Best of Kilkenny

In the southeast of Ireland, Kilkenny is a picturesque city of medieval lanes and Norman heritage. The 12th-century castle that rises above the River Nore is Kilkenny’s most famous landmark and attests to the town’s importance in the Middle Ages, when it was the unofficial capital of Ireland. Kilkenny can also lay claim to being one of the nation’s liveliest inland settlements. County Kilkenny has a rich art and crafts tradition, and the streets are dotted with studios, shops and galleries. 

A short drive northwest of Kilkenny, you can explore the stalactite-filled chambers of Dunmore Cave. South of Kilkenny, you can see the beautifully preserved remains of Jerpoint Abbey, a Cistercian Monastery founded over 800 years ago. West of town, you can visit the rural Ballykeefe Distillery, a sustainably run operation that grows its own barley and feeds the byproducts to its livestock. Wherever you go, leave time to explore the old lanes of Kilkenny and peek inside major monuments like St Canice’s Cathedral (second in size only to St Patrick’s in Dublin).