ilkenny                                

 

Kilkenny, cill cannig in Irish, is Ireland's most enchanting medieval city.  It was the unofficial capital of Ireland during the Middle Ages with its own Anglo-Norman Parliament. pre-Norman times. The town was named after the church founded by 
St. Canice in the sixth century. 

To get to Kilkenny we took a Bus Eireann Tour : Kilkenny and the Nore Valley leaving from the Central Bus Station, Busaras, Dublin. They offer many excellent day tours departing from Dublin, Cork and Galway.               

 
What medieval city wouldn't be complete without a castle? Kilkenny Castle, overlooking the Nore River,  was erected in 1192 to replace a wooden tower. The castle was the property of the powerful Butler family from
1391-1935 when it became too expensive for them to maintain. Most of the furnishings were sold at an auction and afterward it sat empty until 1967 when the city bought the castle the pittance sum of 50 pounds. It has since been restored to its original splendor and is open to the public for tours (which last about one hour).

The grounds boast a glorious rose garden, fountain and park. Across the street, the old castle stables have been converted to the upscale Kilkenny Design Centre which showcases the very best in Irish designer goods from jewelry to pottery to clothing.

 

Castle Front & Rose Gardens

 

Back of Castle

The Long Gallery
Duiskey Abbey, Graiguenamanagh, was constructed around 1204 with yellow limestone brought across the  Irish Sea from quarries at Dundry, outside Bristol. The monastery was planned on a vast scale and the gothic church was the largest Cistercian building in Ireland. In 1228 the religious community was fixed at thirty-six monks and fifty lay-brothers

                   St. Therese

      St. Patrick

 

The route back to Dublin through the scenic Nore Valley 
took us through the quaint town of Innistoige.


 

 

                                                                                               

 

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