It's huge, it's complex, it's iconic, there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world and it's in Cashel at the heart of Tipperary. The Rock of Cashel, more formally St. Patrick's Rock, is also known as Cashel of the Kings. Reputedly the site of the conversion of Aenghus the King of Munster by St. Patrick in the 5th century AD. Long before the Norman invasion The Rock of Cashel was the seat of the High Kings of Munster, although there is little structural evidence of their time here. Most of the buildings on the current site date from the 12th and 13th centuries when the rock was gifted to the Church. The buildings represent both Hiberno-Romanseque and Germanic influences in their architecture.
To quote from the WIKI entry "The complex has a character of its own, unique and native, and is one of the most remarkable collections of Celtic art and medieval architecture to be found anywhere in Europe." The Rock is the setting of the fictional "Sister Fidelma Mysteries" mediaeval whodunits from Peter Tremayne.
Here's a good video from the Cashel Tourist Bureau that tells a lot about Cashel and the Rock:
http://www.cashel.ie/tourism.php?sect=Video%20Tour
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