Glendalough Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
monastery and glacial valley, Wicklow, Ireland
About Glendalough
Glendalough is a U-shaped glaciated valley, with steep sides and a flat lake bed. A single lake backed up behind glacial debris, but the Poulanass River cascading down the south slope brought silt which divided this into two "ribbon lakes", the large Upper Lake and the small Lower Lake. And thus arose the place nameGleann Dá Locha, "valley of two lakes". During the 6th century, St Kevin came here as a hermit. Next to nothing is reliably known of his life — the hagiographies were written much later — but he's thought to stem from one of the ruling families of Leinster. In Glendalough he acquired a following and founded a monastery, which grew into a township of religious and secular buildings. Sites around the Upper Lake may have been part of the 6th-century hermitage, while their contempor
Top Attractions in Glendalough
Explore the best things to see and do in Glendalough:
- ★Clara Lara Funpark
- ★Glendalough Visitor Centre
Where to Eat in Glendalough
Must-try local food and restaurants:
- 🍴Wicklow Heather
Where to Stay in Glendalough
- 🏨Glendalough Glamping
- 🏨Glendalough Hotel
- 🏨Glendalough International Hostel
- 🏨Lynhams of Laragh
- 🏨Riversdale House B&B
Glendalough Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 11 sections including: