Irish Righ Fearta, meaning "the burial place of the kings". The original church dates back to around 1100, but the current church was restored, as with others on the site.

St. Kevin's Cell - situated on a rocky spur above the Upper Lake. This is a beehive shaped structure where it is thought to have been where Kevin lived.

Teampall-na-Skellig, "Church on the Rock" - can only be reached by boat, and can be viewed

from the south side of the Upper Lake. Teampall-na-Skellig is said to have been built on the site of the first church founded by St. Kevin. The church dates back to one of the first churches built on the site. Settlement records show it was partially rebuilt in the 12th century. At the east gable end of the church is a Latin cross inscribed in the stone.

St. Kevin's Bed - also unreachable by foot but visible from the Upper Lake. It's little more than a small cave on a rocky ledge overlooking the Upper Lake. One of the other legends about St. Kevin takes place in this place. It's said that Kevin rejected the advances of a naked woman by tossing her into the lake! Legend goes on to tell that her spirit lives in the lake in the form of a water serpent known as the "Monster of the Upper Lake".

What else to see and do here —

Glendalough is the perfect place for hill walking and nature enthusiasts, as the valley is surrounded by oak woodland. The Spring brings a carpet of bluebells, wood sorrel and wood anemones. The Autumn is a stunning show of colors as the seasons change. Among the oaks are mountain ash, hazel and holly, all native to Ireland.

Walking - There are nine color-coded walking trails which are maintained by the Wicklow Mountains National Park system. Each walking trail has various degrees of difficulty. The Wicklow Way, a long-distance walking train, passes through the settlement, traveling between Rathfarnham in the north to Clonegal, County Carlow in the south

Miners' Village - West of the Upper Lake are the ruins of an abandoned miners' village, and is accessible only by foot. Mining took place here between 1850-1957. Another mine called Glendasan was on the other side of the Camaderry Mountain. In 1859, they were connected to each other by a series of tunnels through the mountain, which are now flooded.

Rock Climbing - established here in 1948, the granite cliffs here have been a popular place for rock-climing. Guidebooks list 110 routes with grades up to E5/6a.

~ Free attraction or Pay at the interpretive centre for a guided tour
~ Free car parking available
~ limited access

http://www.glendalough.ie