Religious History at the Rock of Cashel and Hore Abbey

Cathedral at Rock of CashelFollowing a great evening in Kilkenny I traveled to the Rock of Cashel also known as St. Patrick's Rock in Tipperary County.  The Rock of Cashel was the traditional seat of the Kings of Munster until 1101 when the site was transferred to the Catholic Church in Ireland. The majority of … Continue reading Religious History at the Rock of Cashel and Hore Abbey

Kilkenny Castle: Architecture and Design Through the Ages

The Kilkenny Castle located on the River Nore in Kilkenny City was built in the early 13th century.  Throughout the history of the castle the building was renovated a number of times as the building changed owners, making the site today a mixture of architectural styles and time periods. There are guided tours available at … Continue reading Kilkenny Castle: Architecture and Design Through the Ages

Natural Landscape and Monastic Ruins in Glendalough

On the way to Kinsale, in Cork County I stopped at the Glendalough Monastic Settlement in Wicklow County.  The Glendalough monastic site is located in the Wicklow Mountains National Park.  I imagine the drive towards Glendalough from Dublin would be beautiful on a clear day as it takes you through the mountains.  It was foggy … Continue reading Natural Landscape and Monastic Ruins in Glendalough

Corporate History at the Guinness Storehouse

Brand or corporate museums have never been high on my list of places to visit.  But, while in Dublin I did visit the Guinness Storehouse.  The Storehouse is really more of a corporate museum than a traditional brewery and the visitor experience has more in common with a museum visit than a brewery tour.Visits to … Continue reading Corporate History at the Guinness Storehouse

Royal Hospital Kilmainham: Modern Art and Heritage Site

Following my trip to the Kilmainham Goal I visited the nearby Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) that is located in the former Royal Hospital Kilmainham building. Unfortunately during my visit the main Hospital building was closed for renovations and only a small new gallery space was open.  Despite this closure the grounds are beautiful … Continue reading Royal Hospital Kilmainham: Modern Art and Heritage Site

Built Heritage in Montreal: Old Montreal Neighbourhood

One of the things I learned during my trip to Montreal is that a lot of businesses and heritage sites are closed on Mondays.  Since none of the museums I was interested in seeing were open on Monday, I spent part of the day exploring the built heritage of the Old Montreal neighbourhood.The narrow streets, … Continue reading Built Heritage in Montreal: Old Montreal Neighbourhood

Built Heritage in Montreal: Churches

One of my favourite parts of the built heritage landscape that I explored in Montreal was the old churches that are located throughout the city.  These churches are often tucked in amongst office buildings, hotels, and other modern day amenities.  Additionally, a number of the churches have multiple buildings on their properties such as: a … Continue reading Built Heritage in Montreal: Churches

Preservation of the Northern Michigan Asylum

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Traverse City was visiting The Village at Grand Traverse Commons.  The built heritage preservation and adaptive reuse of the buildings contained in the 63 acre site is amazing and serves as a reminder of the possibilities encompassed by built heritage.  The Village is built on the … Continue reading Preservation of the Northern Michigan Asylum

Canada’s Churches: A Struggle of Built Heritage and Social Services

It won't be surprising to anyone to note that Christan church attendance in Canada has been declining in recent years.  The United Church of Canada, which has been seen as one of the more forward thinking and social activist churches (ordaining women ministers in the 1930s, tolerant and supportive of gay rights since the 1980s … Continue reading Canada’s Churches: A Struggle of Built Heritage and Social Services