The monastic settlement at Glendalough, located in the beautiful Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin, is certainly a place that has, as Anne of Green Gables would say, plenty of “scope for imagination.”

The monastery was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. It’s said that he lived in a cave overlooking the upper lake, now called St. Kevin’s Bed (which I have not seen), as a hermit.

This Rick Steves video provides an overview.

Plenty more happened in this community, over hundreds of years through medieval times, than can be seen in the remaining buildings and ruins. The model in the visitors centre shows the monastery in its heyday (apologies that I don’t have a date for this). I’m reminded of the book How The Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe by Thomas Cahill (1996), which my father gave me before my 2001 trip to Ireland.

The most prominent remaining structure is the 30 metre high Round Tower (similar to the one at the Rock of Cashel), a landmark which can be seen from a distance, assisting pilgrims to the site (and Viking raiders).

This video gives a look inside Glendalough visitors centre.

Glendalough is museum no. 88 in my #100museums challenge (see 100 Museums Challenge).