Kilkenny is one of the loveliest cities in Ireland’s Ancient East. Once a medieval capital, Kilkenny is known for its 12th century Kilkenny Castle, the well-preserved Medieval Mile and a thriving local arts, crafts & design scene. It’s also the heartland of hurling, one of Ireland’s ancient indigenous sports. Kilkenny is just a 90 minute drive from Dublin, so we visited on a day tour from Dublin which spent the morning in Glendalough & the Wicklow Mountains, and the afternoon in Kilkenny. It’s the warmest part of Ireland, and on the day we visited in early June, the weather was glorious. It was the first day of the trip that really felt like a summer holiday!

Lunch at Matt The Millers

We arrived in Kilkenny hungry, so we started with lunch at Matt The Millers, a charming pub that overlooks the River Nore. I had a smokey seafood chowder with salmon, cod, hake and smoked haddock, with a side of Irish brown bread – I could not get enough of this stuff! 

David had Chicken Clonakilty, which is chicken stuffed with black pudding and wrapped in bacon, and covered in mustard and Irish cheddar sauce. A health food, obviously! This was possibly the only meal in Ireland when he didn’t order a Guinness – he found the strength to try the local Kilkenny amber ale instead. 

Walking the Medieval Mile

After lunch, we wandered along the Medieval Mile, which connects Kilkenny Castle with the 13th century St Canice’s Cathedral. The Medieval Mile is dotted with colourful shops and pubs, and former merchant houses and homes which are hundreds of years old. Darting off the mile are laneways and alleyways, which syphon pedestrians out of the modern world and into the past. We stopped in at The Book & Coffee Shop, which sells new & second-hand books – I could have spent a lot longer here! The woman in the shop was very friendly, and recommended we also visit Rothe House if we had time. We spent too long at Kilkenny Castle in the end, but I liked getting a bit of local advice all the same. Next time!

Visiting Kilkenny Castle

It wasn’t until I visited Ireland that I truly appreciated that Ireland was an occupied nation for more than 800 years. It’s only been a free state for just over a hundred years, following centuries of occupation. You’ll confront this history all over Ireland, and Kilkenny was a perfect example. Kilkenny Castle is one of the longest occupied buildings in Ireland. It was built soon after the Norman (English) conquest, as a defensive castle in the 13th century. It was built upon the site that the invader Strongbow had built a castle on, which before that was the site of residence of the native Irish Kings of Osraighe, as the area was known before occupation. The Irish kings were the Mac Giolla Phadraig, a name which is today anglicised as Fitzpatrick.

Kilkenny Castle has  been extended and remodelled over the centuries since, and today most of the interiors are Victorian.

The last private owners were the Butlers of Ormonde, who held power in the region for more than 600 years. The Butlers were English aristocracy, and so it is their family history that lines the walls. One of the Butlers, Margaret Butler, was the grandmother of Anne Boleynn. In 1967, Arthur Butler sold the castle to the Castle Restoration Committee for just 50 pound, so that it could be preserved for the people of Kilkenny. The Butler fortunes had changed in the 20th century, and owning and maintaining a castle was unsustainable for a single private family. It was a little bit unsettling, being in Ireland and touring the castle, which exclusively told the story of an English family. It really brought Ireland’s history home, for me.

Kilkenny Castle is on 50 acres of parkland, and is free to visit. It’s a beautiful place, with expansive grounds and a meticulously preserved castle, which is striking and beautiful in its own right.

The interiors are also incredible. Rich reds, yellows, blues and greens were used with abandon – not a #sadbeige in sight! Mustard brocade wallpaper, blue velvet couches and patterned marble floors made every inch of Kilkenny Castle interiors a feast for the eyes. The interiors are Victorian, rather than medieval.

There is so much to see inside the castle, that by the time we were finished we had JUST enough time for a cheeky soft serve from a well-placed ice cream van outside the gates, before we hopped back on the bus, and back to Dublin.

I loved visiting a second Irish city, and could have spent a couple of days in pretty, sunny and historic Kilkenny.