© Lonely Planet Publications 322 lonelyplanet.com KILKENNY CITY •• History 323 son, when you’ll have more opportunity to County Kilkenny KILKENNY CITY appreciate the timeless charms. %056 / pop 9100 HISTORY Kilkenny figures high on many an itinerary In the 5th century, St Kieran is said to have to Ireland and for good reason: it’s a fairly visited Kilkenny and, on the site of the present compact showplace with easily enjoyed herit- Kilkenny Castle, challenged the chieftains of age, a castle, interesting shops, a wide range Ossory to accept the Christian faith. Subse- For many, County Kilkenny is all that they hope for in Ireland. It’s a place of rolling green of restaurants, lots of pubs and many inviting quently, St Canice established his monastery hills where you’ll soon run out of adjectives for green. Tiny roads wander the valleys beside places to stay. here. Kilkenny consolidated its importance swirling rivers and moss-covered stone walls. Relics of centuries of Irish religious history dot You can cover pretty much everything in the 13th century under William Marshall, COUNTY KILKENNY the landscape as if part of one great beautiful design. on foot in a couple of hours, but sampling the earl of Pembroke and son-in-law of the the many delights will take much longer. Anglo–Norman conqueror Strongbow. Kil- Wanderers and ramblers are rewarded by characterful pubs and exquisite restaurants There’s an elegance and vibrancy that give kenny Castle was built to secure a crossing scattered across the countryside, seemingly placed to reward those willing to take the road the town (oops, locals insist on ‘city’) a point on the Nore. timeless appeal. During the Middle Ages, Kilkenny was in- less travelled. Shamrock-cute Inistioge may be star of many a movie, but it’s the real deal, Much of Kilkenny’s architectural charm termittently the unofficial capital of Ireland, and you’ll soon find your own rhythm among the tidy shop fronts, mannered square and owes a huge debt to the Middle Ages, when with its own Anglo–Norman parliament. COUNTY KILKENNY surging River Nore. the city was a seat of political power. But In 1366 the parliament passed the so-called time has not passed the city by. Kilkenny Statutes of Kilkenny, a set of Draconian laws Perhaps Kilkenny’s beauty and its inherent reward of discovery is why so many artists and remains a cultural centre, renowned for its aimed at preventing the assimilation of the craftspeople make their home in the county. In towns like Bennettsbridge and Thomastown, devotion to the arts. Its cobbled pedestrian increasingly assertive Anglo–Normans into you’ll find wonderfully skilled people busy creating in their studios. Or maybe they’re just passageways and old-fashioned shop fronts Irish society. Anglo–Normans were prohib- may look like the way to a mysterious time- ited from marrying the native Irish, taking inspired by Kilkenny’s pride itself, its namesake city. warp realm, but in reality they lead to cool part in Irish sports, speaking or dressing like bars, stylish boutiques and interesting res- An enduring gift of the Normans, Kilkenny city lures visitors by the score who find it hard the Irish or playing any Irish music. Any taurants. Kilkenny has plenty of modern breach of the law was to result in the confisca- to escape its pleasures. Medieval alleys wind among its castle, cathedral and ruined abbeys. allure, but it didn’t sell out its traditional tion of Anglo–Norman property and death to But it’s no static postcard – an alluring mix of superb restaurants, beguiling pubs and artisan charms to get here. the native Irish. Although the laws remained vendors keeps things dynamic. Kilkenny’s 60-odd licensed pubs and bars theoretically in force for more than 200 years, are a cheery mix of its gregarious citizens they were never enforced with any great ef- From bucolic delights to citified fun, Kilkenny is a dream. and the hordes of out-of-town merrymak- fect and did little to halt the absorption of the ers there for a fun-filled weekend. Along Anglo–Normans into Irish culture. High St, every odd address appears to be During the 1640s, Kilkenny sided with the a pub, and visitors staying near the cen- Catholic royalists in the English Civil War. HIGHLIGHTS tre can carouse from watering hole to The 1641 Confederation of Kilkenny, an uneasy watering hole. alliance of native Irish and Anglo–Normans, Consumption Enjoying bounteous food and Presiding over the town is a splendid aimed to bring about the return of land and drink in medieval Kilkenny city ( p330 ) medieval cathedral, named after St Canice power to Catholics. After Charles I’s execu- Creation Admiring the creative arts found at (Cainneach or Kenneth), who founded a tion, Cromwell besieged Kilkenny for five the Kilkenny Design Centre ( p332 ) monastery here in the 6th century; hence days, destroying much of the southern wall Kilkenny the city’s Irish name, Cill Chainnigh. The of the castle before Ormond surrendered. The Bennettsbridge Erection Discovering the moody Cistercian town’s other ‘must-see’ attraction is its defeat signalled a permanent end to Kilken- ruins of Jerpoint Abbey ( p334 ) Graiguenamanagh Thomastown mighty castle (although it’s more mansion ny’s political influence over Irish affairs. Perambulation Enjoying walks in and Jerpoint Abbey than fortress), which sits majestically on a Inistioge Today Kilkenny enjoys a vibrant economy around cute little Inistioge ( p335 ) and sweep in the River Nore. thanks to all those visitors crowding the tongue-twisting Graiguenamanagh ( p336 ) As if being medieval isn’t enough, Kil- streets. There’s also a fair number of service Predilection Shopping for the crafts and kenny is also sometimes called the ‘marble industries about and it’s the regional centre produce of creative locals in Thomastown city’ because of the local black limestone, for more traditional pursuits like agriculture ( p334 ) and Bennettsbridge ( p333 ) which resembles a slate-coloured marble. (you’ll see farmers on tractors stoically dodg- This attractive stone is seen to most striking ing tour buses). effect in the cathedral, and is used on floors and in decorative trim all over town. ORIENTATION Kilkenny can get crowded. If possible, At the junction of several major highways, POPULATION: 75,500 AREA: 1274 SQ KM try for a weekday or sometime out of sea- Kilkenny straddles the River Nore, which 324 KILKENNY CITY •• County Kilkenny lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com KILKENNY CITY •• Information 325 0 10 km flows through much of the county. St Can- most popular heritage sites and Kilkenny’s COUNTY KILKENNY 0 6 miles ice’s Cathedral sits on the northern bank of premier tourist attraction. The first structure To Portlaoise Timahoe (12km) the River Bregagh (a tributary of the Nore) to on this strategic site was a wooden tower Borris- N7 Kilkea in-Ossory N8 R the north of the town centre outside the town built in 1172 by Richard de Clare, the Anglo– i v e KILDARE r walls. Kilkenny’s main thoroughfare, Parlia- Norman conqueror of Ireland better known as R426 B a Old r Abbeyleix r Town o ment and High Sts, runs southeast from the Strongbow. In 1192 Strongbow’s son-in-law, LAOIS w R430 N78 cathedral. Kilkenny Castle, on the banks of the William Marshall, erected a stone castle with R433 N80 To Dublin River Nore, dominates the town’s southern four towers, three of which survive. The castle (56km) side. John St is the main road on the east side was bought by the powerful Butler family in Clogh N9 of the River Nore and links up with Dublin 1391, and their descendants continued to live River Nore Durrow COUNTY KILKENNY R426 Killeshin Rd at MacDonagh train station with its vast there until 1935. Maintaining such a structure Carlow new shopping mall. became a big financial strain and most of the N80 furnishings were sold at auction. The castle Cullahill Castlecomer INFORMATION was handed over to the city in 1967 for the Ballyragget N78 Bookshops princely sum of £50. N8 Kilkenny Book Centre (%776 2117; 10 High St) This, One glance should tell you that the castle Swifte's in Heath in the largest bookshop in town, stocks a range of titles, as has been modified through the centuries. First D r CARLOW e well as periodicals and a big range of maps. There’s a good of all it’s missing a wall – a key defensive de- N77 iv COUNTY KILKENNY Leighlinbridge Freshford R café upstairs. ficiency. Second, there’s all those windows – R693 N99 perfect targets, say, for a catapult. Most of Urlingford Dunmore Cave Bagenalstown Emergency the changes visible today date from the 19th Police station (%999, 22222; Dominic St) century when efforts were made to banish the Paulstown gloom and bring in the cheer. By then the only Kilkenny Internet Access real defensive worry was a peasant flinging a N10 (%777 0051; 4 Patrick St; per hr €4; h8am- R Café Net rotten potato. i R700 v Slieveardagh Hills e r 9pm Mon-Sat, noon-9pm Sun) There are regular 40-minute guided tours Gowran Ballycallan N o r e E-centre (%776 0093; 26 Rose Inn St; per hr €6; that focus on the Long Gallery, in the wing of Borris Nore View R h9am-9pm) the castle nearest the river. The gallery, which K Folk Museum iv in Bennettsbridge e g r ’s R i Dungarvan B showcases stuffy portraits of the Butler family ve Burnchurch r a Nore Valley Tullaherin r r Camping & o Laundry members over the centuries, is an impressive Kilfane w N76 R697 Caravan Park Killenaule R703 Bretts Launderette (%63200; Michael St; per load hall with high ceilings vividly painted with Graiguenamanagh Callan Kells €15; h8.30am-8pm Mon-Sat) Self-service and drop-off.