Kilkenny Hotels
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Kilkenny
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We checked out of our b&b (it was wonderful by the way, Mary O'Leary even did our laundry! And yes that is her real name talk about Irish eh). Anyway we picked up our ford fiesta at the airport. A pretty solid car- yet wee. The good thing is we may not have to worry about parking as I can just out the car in my pocket when we get to each place!
We made it to Kilkenny and did some exploring about town. It is known as a "classic" Irish town. Midsize with a medieval name, its own castle and brewery, nice little shops and tons of pubs! Seriously about every second storefront is a pub. It is a very busy town. The shops and pubs are packed in around high street of course and it seems that 99% of the tourists are squeezed into that central area. With umbrellas open it is like bumper cars.
We walked by the 'black abbey' a church with coffins lining the building with the graves of people who died from the plague. Being inside the church was probably one of the most sombre experiences of our trip. It had a very odd atmosphere. Pretty creepy actually. We then decided to lighten the mood in a pub... I know surprise surprise. We did have to try a pint of Kilkenny in Kilkenny you know. Hey and the pub was established in 1324 so it had historical significance as well... Ya... That's it. It actually ended up being a fabulous evening. The pub had live music and the semi-finals of the hurling league was on TV. Hurling is amazing. A cross between field hockey, ice hockey, and rugby I guess. Pretty wild and aggresively violent. The local team won so it was great. We are hoping to catch a hurling match while we are here at some point.
The next morning we checked out the dunmore caves which are steeped in legend, folklore and actual history. The caves saw about 1000 people (mostly women and children) massacred by invading Vikings around 928 AD. Again a little creepy but intriguing none the less. We spent the rest of the day exploring the grounds of Kilkenny castle and taking in the precious Irish sunshine. More thumbnails ...
Latest Comments (1)
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Happy, Happy (reply)
Jul 16, 2007 17:15 EST by spobega
Hi Megan and Kevin:
I finally am able to follow your wonderful experience, you will have to write a book when all is over. Your trip sounds fantastic and am so hapy for you both, taking the initiative and following your dreams.... enjoy and be safe...
Ciao -- 2nd Mom... Sandra
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