Kilkenney 2001

The guidebooks tee up Kilkenny as "undoubtedly Ireland's loveliest inland city." So, on a warm Sunday in July we took the one-hour train ride from Dublin to Kilkenny and spent the day there. When you get off the train, the first question you'll ask is where the heck is Kilkenny. We followed our fellow passengers and bumped into the town. In fact, its a 10 minute walk from the train, across the Nore river.

At one end of the town, there's a splendid castle with wonderful grounds and rose garden worth the trip. At the other is St. Canice's Cathedral. Between the two is a lovely Irish town dating from the 13th century. Walking back to the train we stopped at an Inn set beside the river, had a pint of Kilkenny (The Cream of Irish Beer) sitting on the river bank. Not a bad end to not a bad day.

These photos were taken in July 2001.

Okay, to tell the truth, after you've seen dozens of European castles, they begin to look alike. It's true of cathedrals, palaces, and gardens. In Italy I overheard a man say to his wife, "It's just one damn duomo after another." But I digress. This castle is pretty good, but similar to lots we've seen. It has a nice history and a good guided tour. The grounds are great and the rose garden is terrific. Due to Foot & Mouth disease, we had to walk over a mat saturated with bleach and iodine to enter the castle grounds
Near the castle is this neat manor house. Look closely, the Ivy is winning.
Throughout Kilkenny, there are narrow streets known as slips. Along them shops, pubs and so on. All very Irish. A pleasant place to walk around and absorb the feeling of Ireland.
This very pretty gated archway was just off the main street.

St. Canice's Cathedral is somewhat stark and foreboding, undoubtedly more so because of the thunderhead filled skies and peek-a-boo sunlight. I have the feeling this cathedral will still be here a thousand years from now.
Traditionally, parishioners are buried on the church grounds when they die. The grave stones around St. Canice's trace a history of the place. Some years sparsely populated, some years rich with death. If scientists can learn about weather history by examining tree rings, could an archeologist learn of the history of this place by examining these stones? I think it might be so.
Pick up a can of Guinness or Kilkenny Draught and it rattles. The label indicates the presence of a "widget" and encourages you not to shake the can prior to opening. Trust me ... take the good advice. When you open the can, you can hear a whizzing sound. Curiosity got the better of me. I cut open a can to see what this widget was. Turns out, it's a plastic ball a little smaller than a ping pong ball, presumably pressurized, that foams the beer on opening to create the perfect head when you pour it. What will they think of next?