We had it on good authority that there was a city about 2 hours from here called Kilkenny. We had heard that it was a lovely place with a great castle at the centre and that the locals were slightly inferior to Cork in their hurling skills (well, apart from that one game).

We had meant to visit but somehow we just never got around to it. Something always seemed to get in the way and for a while, it seemed that we were fated never to visit Kilkenny.

So it was with a little trepidation that we set off, zipping along the fancy new toll road, then carefully avoiding the town where the last car died, just in case some bad karma was still lingering there. We arrived in the city early in the evening.

Finding a place to stay was a bit of a problem but after knocking on the doors of perhaps a dozen B&B’s we found one which had just had a cancellation. It was run by a slightly dotty and fairly infirm woman. The room was quite modest, to put it mildly. However, it was a room in the city and for that we were grateful.

After a meal at the Best Ever Chinese Restaurant - our description, not theirs, we had a brief walk around the city, had a pint (yes, just the one) and went back to the B&B.

The next morning, as we ate breakfast, the heavens opened and the rain continued, on and off, all day. Between showers we visited the Cathedral and Round Tower, took a walk though the narrow medieval streets and walked up to the castle. We took a tour of the castle where we were completely overwhelmed with the dates and connections between the famous and the not so famous Butlers who played a part in the castle’s history. By the end it was all a bit of a blur. (Something about Elizabeth I and her alleged lover, a King Charles spaniel and George W. Bush.) Sure, the guide knew his stuff but we reached saturation point by the second room. Still, the restored rooms were quite beautiful and our Heritage Cards gave us free entry.

We got back to the car and checked the map and Heritage Card guide book to see what else was local, dry and free. A 15 min drive took us to Dunmore Cave where, as luck would have it, a tour was about to begin.

By the time we came out though, the weather had really set in and reluctantly, we headed back to Cork. It rained the whole way and hasn’t stopped since.

Sorry there are not many photos to share from the weekend. This is partly due to the weather, the strict “no cameras” rule at the castle and my inability to take a decent photo underground.

 

From this week I am working Monday to Friday so we should be able to get away a lot more. You can look forward to lots more mini adventures from Jon and Jane in the near future.

 

And finally, don’t expect to see us back in New Zealand any time soon. The All Blacks play Italy in Marseilles next September in the group stage of the World Cup and we have tickets! But more on that later…