Even with children in tow, it couldn't be easier to get to know the medieval city. Just put one foot in front of the other for a family walking tour, writes Joyce Hickey
MANY CLICHES are employed to invoke the spirit of Kilkenny, Ireland's best-preserved medieval city with a compact core and a warm character. Renowned for its arts festival, its hurlers, the Cat Laughs comedy festival and a concentration of crafts, it is one of Ireland's inland jewels.
The original monastic settlement was founded by St Canice (hence the derivation of the city's name, Cill Chainnigh) in the sixth century, and the streetscape around St Canice's Cathedral, in Irishtown, respects the line of that early enclosure. The earliest part of the city developed here; farther south, Englishtown developed around the motte built by Strongbow after 1171. The first stone castle was built on that site between 1207 and 1213, and the city's importance grew throughout the 13th century.
In 1391 James Butler, third earl of Ormond, bought the manor and castle of Kilkenny, which continued to flourish for many years under that family. Kilkenny obtained city status in 1609, when James I conferred it with a royal charter. Many religious foundations were also prominent, including St Francis' Abbey (now Smithwick's brewery) and Black Abbey, both founded in the 13th century.
This sense of history pervades every nook of the city, which is best explored on foot. If, like us, you have the good fortune to stay in a city-centre hotel (in our case the River Court), everywhere is easily accessible, and with two small boys - five-year-old Theo and three-year-old Louis - out of buggies, we wanted to be able to walk about easily and were not keen to join the snarl-ups.
Walking along the traffic-choked High Street, you would wonder at the misguided plan to construct an inner relief road (first proposed in less enlightened times); surely it would be preferable to reduce the number of vehicles in the centre and avoid further damage to the medieval heritage (above and below ground) that Kilkenny people are so proud of.
There are many quirks and curiosities to make any city- centre walk interesting: diversions down the Butterslip and other lanes that characterise the Marble City; spotting the Tudor timbers that survive in some shops along High Street; the exquisite exterior of the Shee Alms House on Rose Inn Street (now the tourist office) and, on Kieran Street, scary stories about the "witch", Alice Kyteler, born here in 1280. Early medieval burgage plots are reflected in the modern streetscape, which is punctuated by stretches of the town wall.
The interior of Kilkenny Castle is full of interest, accessible by guided tour; the complex also boasts the Butler art gallery, a rose garden and an excellent playground. Across the road, in the castle yard, is the exquisite Crafts Council of Ireland centre, with the Kilkenny Design shop, and its family-friendly restaurant, fronting on to the Parade and the castle.
On our recent weekend break (a return visit after a happy half-term) we spent the first drizzly hour in the playground, after which we repaired to Chez Pierre, on Parliament Street, for a rejuvenating and reasonable lunch. It's almost adjacent to Rothe House, a complex of three houses, three courtyards and a garden, built between 1594 and 1610 by John Rothe, a wealthy merchant. Now home to the highly regarded Kilkenny Archaeological Society and until recently the headquarters of the Heritage Council, it is undergoing some restoration before reopening as a museum, and we were sorry to miss having a snoop inside this time. We had a short stop in the Black Abbey, where the glorious stained-glass windows kept the boys spellbound for all of two minutes before the peace was breached.
Being in the company of three "hims", I didn't get into many shops (apart from Winston's, for two pairs of small gloves) but did plenty of boutique window-shopping, eyeing up the silk and sparkly dresses in Jo Duggan's and the covetable shoes and bags in Sabo (both on William Street). On High Street, Allen's had a Christmas bear in its window that even the boys wanted to admire while I noted the reductions in its kitchen shop (signs of the times included a set of Circulon saucepans reduced from €250 to €150). We spent part of the afternoon in the marvellous Kilkenny Book Centre, near the top of High Street (soup and snacks are available in the Pennyfeather restaurant, upstairs).
At the end of Parliament Street, by the city wall and towards the river, the shops in Irishtown ring the changes of many Irish towns. Siopa na nGlasraí is beside Jim Lowry's hardware and DIY shop, which looks like Dad's shed, so you know you could get anything there. Across the road is Conroy's fish shop, and a few doors down are the Eastern Food and Spices shop and Divine Continental Stores (Wholesaler and Retailer of Afro-Caribbean, Asian, European and South American Food and Drink Products).
Across the incongruously wide and fast-moving Dean Street, we toiled up the steps to the glory of the 13th-century St Canice's Cathedral, from which the view would be impressive if the rain were not closing in. Unusually, the adjacent (much earlier) round tower is open to the public for part of the year: a sign informed us that it is closed from October to March, inclusive, "because of adverse weather conditions affecting stone steps exciting [sic] to the open top". We're definitely returning in April for the excitement.
Joyce Hickey and her family stayed in Kilkenny courtesy of Fáilte Ireland
Where to stay, where to eat and where to go in Kilkenny
Where to stay
River Court Hotel. John's Bridge, 056-7723388, www.rivercourthotel.com. This four-star hotel is very comfortable without being intimidating: it's safe to let small children move about, and the staff are the friendliest and most helpful we've met. We had a lovely dinner, with a sensible children's menu - and indecently large breakfasts - in the Riverside restaurant. Our family room was a very generous size, the swimming pool was a huge draw for the boys and there is also a small gym. The hotel has special offers on its website.
Newpark Hotel. Castlecomer Road, 056-7760500, www.flynnhotels.com. Just outside the city, the Newpark is a swish hotel with a lovely pool and good offers for winter and spring breaks.
Langton House Hotel. John Street, 056-7765133, www.langtons.ie. Close to the centre, and to the new MacDonagh Junction shopping centre, Langtons is famed for its nightlife as well as its snazzy accommodation.
Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel. Ormonde Street, 056-7723900, www.kilkennyormonde.com. Luxury city centre hotel, recently refurbished, with special winter offers.
Mount Juliet. Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, 056-7773000, www.mountjuliet.ie. A gracious Georgian mansion on 600 hectares overlooking the Nore, this luxurious golf and spa hotel was Georgina Campbell's hotel of the year in 2007.
Where to eat
Café Sol. William Street, 056-7764987, www.cafesolkilkenny.com. The night we visited this "Irish-Mediterranean" restaurant, specials included artichoke and roast vegetable soup, and monkfish. The boys loved their carbonara from a decent children's menu, and we had delicious asparagus risotto and salmon.
Kilkenny Design Centre. Castle Yard, 056-7722118, www.kilkennydesign.com. This airy upstairs must have been designed with families in mind. Big tables, lots of high chairs and a simple queuing system that means there's no undue delay between "I'm hungry" and "Hey, Mummy, these meatballs are delicious". Oh, and the best brownies in Kilkenny, according to a friend who wouldn't go anywhere else on her regular visits.
Ethos Bistro. Low Street, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, 056-7754945, www.ethosbistro.com. Delicious hearty soup, panini and chicken wings served swiftly and smilingly made a great lunch after a canter around nearby Jerpoint Abbey. It's also close to Mount Juliet. I'd love to go back for dinner.
Mocha. 3 William Street, 056-7703450. We didn't get to sample its handmade chocolates and coffee but enjoyed pressing our longing noses against the window.
Campagne. The Arches, Gashouse Lane, 056-7772858, www.campagne.ie. My colleague Tom Doorley had a "quite exceptional lunch" there recently, saying you could travel a long way in France before you would encounter anything as good.
Chez Pierre. 17 Parliament Street, 056-7764655. Lunch specials included celeriac salad and goat's cheese tart. The boys were hungry, though fussy, and the chef obliged them with toasted sandwiches that were not on the menu. Service is friendly. It's also open for dinner.
Where to go
This is a marvellous part of the country, with rolling greenery punctuated by interesting towns such as Inistioge, Graiguenamanagh, Goresbridge, Bennettsbridge and Thomastown. The famed Craft Trail includes Jerpoint glass studio, Keith Mosse's woodwork, Nicholas Mosse's spongeware pottery, Chesneau leather products and a dinky crafts shop in Thomastown, All That Glisters.
Kilkenny Castle. The Parade, 056-7704100. A 13th-century castle on a bend of the Nore, with extensive parklands, rose garden, art galleries and a marvellous playground. The interior is accessible only by guided tour.
Rothe House and Garden. Parliament Street, 056-7722893, www.rothe house.com. Complex of Tudor buildings, housing the Kilkenny Archaeological Society's museum, a series of courtyards and a garden restored to its 17th-century form.
Jerpoint Abbey. Thomastown, 056-7724623. A Cistercian gem built in 1180 on the site of an earlier Benedictine priory, it boasts great views from the roof, and there is much fun in identifying the characters carved in the cloister's pillars, which cast beautiful shadows across the central lawn.
Head south from Kilkenny through Bennettsbridge and Thomastown to Inistioge, where there's cheery soup in Footlights restaurant, by the River Nore, and other lovely places to eat. The town has lost some of the prettiness portrayed in Circle of Friends, but 1,500m uphill from the centre is the marvellous woodland wonderland of Woodstock gardens and arboretum. Woodstock house was built in 1745 and burned in 1922, so while its sad shell has been stabilised, the surrounding gardens are undergoing constant restoration (it was unrecognisable from our last visit, 10 years ago). We arranged to meet friends there, and what with six adults and seven children there was enough nattering and galloping and clambering to keep the chill at bay all afternoon.
Castlecomer Discovery Park. Castlecomer, 056-4440707, www.discoverypark.ie. It's a reasonable day trip from Dublin, on the Athy side of Castlecomer, to this fabulous forest park, with its trout lakes, llamas, craft village, interactive Footprints in Coal exhibition and hearty Jarrow cafe.
Dunmore Cave. Ballyfoyle, 056-7767726. A few kilometres north of Kilkenny city, on Castlecomer Road, the limestone caves at Ballyfoyle are an impressive series of calcite formations in the limestone.