Understand
The English name Glendalough comes from the Irish Gleann Dá Locha which translates to "The valley of the two lakes".
St. Kevin was a descendent of one of the ruling families of Leinster. When he was a boy he learned under three righteous men and as a young boy he went to live at Glendalough. He founded a monastery here in the sixth century which continued to expand for 600 years, but was destroyed in 1398. In its prime, the land included churches and monastic cells and also workshops, guesthouses, a health center, farm buildings and homes. Most of the buildings that survive today date from the 10th through 12th centuries. The most famous is the round tower which is 34m high and 16m in circumference at the base. A cathedral, stone churches and decorated crosses also survived.
Glendalough is a historic site, whose Gaelic name translates to âvalley of the two lakes". It consists of the 6th-century monastery founded by St. Kevin and the famous round tower, standing 112 feet high with a base measuring 52 feet in circumference.
