Kilkenny, Ireland : Travel Reminiscences

Going through some of our Ireland holiday pics in October 2009, has brought back many wonderful memories of Ireland, and as I’ve mentioned previously, I didn’t blog in any detail ‘way back then’!!     There is no post on Kilkenny at all … soooo .. here’s Kilkenny Castle and a few pics of Kilkenny in Co. Kilkenny.  Five years have passed, hopefully it all looks the same today 😉

Using Waterford as our base for two nights we ventured out to see the land of Kilkenny beer !!!   And, I might add, there wasn’t any Kilkenny to be had!!!  Not where we went anyway.  Probably if we’d had more time there, we would have found some 😉  We had been to the awesome Waterford Crystal Showroom first so the rest of the day was driving to and from Kilkenny .. through the glorious Irish countryside, towns and villages 🙂

Kilkenny rose to prominence in the 13th century and became the medieval capital of Ireland.

The River Nore ..

Kilkenny Castle overlooks the River Nore and St John’s Bridge ..

The Norman Castle was built in 1195 by William Marshal 1st Earl of Pembroke to control a fording point of the River Nore and the junction of several route ways.

 

 

Within the Castle gate ….

Obviously no photography was permitted inside because I don’t have any ;), but I remember going up and down stairs and into several rooms including a magnificent art gallery … The Long Gallery, with its striking 19th century hammer-beam and glass roof

  

Formal garden of Kilkenny Castle ..

River Nore runs flows passed Kilkenny Castle

Opposite the castle gate is the Kilkenny Design Centre, which was once the castle’s stable block ..

  

2009 prices!

18th century City Hall (Tholsel)

The Butter Slip .. an alley named after the butter stalls that once lined a small market place ..

We made our way back to our hotel in Waterford via Wexford and crossing the Waterford Harbour on a car ferry from Co. Wexford to Co. Waterford …. next post in my series of Travel Reminiscences 🙂

 

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