Holiday in South East Ireland - County Kilkenny

County Kilkenny - calls itself 'the Creative Heart of Ireland' and the town of Kilkenny houses a design centre and the National Craft Gallery; however, dominating the landscape is the bulk of the medieval castle. Superbly sited on a bend of the River Nore, the first fort was established by the Normans in 1172 to guard the river crossing but this was destroyed the King of Thormond. The present structure was started around about the beginning of the 13th century, and apart from modifications, and the visit of Oliver Cromwell who thought there was one tower too many, the castle has much the same footprint as when it was first completed. The castle had various owners over the years, including the infamous Despencers, until the Butler family, the Earls of Ormond, acquired it and the surrounding town and estates. For nearly 600 years the Butlers continued to live in Kilkenny Castle, despite the various setbacks that came with being rather too loyal to the Stuart Royal family, which at one point lost them their ancient title. In 1935 the Ormonds ceased to live in the castle and in 1967 presented it to the nation. The showpiece is the Long Gallery with its paintings of the Butlers peering down at you, a delicately carved hammer beam roof painted in the pre-Raphaelite style and furnished with a central skylight. A notable Gothic staircase was installed in the 19th century along with various Victorian modifications. The gardens and terraces offer the opportunity to walk peacefully along the river and through the woodlands. If you want to stay in Kilkenny for a holiday then renting a self-catering property is a great way to explore the area - there are lots of different types of cottages and houses available to rent - from 5 star cottages to simple, cheap places to stay in this south east corner of Ireland.

The small-scale town is a place with character stamped on its medieval buildings, narrow lanes, and Cathedral and Round Tower. Across the road from the castle, in the handsome 18th century stables, is the Kilkenny Design Centre, a showcase for good modern design in textiles, jewelry, furniture, and ceramics. The High Street has a bit of an identity crisis changing its name three times along its course, but at the top is the Tholsel, or toll stall. Built as an office where market traders and merchants would pay their dues and tolls, this is one of the rare medieval in the town, rare because of the poverty and destructive strife so common in Irish history. If you follow one of the 'slips' or alleyways you can find remnants of Kilkenny's past, from cottages to churches and merchant's houses. The place with the most intriguing history is the 13th century Kyteler's Inn, named after the birthplace of the famed Witch of Kilkenny, Alice Kyteler. Charged with witchcraft in 1324 after being overheard offering peacocks eyes to a sprite named Robin Artysson, and sweeping the streets at night towards her son's house to encourage all the wealth of the town to follow, she was convicted, and then pardoned. However this didn't stop her and she was sentenced to death. Needless to say she escaped and left her blameless maid, Petronella, to be burned at the stake as a substitute. The Tholsel was subsequently built on the execution site. The Rothe House Museum is another medieval building and home to the history of the town. This, like the Tholsel, is an arcaded building with a tall central gable and linked by small courtyards to two other buildings. It was originally built as a merchant's house, and the thick stone walls now guard the town's collection of antique furniture, paintings, and other artifacts. Like every other prosperous medieval market town, Kilkenny had its fair share of monastic dwellings, and you will find a prime example in the Black Abbey. Don't for a moment think that the English overlooked this one in their wholescale destruction of the monasteries, this is a faithful restoration of the church that was built at the same time as the castle and even incorporates some fine medieval glass.

On a rise at the top of Irishtown, the third name of the High Street, you come to the squat bulk of St Canice's Cathedral. This is a massive building even though its tower hardly rises above the roofs of the nave and transepts. Next to it is the Round Tower, 101ft high, which you can climb using its wooden ladders, weather permitting. The church underwent some modification when the Cromwellian troops stabled their horses inside, loosed-off their guns into the roof, and smashed the stained-glass windows and other furnishings. Most of the churches other treasures survived, including the tombs of the Butler family in the south transept and these are marvelous examples of the stone carvers art, particularly the effigies of Piers Butler, in his Armour, and his wife, Elizabeth, in her dress with billowing sleeves and horned headdress. There are dozens of other memorials all done in the local limestone, known as Kilkenny marble. Having done your sightseeing you can still pop in to St Francis' Abbey, not another church but the home of the oldest brewery in Ireland, and have a pint of Kilkenny Ale.

A few miles north of town near Ballyfoyle is Dunmore Cave, the finest example of calcite forms in the country, including the Market Cross, at 23ft the tallest stalagmite in Europe, and you can explore several more chambers of this well-lit cavern. There is, however, a darker side to the caves. In 1973 a group of pot-holers discovered the skeletons of 46 women and children who had taken refuge here during a Viking raid in approximately 930 AD. It is supposed that the either starved to death or suffocated as no marks were found on their remains.

Ten miles south of Kilkenny are the finest remains of a Cistercian Abbey in Ireland. The King of Ossory founded Jerpoint Abbey in 1158 and there are some sumptuously carved tombs and pillars, and quite a few seem to have a sense of humour.

There are plenty of parks and gardens in the county but the finest have to be those at Knocktopher. Recently opened by Mary McAlese, these commemorative gardens are a tribute to those from the county who suffered during the famine.

Irish tourist information

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