The boys (and staff!) had a brilliant day on Friday as we traveled to Cahir and Michelstown to enjoy the man made wonders of a Norman castle and the natural beauty of limestone caves.
Ancient Castle
A family called the Butlers built a castle called Cahir Castle. It is an old castle built in the 12th century by a Norman family. It is a Norman castle built in the south of Tipperary in a town called Cahir.
It is a defensive castle built beside the river Suir. It has big heavy wooden doors. It has thin windows where you can fit a longbow, it is useful for you to kill the enemy and it’s hard for them to kill you. It also has a big gate called a portcullis which takes 3 seconds to come down.
The castle was attacked by an army lead by Oliver Cromwell in 1599. The Butlers owned the castle for 800 years. The main attack weapon was a cannon, which blew holes through the castle walls. Some of the cannon balls are still stuck in the walls today. In 1599 Oliver Cromwell was victorious he had beaten the Butlers. The Butlers were devastated to see the castle the castle they had lived in for 800 years be taken over by Oliver Cromwell.
By Eoin Collins
Caves
On Friday our school went to Mitchelstown Caves .It was amazing. We explored it. We couldn’t explore it all because the tour guide said only 90% of it was explored. We went through 3 Caverens.There was 7 more to go through but that could take a day to explore.
On the way up it got warmer. It was scary going back up it felt like you would fall all the way down because it was all damp and wet and soggy I thought I saw a hand for a dinosaur but it was a rock.
The tour guide showed use cool stuff like a rock looking like a baby penguin, old lady lying down on her back and a elephants head carved into a rock it was amazing. We got out of the cave it got warmer as we got up but when we got out it was really cold. We got lunch and after we set off to go home.
By Derhys Coonan.
Cool School Tour
On the 17th June I and my school went to a tour to Cahir and Mitchelstown. We went with two buses, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd class went in one bus, 4th, 5th and 6th on the other. The buses took off at about nine o’clock.
W arrived at Cahir Castle at about ten o’clock. Our tour guide was called Edmund. We learned that the Butlers owned the Castle for 7-800 years. We went in through the main gate to the front of the castle. It was SO cool! There was even a cannon ball stuck in the wall!
We next went into a…. well, I don’t know, killing room, murdering chamber? Anyway, that’s were they murdered the intruders. We went through from the killing room to a gigantic field with long barrelled cannons at the back. At the corner of the field was the torturing area. What a lovely people these Normans were!! The torturing area was were the well, obviously, tortured people. They would get hung, squared and… pulled apart. Then we went to see a movie which was great!
We, once again, hopped on the bus to Mitchelstown caves. There, our guide was called Gemma. We went on a 1 kilometre tour. First it was really small and cramped. Then caverns emerged from nothingness. The cave was really moist and damp.
We saw stalactites and stalagmites and pillars which were when the stalagmite and the stalactite touch. It was astonishing! We saw three caverns, and the last one was the best. There were concerts played down there on a stage, so… we sang Irelands’ Call on the stage.
It was one of the best school tours.
By Beni Varadi
School tour
On Friday 17of June I went on a school tour I was very enthusiastic. First we went to Cahir castle. Cahir castle is very a scary defensive place.
Cahir castle is built on south Tipperary. They were very sneaky. The butlers owned this for about 800 hundred years. They only have 3 port cuillis in Ireland and Cahir castle has one
After Cahir castle we went to Michils town caves we went 2 hundred feet down it was very cold dark but cool. They discovered the cave in 1833. One day a lad droped his hammer and ended up finding the cave.
The have never found the exit from the cave yet. We saw lots of static tites and static mites I had a good day and then we went home .
By Jamie Monaghan
The Amazing Michelstown Caves
On Friday, we where having our school tour. We went to Cahir castle but my favourite was Michelstown caves. Michelstown caves was damp, slippery and cold.
The cave hosts masses and concerts. We went down really deep. The rocks were all different shapes. Most of the rocks were smooth.
The caverns went wider as we moved. They even have stage made of rocks.
I really enjoyed the cave.
by Conor Bergin