Final Stop in Ireland, Kilkenny

The last stop on my epic tour of Ireland was the town of Kilkenny. At this point I would like to give a shout out and a big "Thank You" to Roland's colleague Martin, who comes from Kilkenny and helped us out majorly with suggestions and pointers as we were frantically planning my last-minute trip. He suggested Kilkenny as a last port-of-call before returning to Dublin to fly home, so I spent my final day and evening here.

Unbelievably, I managed to get through my first 9 days in Ireland without any major rain or weather-related obstacles. This was incredibly lucky for me, as I had intended to focus on photography for much of my trip and managed to avoid juggling my camera and umbrella together for much of my adventure. However, this lucky streak ended in Kilkenny. I was greeted there by lots of rain and a windy cold front, which means that although I really enjoyed exploring the town, I have a bit less photography to share.

As with many of my stops in Ireland, Kilkenny had its own castle to explore. This castle was built in the early 1200's, and has been fully restored for visitors today. Unlike the other castles I visited during this trip, this castle is not in ruins. It is fully decorated in all of its historical splendor - with much of the decor having been carefully chosen to exactly duplicate that of its past. I was free to wander through and look in each room without a tour guide, which was great as I got to take my time - the downside being that photography inside was unfortunately strictly forbidden. The formal dining room was finished with a massive long table, fully set with fine china as if expecting royal guests at any moment. The bedrooms were dressed with huge iron beds complete with chamber pots. The study/library was stunning, decked out with floor to ceiling bookcases, oversize desks and stuffed leather chairs. One of the highlights was the portrait gallery. This long room featured painted portraits of each generation to live and rule in the castle. It was really interesting to put faces to those who had walked the same halls through the centuries. I really enjoyed this visit, with my only regret being that I'm not able to share photography. The castle also featured sprawling grounds, which were open to the public. I didn't go for a walk at the time because it was pouring, but they looked beautiful!

As I left the Castle I stumbled upon a food festival, which was in full swing despite the weather. I visited a few trucks along my walk back to my hotel, tasting a few sweets and purchasing some amazing Irish cheddar cheese to take back to Rome. This was a very happy moment, as there is no such thing as cheddar cheese in Rome and I miss it dearly!

Kilkenny Castle 

Food Festival! 

Kilkenny streets 

Smithwicks Brewery! I didn't get to take a tour, sadly, because I was there on Sunday and it was closed. 

This is the end of the road for my Ireland adventures. Following my Kilkenny visit, I headed North back to Dublin to fly back to Rome. Let me tell you, I have never been so happy to return a rental car. After I handed over those keys, my blood pressure finally went back to normal.

Ireland, what can I say? I love you. Your people are some of the warmest and nicest I've met while traveling and your scenery is among the most beautiful I've laid eyes upon. I'll miss seeing your cows and sheep along the side of every road, and what will I do without your rolling green hills to inspire me? I had an amazing, once in a lifetime visit. Except, it probably won't be once in a lifetime. In fact, I am already planning my return. The only difference for next time? A few more people to join me for pints in the pub. And someone else to take the wheel. Until we meet again!

Irish Adventures, Rock of Cashel

On my way from Kinsale to Kilkenny, I stopped to visit the Rock of Cashel. I had read in a few places that this historic site was a must-see, and happily it was located conveniently along my route.

I arrived in the small town of Cashel early on a sunny Saturday morning, and as I drove in I could see its historic landmark towering over the city. The "Rock" itself is actually an outcropping of limestone reaching nearly 200 feet into the sky. The site is steeped in history and mythology, and understandably so - it is 16 centuries old! It was the castled seat of the Kings of Munster as far back as 360 A.D., and remained a royal fortress until 1101, when it was granted to the church. Remaining on the site today are the ruins of a towering chapel, a cruciform cathedral, a cluster of medieval monuments and a 92 foot tall round tower - which is the Rock's oldest remaining structure.

There is just something about standing among ruins steeped so richly in history that simply takes your breath away. I arrived at the Rock of Cashel just as it was opening to the public, and as such, I had the place to myself. I can certainly understand why it is one of the most visited sites in the country of Ireland. As I wandered among the ruins in the cold morning sunshine, I was able to take my time taking everything in. From St. Patrick's Cross, to the stunning landscapes stretching out as far as the eye could see, to the Irish High Crosses dotting the grounds, I was a bit in awe of all of my surroundings. The cathedral and tower, even in ruins, were majestic and impressive - I can only imagine what it all looked like once upon a time. I had a great time exploring and snapping photos until the grounds began to fill up with tourists and it was time to go. I'm grateful for the peaceful, quiet time I got to spend alone at this landmark. This visit has added another item to my reading list - I look forward to finding a book describing the history of the Rock of Cashel.

A view from the top of the Rock of Cashel

Rock of Cashel 

Crosses on the grounds 

View looking up the round tower 

A note on the birds. While I was on the site, there were thousands of these birds flying around. They were completely silent, and swooped back and forth across the site in great masses. It was pretty breathtaking, especially considering my surroundings. 

 View looking down on a field of sheep

Sharing my view with the birds 

A view out the door of the ruins of the Cathedral, looking onto the grounds.

Cross of St. Patrick. This cross outside on the grounds is a copy - the actual cross is kept nearby indoors, in a climate controlled environment. 

Irish Adventures, Kinsale

 The next leg of my Irish road trip brought me South, to the picturesque small town of Kinsale. Full of narrow streets, sloping hills and colorful storefronts, this waterside town has become quite the tourist hot spot. It has garnered a reputation for some of the best cuisine in Ireland, which for me turned out to be both good and bad. On one hand, the food was delicious. On the other hand, everything was quite overpriced, even in the "off" season. Kinsale is bustling and thriving all throughout the Spring and Summer months, but it was very quiet when I was there. I was told by a shopkeeper that I was there for the last open weekend of the year, and that almost everything in the town would shut down the following week and until Spring. Many places has already closed for the season, but I really enjoyed exploring everything that hadn't. I stayed three nights in my absolute favorite B&B of my Ireland trip - The Old Presbytery. Please, please, please, if you ever happen to visit Kinsale, you must stay there! It was elegant, cozy and full of character. I liked my quiet, top-floor room so much that I would have been perfectly happy to spend all my time there tucked into my ridiculously comfortable bed.

Kinsale is one of those quaint, small towns that I think is best explored with a significant other...where you wander through the streets, shop, eat nice meals and enjoy the little coffee shops and the pretty scenery. Coming from Dublin and Galway, I was in "wake up early and run all day mode." In order to fully explore those places in a limited time, I'd had to jump out of bed as early as possible and power through my days. Definitely not so with Kinsale. On my first morning there, I got up at 8:00am to find it was still fully dark out, and the world outside my window deserted. Confusingly, it stays darker for longer farther south in Ireland. After taking my time with the amazing breakfast at the B&B, I finally made it out with my camera, and looped around the town a couple of times fairly quickly.

At this point, I needed to find more to do as I had several hours until lunch. So, I took my B&B host's advice and headed out on the "Scilly Walk." Again, please please please - if you visit Kinsale, you must take this walk. It begins on a street heading out of the main town, and loops up and down hills, around Kinsale Harbor and through a gorgeous wooded path until it eventually ends up at Charles Fort, which looks out over Kinsale Harbour near where it connects to the Celtic Sea. The walk itself was beautiful and peaceful, and I came across very few other people during most of the 2.5 mile walk in each direction. It ended up being one of my favorite activities of my entire trip, which says a lot! Charles Fort is an old military fort built in the 1670's and formerly occupied by Spanish forces. It is now in ruins, but has been partially restored and sits on well-kept grounds open to the public. I spent quite a while climbing among the ruins and found it to be very beautiful and interesting. 

Kinsale Bay and the start of the Scilly Walk

Kinsale Bay

 St. Charles Fort

My remaining time in Kinsale was relaxing. I ate great food, took a cool tour of the town and visited the famous Old Head golf course for lunch. Despite the town being small, my time there really flew by and I was sad to say goodbye to the Old Presbytery.