A Piece of the Rock

There are a lot of castles in Ireland (though not as many as in England) and today we saw two of them.  We started at Kilkenny Castle.  This was pretty impressive, but where I was expecting medieval knights, lords, and ladies, it turns out that they restored it to an 18^th or 19^th Century time when the castle was still lived in by the Butler family.  The guides to the castle were very knowledgeable too, which I liked. 

Kilkenny Castle

Family at the Fountain, Kilkenny Castle

Castle Grounds, Kilkenny Castle

The town of Kilkenny is also very old.  It was founded in the sixth century, and the layout of the town reflects this.  We rode around on a “tour train,” and the roads were very narrow and winding.  We didn’t get a chance to see everything, but soon all the tour buses arrived and everything got jammed up, so we would have spent a lot of time waiting. 

When I think of castles, something like the Rock of Cashel is what I imagine.  It’s a huge gray fortress on the top of a hill overlooking Tipperary.  The surrounding views were spectacular and this is what I’d recommend anyone who comes here to be sure to see.  After all, it was good enough for Queen Elizabeth. 

Rock of Cashel

Boys on the Rocks

 View of Tipperary from the Rock

Ruins seen from the Rock

After this we took mostly back roads to Waterford.  The “long way” gave us (well, me anyway) some views as to how the Irish really live.  Lots of farms and small towns with unexpected picture opportunities (I know, I know—I’m a city boy).  Waterford is known for its crystal work, but no one was really interested in seeing that, so we walked around the town instead.   

Castle in the Country

 Waterford Street

Present location:  52.249954, -7.119935