The Road to Kilkenny
Adare
Adare was so sweet; a wee pit stop on our longest day of driving, idyllic with thatched-roof cottages lining the street.
The Rock of Cashel
The Rock of Cashel gave us an up close historical experience. Being from California, a site that is 100 years old can be considered historic. Yet in Ireland, sites like the Rock of Cashel provide centuries of history.
The Rock of Cashel in Cashel, County Tipperary, is a jewel atop a hill, surrounded by lush green landscape scattered with grazing sheep. The Rock of Cashel is breathtakingly beautiful despite its sometimes tragic history. The combination of these impressive structures and the countryside unfurling around you gives this site a profoundly unique sense of place.
Kilkenny
After a day of travel from the West to East side of the country, we arrived in Kilkenny. With some free time to spare, we grabbed maps of the town and headed to Kilkenny Castle where we walked the manicured grounds—you may spy in the photo that the leaves were just starting to change color. From there we headed toward a round tower we could see in the distance, following the sidewalk path along the River Nore to Saint Canice's Cathedral. We would see round towers on the trip here, at the Rock of Cashel, and again at Glendalough. We didn't have time on this trip, but visitors can actually tour the inside of the round tower at Saint Canice's—so cool!
Kilkenny is home to Smithwick's Brewery (pronounced Smitticks), known for its Irish red ale. We had a group dinner at the fancy Left Bank restaurant. Another note on pronounciation—there is a fish that commonly appears on the menu in Ireland, hake. It is a delicious flaky white fish which makes excellent fish and chips. When trying to order it at the restaurant we learned it is pronounced hake, and should rhyme with "rake."
