On to Kilkenny

 (Day six second half recap of my late April Ireland trip.)

After a most excellent morning, touring of the Rock of Cashel (if you missed my post, catch it here) it was time to get on the road once again. We had a visit to Kilkenny Castle scheduled for later that afternoon, and our guide Pascal was all about keeping us on time.

One of the things I wanted to see while in Ireland was a proper medieval castle.  So you can image my excitement when I saw Kilkenny Castle on the day's agenda.

Beautiful flowers outside a stone cottage

It was about an hour's drive between Cashel and Kilkenny.  Our bus sped through more fertile, green countryside.  We were traveling through the famous Plains of Tipperary, one of the best places to grow crops in all of Ireland.  Not only crops, we passed pastures full of sheep and black and white cows, who looked very content.  But Tipperary was most famous for horse breeding, producing many championship thoroughbreds.  

Kilkenny Castle entrance

As we traveled, Pascal provided more of his enjoyable Irish stories.  This time he spoke about daily life in Ireland.  Pascal said that in Ireland everyone who owns a TV set is taxed a set amount every year.  This tax is the mechanism that funds the two national television networks.  He also mentioned that if one owns a dog, you pay a yearly licensing fee.  He then told the story of being stopped by the local "Garda" (Irish police) one day.  His son was sitting in the back seat of his car with their dog.  The Garda peeked inside the car, and upon seeing the dog asked "Does your dog have a license?"  His son immediately responded: "Yes, but he's not the one who's driving!"  (Don't you just love Irish humor?)

Excited to tour a castle!

Entertained by Pascal's excellent storytelling, the miles passed quickly and in no time at all we were driving into Kilkenny.  A larger town than either Dingle or Ennis, it was interesting to watch the countryside transform into city buildings.  Upon reaching our hotel, we had just enough time to get our room keys and drop our bags before returning to the bus for the short transport to nearby Kilkenny Castle.

Each room was elaborately decorated

The streets of Kilkenny were narrow and filled with traffic.  Our driver did an amazing job of navigating our large bus through all the chaos.  We got our first glimpse of the famous castle as we drove over a bridge spanning the River Nore.  I could see the castle, river, and two brilliant pink blooming cherry trees lining its banks.  Such a lovely scene, I made a mental note to return here after our tour to get some photographs.

Even the staircases were embellished

Kilkenny Castle was enormous.  It took up several city blocks.  We all disembarked from the bus and gathered underneath the large gate leading to the castle grounds.  Pascal led us to the tour entrance.  There a very grumpy lady told him that backpacks (or any large bags) were not allowed inside the castle.  This was news to Pascal - had he known in advance he could've told us to leave our bags at the hotel.  But rules are rules and that lady wasn't budging.  The castle provided lockers for visitors to secure their bags and the lady told us we had to use them.  None of us were real thrilled about leaving our stuff in the lockers, but we all wanted to see the castle, so in the end that's what we all did.

This room had two huge tapestries

Built in 1260 to control a fording point on the River Nore and the junction of several routes, Kilkenny Castle was a symbol of Norman occupation.  The castle became the seat of a very powerful family, the Butlers of Ormonde.  This family controlled Kilkenny Castle until the 18th century, when family fortunes took a downturn and the castle fell into disrepair.  In the 19th century, the Butler family attempted to restore the structure.  The castle withstood the Irish civil war in the 1920s, but it was abandoned again soon after.  Finally in 1967, Lord Ormonde sold Kilkenny Castle to the Castle Restoration Committee for a ceremonial 50 pounds.  He wished to have the castle preserved for future generations to enjoy.

Old piano

Our self-guided tour began on the castle's first floor.  Inside, we found the rooms elaborately decorated.  The restoration committee tried to use period furniture and decor.  The first room Kim and I walked into was a dining room.  It had red drapes, red patterned carpet, and stained glass windows.  Glass chandeliers were suspended from the ceiling.  Large portraits hung on the walls.

View of the garden out an upper-story window

One room had two large tapestries hanging on opposite walls.  It was quite remarkable to think about how much hand work had gone into the creation of just one of these unique works of art.

Kilkenny skyline from an upper story window

Looking out the window in one room, I was treated to a most excellent view of the meticulously landscaped garden.  A large fountain was centered in the middle.  Above the garden, Kilkenny's skyline rose above the trees, spires of two gothic cathedrals the most prominent buildings. 

Interesting window decor

Even the stairwells were decorated!  Several of them had large portraits hanging on the walls, and intricately patterned carpets on the steps.

Loved this staircase

The rooms all had different themes.  Some were bedrooms, others sitting rooms, (one had an old piano lovingly restored) one appeared to be a nursery.  After walking through several of these rooms, they all began to look the same. 

The final room of our tour was full of artwork

The final room was a huge hall full of art.  Portraits and tapestries hung from the walls.  A few sculptures were prominently placed.

Even the ceiling was a work of art

The wooden roof was a work of art in itself.  The intricate designs on each beam were hand painted.  Gilded animal and bird heads decorated the cross beams.

The paintings were amazing

I'm always amazed by the skill of painters from centuries ago.  The portraits in this gallery room looked so life-like.  It's hard to imagine a world where photographs didn't yet exist, but for people in the 18th century, these painters were their photographers.

Outside view of the castle

The castle's interior was interesting enough, but all through the tour I was itching to get outside and take photos of the exterior.  Finally after checking out the paintings in the gallery room, the halls led back to the lockers where Kim and I were able to retrieve our bags.

Another view of the outer castle

We stepped outside into the high overcast light.  Although the day was cloudy, thankfully it was dry.  

Cell phone panorama

I immediately went to work trying to capture the castle from all angles.  It was so large, I couldn't fit the entire thing in my camera's frame.  Instead, I had to enlist the wide-angle feature on my phone.

Walking around the castle

Kim and I wandered around the grounds.  Beyond the "front" portion was a huge grassy field with paths leading into a wooded park.  A group of teen aged boys had gathered, and it appeared they were about to play some sort of sporting match.

Nice view of the River Nore 

We followed a paved path around one side of the castle.  At one point the trees opened up for nice views of Kilkenny and the River Nore below.

The garden side of Kilkenny Castle

The portion of the castle that faced the garden was impressive.  A elaborate tiered staircase led visitors up to the front door.

Can't quite fit it all in the frame!

This side of Kilkenny Castle was anchored by two large, round towers.  They looked like something straight out of a fairy tale.

Another pano-view of the castle

Again, the castle was so amazing, I took way too many photos.  Here's another photo dump for your enjoyment.

Quite the staircase!

Front entrance view inside

One of three surviving towers

We couldn't stop taking pictures

This stone carving is missing his nose

All through the tour I couldn't stop thinking about the beautiful view of the River Nore and the blooming trees that I'd seen from the roadway bridge on the way to the castle.  Once Kim and I had explored everything on Kilkenny Castle's exterior, I suggested we walk over to check it out.

Castle view from the roadway bridge

Luckily, the place was easy to find.  Just a few short blocks from the castle down a main roadway took us to the bridge and magnificent view.  

Wonderful view of the castle from River Nore

And it was lovely!  Not only the river, castle, and blooming trees, a restaurant on the opposite shore had two bright red canoes tied up outside its outdoor seating area.  A scene worthy of a painting!

Kilkenny Castle close-up

The path looked to follow the river downstream past the roadway bridge.  With some time to kill before dinner, Kim suggested we take a short walk.

This young man wanted me to take his picture - so I did

A green park paralleled the river on one side.  As we strolled by I noticed a group of boys and young men gathered around a picnic table.  The youngest boy, seeing my camera, began shouting "Hey, take a picture of me, love!"  He was so cute I couldn't resist.  After snapping a shot, the boy rushed over to have a look at himself on the back of my camera screen.

Colorful buildings along the River Nore

Kim and I walked a few blocks to a pedestrian bridge spanning the river.  We sauntered across, stopping to capture the amazing views from this vantage point.  Several brightly-colored buildings stood on the river's opposite side.  

Auto bridge and castle

And directly across the water was the vehicle bridge, castle, and blooming trees.  Another stunning view!  I was glad Kim had suggested coming over here.

Local pub

We closed the walking loop by crossing the pedestrian bridge and walking by the buildings on the other side of the river.  One was a local pub.

Loved this bright red door

Another sported a bright red door upon which was painted an advertisement for Smithwick's Irish Ale.  Yes, there are other beers in Ireland besides Guinness! 

Kilkenny was a charming town

Kilkenny was such an adorable town.  It too had its own business districts of brightly-colored buildings, cobblestone sidewalks, and narrow streets.

Lots of little alleys to duck down

Kilkenny also had lots of tiny alleys.  They were fun to duck down - you never knew what kind of charming business you would find!

Kilkenny street scene

There was something a bit medieval about this cute little berg.  I wish we could've stayed here another day, there appeared to be lots to see and do!

Dinner was amazing - I had roast duckling

But our time for exploring was short.  Kim and I were due to join our fellow tour-mates for another group dinner.  Tonight's gathering was at a local restaurant named Langdon's.  Of all the places we ate while in Ireland, I think Langdon's was my most favorite.  It was a very fancy restaurant and the food and service were top-notch.

Dessert was also delicious

We were given three choices for dinner.  I really wanted to try new food while in Ireland, so I chose "roast duckling," the most unusual of the three.  When my meal arrived, I tried to block the image of a cute little duck out of my mind.  It didn't take long - the entrée was absolutely delicious!  I finished the meal with a mixed berry cobbler, complete with real cream on top.  Yummy!

I'm not usually the type of person who takes photos of their food.  But while in Ireland some of the main courses were prepared so beautifully (and I wanted to remember what I ate) that Kim and I began the practice of snapping phone pics before digging in.

Finished the evening listening to live music in a nearby pub

It had been another long, action-packed day.  After dinner Kim and I really wanted to go back to our hotel room and chill.  But Pascal mentioned that one of the nearby pubs had a great local band playing Irish music and he encouraged us all to check it out.  I was nursing a bit of FOMO after missing out on the Irish dancing in Dingle.  So I convinced Kim that we really ought to go for a little while.  

Kim enjoying the music

Nothing starts early in Ireland.  Pascal said the band wouldn't begin playing until around 9:00.  Timing our arrival for then, Kim and I were surprised when we stepped into the pub and the band was already in full-on music mode.  The place was absolutely packed.  Noticing several of our tour-mates gathered around two tables, we made our way over to where they were seated.  At first we had to stand, but slowly people left and before long both of us had found places to sit.

The band was a lot of fun

The band was great!  They consisted of a guitar, fiddle, and flute.  The lead singer had a good voice, and lots of that all-important Irish humor.  Pascal told us that the musical acts in the Kilkenny area encourage pub patrons to sing along to their songs.  These guys definitely loved it when the audience interacted.  At one point, the lead singer asked everyone in the pub to shout out where they were from.  Nearly everyone in the bar was from the US, causing him to ask: "Is anyone left in your country?"  One couple was from West Virginia so the band broke into a rousing chorus of Country Roads and asked us all to sing along.  Kind of funny to be in an Irish bar singing John Denver tunes!

The flute player was good, but boy was he loud!  The guy definitely didn't need his microphone.  I could this was bothering Kim, so I promised her "one more song and then we'll leave."  The song ended and several of us got up to go, when the band launched into a chorus of The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel.  Well of course we had to stay for that!

Bidding "goodnight" to the musical pub

It was nearly 11 pm by the time we finally got back to our hotel.  Kim and I were both plumb tuckered out.  Tomorrow we'd pack up and be off to our final destination, the busting metropolis of Dublin.

Stick around for day seven recaps in my next posts!