Cashel is the name of a town in County Tipperary in a broad, fertile plain known as the Golden Val.
The Rock of Cashel is originally referred to the large limestone hill that rises sharply out of the middle of this plain.
This limestone hill is covered with the ruin site of a famous medieval cathedral complex.
Nowadays these ruins are simply called The Rock of Cashel.
After numerous wars, invasions and conflicts between England and Ireland in the past, many Irish churches and castles were severely damaged.
In 1647, during the Sack of Cashel, English Parliamentarian forces attacked the site, set fire to the structures, and heavily damaged the cathedral.
In 1749, the Protestant Archbishop Arthur Price decided to officially remove the massive main roof of the cathedral, which led to the hollowed-out ruin seen today.