Picture Gallery in Kilkenny Castle

We said farewell to our Dublin flat this morning and strategically squeezed the four of us with our full packs into one trip on the tiny lift. As Lisa said, it was like a big game of Tetris. We climbed onto yet another bus to begin the day’s adventure, but this time we were headed south to Kilkenny for the next couple of days. It was a pretty quick trip and we were walking the picturesque streets of Kilkenny by midday.

Did not see a pie shop nearby

Loved this picture in a bar we walked by

Cool old church

In the churchyard

A blaa is a type of roll that is often used to make a blaa sandwich

We found lunch at an Asian restaurant and it was a delicious and well-prepared change from our pub fare of the last few days. Properly nourished, we walked down the street to the centerpiece of town, the Kilkenny Castle.

Portions of the castle date back to the early 13th century, and it was remodeled and added onto several times over the century. From about 1930 to the 1960’s it was left empty and suffered from serious decay and rot. In recent years it has been painstakingly restored and the “before and after” pictures were fascinating. Replicas of some original wall coverings were reproduced based on scraps of those coverings that were salvaged from behind baseboards. Copies of the original carpets were made after receipts were found for the original purchase and the patterns were tracked down at the company that made them.

Castle front

Moorish staircase

Mansplaining

The final room, the Picture Gallery, was truly breathtaking. It was built during the early 19th century and featured a huge arching timbered ceiling with gorgeous detailing. The end result is a beautiful and sumptuous castle that blew us away. After visiting many, many castles over the years, this one was the most impressive in the restoration of the original elegance.

Even the roof was painted

Each brace was a different animal

Next to the castle was a very large gallery showcasing local art and high quality crafts, such as Waterford crystal, Barbour coats, fine ceramics, and woolen goods. There were also some jewelry workshops on the grounds. The jeweler was quite talkative and told us a lot about the history of the shop and his work there. Mike and Lisa were very interested in his tools, both having taken jewelry making classes.

Old Irish rune alphabet the jeweler uses on some rings he makes

While in Kilkenny, we had to sample the locally brewed Smithwicks beer and hear some Irish music. Mike also tried clonakilty, chicken wrapped in bacon and stuffed with black pudding, covered with leek cream sauce. It was quite good!

Outside the bar we went to – apparently Smithwicks is brewed in Kilkenny

Hurling is a MAJOR sport in Kilkenny