Day 9 - Glen of Aherlow and Cahir

This morning we decide to sleep in and explore a few things near our cottage. We start the day around noon with a drive through the Glen of Aherlow. It turned out to be a very beautiful and scenic drive.

Still looking for fairies

Chains to lower the door and since they are still in working order, thesound they make were used in the movie Braveheart.

Next stop is Cahir Castle, once the stronghold of the powerful Butler family. The oldest part was built in the 13th century. Over the years the castle was seized and then returned to the Butler family after occupancy by others for a few years. The Butler family last heir died in 1961 and it was then bought by an Irish land commission and today is a National Heritage Site.

Look at the cannonball still lodged in the castle to the right of the window.

We then went the short distance (2 km) to Swiss Cottage, built in 1810, also owned by the Butler family and built as a hunting retreat for day trips. It is an excellent example of a Georgian ornamental cottage also know as the “Cottage Ornare”. Our tour guide pointed out lots of optical illusions used throughout the cottage which made it very interesting. No photos were allowed inside. It had a mahogany staircase hid under 6 layers of paint to make it more rustic looking and keep with the pheasant style. Every room had 3 window/door openings and no two were alike.