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Sunday, November 12, 2023

Kilkenny, Ireland


 
After leaving Dublin, Ireland --see my last post--our Ireland/Scotland tour headed southeast to Kilkenny, (Irish: Cill Chainnigh). It is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland, and is located in the provenance of Leinster.   We stopped at Kilkenny Castle, built in 1260 to control a fording point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. The castle was a symbol of Norman occupation, and in its original 13th-century condition, with its four large circular towers, it would have formed an important element to the town's defenses.



The castle grounds entrance with the Ormonde Coat of Arms on the top




Kilkenny Castle was remodeled and restored and set in the 1830’s with a Victorian flair. In 1967, Arthur Butler, 6th Marquess of Ormonde, sold the castle for £50 to the Castle Restoration Committee for the people of Kilkenny. The castle and grounds are now managed by the Office of Public Works.  There is an admission fee to tour inside the castle but the gardens and parkland are open to the public.

My husband and I toured the castle on a prior visit to Ireland so we decided to stroll in the gardens and in town during our visit, while my sister and brother in-laws went inside.



The details in the castle statuary were interesting to see.






The castle is surrounded by beautiful fifty-one acres (21 hectares) of parkland and gardens.





I really enjoyed walking in the gardens and still seeing some flowers blooming in late October and some fall foliage.




A sweet little robin and a wise old crow greeted us in the gardens.



When I saw this lake filled with swans I thought about the Irish Folktale, "Children of Lir" in which a jealous stepmother used a spell to turn her four stepchildren into swans and doomed them to spend 900 years swimming in three different bodies of water in Ireland for 300 years each, until the spell would be broken.

 

Kilkenny is built on both banks of the River Nore.  
It reflected many colorful autumnal trees along its banks.




Kilkenny City Walls protected the medieval town of Kilkenny. The town was surrounded by walls with regular towers and gates. Remnants of the Town Walls survive such as Talbot Tower (1207), which is also known as Talbot's Bastion or Castle.



My husband and I strolled into town hoping to visit St Canice's Cathedral, which is also known as Kilkenny Cathedral. The present building dates from the 13th century and is the second-longest cathedral in Ireland. Unfortunately, we realized the walk was longer than the time we had to be back on our tour bus to leave for Waterford. We had glimpses of the cathedral in the distance as we walked around.

As you can see in the photo collage above, located beside the cathedral stands a 100 ft 9th-century round tower. St. Canice's tower is an excellent example of a well-preserved early Christian (9th century) Round Tower. Accessible only by a steep set of internal ladders, it may once have been both a watchtower and a refuge, and the summit gives a good view of Kilkenny and the countryside around. The hill on which the cathedral stands is believed to be the center of the first major settlement at Kilkenny.



There was a lot to see and do in town but we only had a limited time. The building on the middle right of the collage above had a Smithwick's Brewery Tour.  Smithwick’s Ale has been brewed in Ireland since 1710.

I smiled when I saw the cow and sheep vases in a shop window. They are two animals seen frequently all over Ireland!


Our next stop on the tour was the City of Waterford--it will be in my next blog post.

28 comments:

  1. Wonderful photos from your trip. Some scenes look familiar from my trip there.
    The Kilkenny Castle is beautiful. Take care, have a wonderful week!

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  2. I love the color of green there...Glad you had a good trip..Michelle

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  3. Beautiful shots! I'd so love to go.
    Thanks for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2023/11/my-happy-places.html

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  4. Beautiful location to enjoy if only for a little while. Great photos and information, Pat. We didn't get into the south of Dublin at all during our limited time in Ireland. Nice to see some of that area through your photos.

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  5. I spent an afternoon and evening in Kilkenny last April. It's fun to see an autumn view of the city! I really liked the town and was sad we couldn't spend another day here.

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  6. I can't wait til you go to Waterford -- love their crystal. But Kilkenny looks pretty wonderful. I'm so glad there were still blooms during your visit. The garden is lovely.

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  7. Thank you for showing me this amazing place

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  8. Such beautiful photos! It looks like you had some really lovely weather too.

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  9. This looks like an amazing trip. Thank you for the tour! I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland, England, and really all around the world!🌸

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  10. Fab photos interesting too I enjoyed these :-)

    Have a tourtastic week 👍

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  11. The gardens and grounds of the castle are wonderful. I love all your photos.

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  12. What a beautiful day you had. I had a great time taking this virtual trip with you!

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  13. Glorious photos from your trip, Pat.
    Kilkenny is beautiful!

    Thank you for taking us along to this amazing place.

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  14. Lovely post! I think a lot of Ireland seems suitable for fairy tale settings! ☺

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  15. YES ... I remembering very well on our visit there. It`s wonderful to read again about!!!

    Happy MosaicMonday

    Thank you so much being part at
    MosaicMonday

    Have a fine week. Greetings by Heidrun

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  16. I´ve tasted dark beer called Kilkenny. Pretty much same than Guiness i.e. it´s good. Cheers! 🍺

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  17. Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos of your trip to Ireland. We are planning a trip there in May so I'm thrilled to be learning about it on your blog.

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  18. What an amazing adventure!!! Love seeing all the beautiful photos!

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  19. I'm always amazed at how well the old castles hold up. The brewery tour sounds like fun!

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  20. This post makes me remember my own DIY tour of Ireland. I'll tune in for the next post.

    Worth a Thousand Words

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  21. A beautiful place, with lots of imposing gray stone.

    51 acres of gardens!! Oh my that sounds great.

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  22. So nice to see your photographs from your visit to Ireland.
    Lovely sights and I can never resist a Robin.
    We have one that visits the garden and your photograph of the one you saw in Ireland is lovely.

    All the best Jan

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  23. Lovely castle. Enjoyed the cyber tour.

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  24. Beautiful pics of this historic area. Shame you couldnt have longer there.

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