Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [154]
Tintern Abbey
In better structural condition than its Welsh counterpart, from where its first monks hailed, Ireland’s Tintern Abbey ( 051-562 650; Saltmills; admission free; 10am-6pm mid-Jun–Sep, 10am-5pm Oct) is secluded amid 100 acres of woodland. William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, founded the Cistercian abbey in the early 13th century after he nearly perished at sea and swore to establish a church if he made it ashore.
Allow time to explore the Tintern Trails, a series of short woodland and coastal tracks around the abbey estate. Free walking maps are available from the tourist office in Fethard-on-Sea.
Fethard-on-Sea
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Continuing south towards the Head, Fethard is the largest village in the area. It’s home to the scant ruins of 9th-century church St Mogue’s and a 15th-century castle (too unstable to walk inside), which belonged to the bishop of Ferns. There’s a small community-run tourist office ( 051-397 502; www.thehook-wexford.com; Main St; 9.30am-5pm Mon-Fri) opposite the castle.
About 1km north of town, the quiet little Ocean Island Camping & Caravan Park ( 051-397 148; campsites €24; Apr-Sep) has a shop, a playground, and laundry and games rooms.
Hook Head & Around
The journey from Fethard to Hook Head takes in a hypnotic stretch of horizon, with few houses between the flat, open fields on the tapering peninsula. Views extend across Waterford Harbour and, on a clear day, as far as the Comeragh and Galtee Mountains.
On its southern tip, Hook Head is capped by the world’s oldest working lighthouse ( 051-397 055; adult/child €6/3.50 incl guided tour; 9.30am-6pm Jun-Aug, 9.30am-5.30pm May & Sep, 9.30am-5pm Nov-Feb, closed mid-late Dec), staffed until 1996. It’s said that monks lit a beacon on the head from the 5th century and that the first Viking invaders were so happy to have a guiding light that they left them alone. In the early 13th century William Marshal erected a more permanent structure, which has remained largely unchanged. Traces of the lighthouse keepers’ lives remain inside the black-and-white-striped tower. Access is by half-hour guided tour. The visitor centre has a decent cafe/restaurant.
There are brilliant, blustery walks on both sides of the head, but beware the freak waves and numerous blowholes on the western side of the peninsula. The rocks around the lighthouse are Carboniferous limestone, rich in fossils. Search carefully and you may find 350-million-year-old shells and tiny disclike pieces of crinoids, a type of starfish. A good place to hunt is Patrick’s Bay, on the southeast of the peninsula. Hook Head visitor centre has a free map of the area’s accessible beaches. At low tide, there’s a good walk between Grange and Carnivan beaches, past caves, rock pools and Baginbun Head, which, surmounted by the 19th-century Martello tower, is where the Normans first landed (1169) for their conquest of Ireland. It’s a good vantage point for birdwatching: over 200 species have been recorded passing through. You might even spot dolphins or whales in the estuary, particularly between December and February.
Caves, crevasses and gullies are part of the underwater scenery at diving sites out from the inlet under the lighthouse and from the rocks at the southwestern corner of the head, with a maximum depth of 15m. If it’s too rough, try Churchtown, 1km north of the point on the western side of the peninsula. The rocks south of Slade Harbour are another popular area. Contact Ray Forlong at the Hook Sub Aqua Club ( 087 678 1636; rfurlong@bolandcars.ie) for advice.
About 5km northeast of the Hook Head lighthouse, ghostly Loftus Hall (closed to the public), built by the Marquis of Ely in the 1870s, gazes across the estuary at Dunmore East. The English-owned Loftus estate once covered much of the peninsula.
About 3km further on, turning left at a small roundabout brings you to the village of Slade, where the most activity is in the swirl of seagulls above the ruined castle and harbour.
Driving from Hook Head towards Duncannon brings you past the ruins of