Things to do in County Kilkenny
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Kilkenny Castle
Rising above the Nore, Kilkenny Castle is one of Ireland's most visited heritage sites. The first structure on this strategic site was a wooden tower built in 1172 by Richard de Clare, the Anglo-Norman conqueror of Ireland better known as Strongbow. In 1192, Strongbow's son-in-law, William Marshall, erected a stone castle with four towers, three of which survive. The castle was bought by the powerful Butler family in 1391, and their descendants continued to live there until 1935. Maintaining such a structure became a big financial strain and most of the furnishings were sold at auction. The castle was handed over to the city in 1967 for the princely sum of £50.
One glance…
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Kells Priory
This is the best sort of ruin, where visitors can amble about whenever they like, with no tour guides, tours, set hours or fees. At dusk on a vaguely sunny day the old priory is simply beautiful. Most days you stand a chance of exploring the site alone (apart from bleating and pooping sheep).
The earliest remains of this gorgeous monastic site date from the late 12th century, while the bulk of the present ruins are from the 15th century. In a sea of rich farmland, a carefully restored protective wall connects seven dwelling towers. Inside the walls are the remains of an Augustinian abbey and the foundations of some chapels and houses. It's unusually well fortified for a mo…
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Jerpoint Abbey
One of Ireland’s finest Cistercian ruins, Jerpoint Abbey is about 2.5km southwest of Thomastown on the N9. It was established in the 12th century and has been partially restored. The tower and cloister are late 14th or early 15th century. Look for the series of often amusing figures carved on the cloister pillars, including a knight. There are also stone carvings on the church walls and in the tombs of members of the Butler and Walshe families. Faint traces of a 15th- or 16th-century painting remain on the northern wall of the church. This chancel area also contains a tomb thought to belong to hardheaded Felix O’Dulany, Jerpoint’s first abbot and bishop of Ossory, who d…
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Black Abbey
This Dominican abbey was founded in 1225 by William Marshall and takes its name from the monks' black habits. In 1543, six years after Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries, it was turned into a courthouse. Following Cromwell's visit in 1650, it remained a roofless ruin until restoration in 1866. Much of what survives dates from the 18th and 19th centuries, but remnants of more ancient archways are still evident within the newer stonework. Look for the 13th-century coffins near the entrance.
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Black Abbey
This Dominican abbey was founded in 1225 by William Marshall and takes its name from the monks’ black habits. In 1543, six years after Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, it was turned into a courthouse. Following Cromwell’s visit in 1650, it remained a roofless ruin until restoration in 1866. Much of what survives dates from the 18th and 19th centuries, but remnants of more ancient archways are still evident within the newer stonework. Look for the 13th-century coffins near the entrance.
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Bassetts at Woodstock
Adjacent to Woodstock Gardens, John Bassett has turned his family home into an inspired dining experience. Saturday nights feature tasting menus (€9.50 per course) paired with wines (from €5 per glass) served at set intervals from 7.30pm. It's a great way to spend an evening with a table of friends. The food is fresh, local and inventive. Future meals graze right outside the door.
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Kilkenny Design Centre
Top-end Irish crafts and artwork for sale include items by artisans county-wide. Look for John Hanly wool blankets, Cushendale woollen goods, Foxford scarves and Bunbury cutting boards.
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Woodstock Gardens
Approximately 3km south, on Mt Alto, is the heavily forested Woodstock Gardens, a beauty of a park with expansive gardens, picnic areas and trails. The panorama of the valley and village below is spectacular. Coming from town, follow the signs for Woodstock Estate and enter the large gates (despite appearances, it’s a public road) then continue along the road for about 2km until you reach the car park.
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Rinuccini
Follow a short flight of steps down to a candlelit basement to bliss out on Antonio Cavaliere's classical Italian cuisine, including his sublime spaghetti al astice (lobster tossed with pasta, shallots, cream, brandy and black truffle, doused with fresh parmesan, and served in the shell). There's a cute and romantic table in front under an atrium. Service wins plaudits.
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Butler Gallery
The Butler Gallery in the basement of Kilkenny Castel is one of the country’s most important art galleries outside Dublin. Small exhibitions featuring the work of contemporary artists are held throughout the year. Also in the basement, the castle kitchen houses a popular summertime cafe. You can head directly to either the Butler Gallery or the cafe without paying the tour admission price.
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St Mary's Cathedral
The 19th-century cathedral is visible from most parts of town. A plaque at the entrance notes: 'The construction of the cathedral began in 1843 and continued during the Famine years, the years of emigration, coffin ships, starvation, and even despair because of the many thousands of our people who died of hunger and disease…', before going on to list yet more tribulations.
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Edward Langton’s
The restaurant within this enormous, snazzy pub seems able to seat much of the town (certainly most everybody’s here for Sunday lunch). The food is quality trad Irish: never-ending bowls of boiled potatoes and desserts like toffee and brown bread pudding with hot butterscotch sauce. Regular dinner-and-show specials for around €40 are popular with locals and tourists alike.
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St Canice's Cathedral
Soaring over the north end of the centre is Ireland's second-largest medieval cathedral (after St Patrick's in Dublin). This Gothic edifice with its iconic round tower has had a long and fascinating history. Legend has it that the first monastery was built here in the 6th century by St Canice, Kilkenny's patron saint. Records show that a wooden church on the site was burned down in 1087.
The existing structure was raised between 1202 and 1285, but then endured a series of catastrophes and resurrections. The first disaster, the collapse of the church tower in 1332, was the consequence of Dame Alice Kyteler's conviction for witchcraft. Her maid was also convicted, and her ne…
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O'Faolain's & Club 51
Built on three levels around a 16th-century stone church that was brought over in crates from Wales and painstakingly rebuilt here, numbered stone by numbered stone, O'Faolain's is a lively night-time spot year-round. Between Easter and October, Club 51 (admission free to €10), in a strobe-lit space out back, sees dancers getting sweaty on Saturday nights.
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Rothe House
Ireland’s best surviving example of a 16th-century merchant’s house is the Tudor Rothe House. Built around a series of courtyards, it now houses a museum with local artefacts including a well-used Viking sword found nearby and a grinning head sculpted from a stone by a Celtic artist. The king-post roof of the 2nd floor is a meticulous reconstruction.
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Mount Juliet
Just 4km southwest of Thomastown, high-fliers tee off at the Jack Nicklaus–designed Mount Juliet. Set over 1500 wooded acres, it also has its own equestrian centre, a gym and spa, two restaurants, wine master-classes, and palatial rooms catering to every whim, right down to the pillow menu (accommodation from €169).
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National Craft Gallery & Kilkenny Design Centre
Contemporary Irish crafts are showcased at this imaginative gallery in the former castle stables that also house the shops of the Kilkenny Design Centre. Ceramics dominate, but exhibits often feature furniture, jewellery and weaving from the members of the Crafts Council of Ireland. There are regular classes in pottery and jewellery making.
Behind the complex, look for the walkway that extends into the beautiful Butler House gardens of, with an unusual water feature constructed from remnants of the British-built Nelson Column, blown up by nationalists in Dublin around a century ago.
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Tynan Tours
Entertaining, informative hour-long walking tours that meander Kilkenny's narrow lanes, steps and pedestrian passageways. Meet at the tourist office.
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Butter Slip
With its arched entry and stone steps, Butter Slip, a narrow and dark walkway connecting High St with St Kieran's St (previously called Low Lane) is the most picturesque of Kilkenny's many narrow medieval corridors. It was built in 1616 and once was lined with the stalls of butter vendors.
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Blackberry Cafe
Superb thick-cut sandwiches and warming soups are served with pumpkin-seed-speckled soda bread here. Much is organic and the tarts and cakes are baked daily. Between noon and 2pm, great-value multicourse hot lunches see the place squeezed to bursting. It's right in town.
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Circle of Friends
With tables overlooking the square, this cheerful apple-green cafe with strawberry-motif table cloths has flavoured coffees (mint, caramel and so on), hot dishes like beer-battered cod and chips and – the reason everyone’s really here – gargantuan servings of homemade desserts like pavlova.
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Pordylos
You'll feel you've slipped into a French country home as you enter from shadowy Butter Slip. The seafood comes from Dunmore East and the excellent meats are sourced locally. Good French vintages soon loosen the spirits and you'll feel in the midst of a highly successful dinner party.
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Campagne
Chef Garrett Byrne who gained fame and Michelin stars in Dublin is the genius behind this bold, stylish restaurant in his native Kilkenny. He's passionate about supporting local and artisan producers and he takes the goods and produces ever-changing, ever-memorable meals. There's a French accent to everything he does.
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Cafe Sol
Leisurely lunches stretch until 5pm at this much-loved restaurant. Local organic produce is featured in dishes that emphasise what's fresh each season. The flavours are frequently bold and have global influences. Service albeit casual is excellent.
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Kyteler's Inn
Dame Alice Kyteler's old house was built back in 1224 and has seen its share of history: the Dame had four husbands, all of whom died in suspicious circumstances, and she was charged with witchcraft in 1323. Today you can enjoy trad sessions in the basement and courtyard.
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