This is where St. Kevin,descendent of one of the ruling families in Leinster, founded his monastry in the sixth century. As a boy he studied while in the care of three holy men. During this time he went to Glendalough and lived, we are told, "in the hollow of a tree". He left the valley, only to return later with his small group of monks to found the monastry where, as the earliest versions of his life tell us, "the two clear rivers form a confluence". His fame as a holy man spread and he attracted numerous followers.

Glendalough flourished and many references in the Irish annals describe the activities of successive Abbots and visitors to the area. The monastry was the subject of frequent plundering, burning and rebuilding in its lifetime.The present remains in Glendalough tell only a small part of the monastic storey.

The monastry in its heyday would have included numerous dwellings, workshops, areas for manuscript writing and copying. The buildings which survive probably date from between the 8th and 12th centuries. The valley of Glendalough contains a series of carved and plain stones and crosses, some of which have marked stations on the pilgrim's route

Links
glendalough.connect.ie/pages/bb/BBlinks.html

wicklow.ie/tourism/accommodation/index.html

Links
glendalough.connect.ie

glendalough.ie/heritage/Glendalough-visitor.centre

wicklowmountainsnationalpark.ie

visitwicklow.ie

anoige.ie

biking.ie

theirishroadtrip.com/best-glendalough-walks

theirishroadtrip.com/dublin-to-glendalough-bus

glendalough.wicklowheritage.org