April 6 - Kilkenny is a nice town, I hope this tower doesn't collapse while we're in it, and what sport is THAT?!

April 6 - Kilkenny is a nice town, I hope this tower doesn't collapse while we're in it, and what sport is THAT?!

We woke up on Saturday morning around 8:30 feeling much more like our normal selves, and packed up to head to Kilkenny. We ate breakfast first in the hotel, which was very good. We did not, however, try any black pudding. Maybe we'll try it at some point - we'll see!

After loading up our little car (which we have christened "Seamus"), we hit the road to Kilkenny. We made it out of Dublin with only one extra field trip trying to get onto the highway. The highways here are really nice and well maintained. We didn't have any scary moments, thankfully! The drive to the Kilkenny exit was about an hour and 15 minutes, and once we got off we headed slightly north to Dunmore Cave. The entrance to the cave was just off of a little farm lane, and we actually missed the turn off at first because there was a tractor blocking the sign. Farm country problems! :) One great thing about driving here is that everything is really well signed - this includes highways, local attractions, and historical sights. We got to Dunmore and headed in for a tour. The cave was really pretty - lots of pretty stalagmites and stalactites, including some in fun shapes. There is a chamber 50 meters below the main one that you can reach only by shimmying down a long tunnel on your stomach, this ends at a huge crystal pool. We saw some photos of it and it looks beautiful! The water was amazingly clear. We also learned some neat stories about the cave. In the 1970's a guide discovered a pile of Viking treasure behind some rocks. The jewelry and coins that comprised it are now in the National Museum in Dublin, and several of the items that were found have not been found anywhere else in the world. This includes some silver cones that were made of silver wire that was woven together. In the large rear chamber of the cave, bones of 44 women and children were found, as well as hundred of coins dating from the Viking time period. The story is that there was a ring fort near the cave, and when the vikings raided the fort all the women and children headed to the cave to hide. The vikings discovered their hiding spot and massacred all of them. The interesting part about this is that, in lieu of pockets or pouches, the vikings would melt beeswax, apply it to their coins, and then stick it to their beards. When they raided the cave, the contained heat from their torches and fires melted all the beeswax and all the coins well off.

Another piece of local lore that we learned was about the witch Alice Kytler. She was a wealthy Kilkenny woman who had been married four times, and her fourth husband was apparently dying. Other townspeople accused her of killing them by witchcraft, and they also accused her maid. They were both sentenced to be burned at the stake, but the night before the burning Alice escaped and was never seen again. Poor Petronilla, her maid servant, was burned and she was the first and last woman burned in Ireland for witchcraft. Within the cave there is a shadow that looks exactly like a witch on a broomstick, and the lore is that this was Alice's hiding place. The story of Alice is a big part of Kilkenny history, there are Kytler family tombs at St. Canice's Cathedral, and the Kytler house not only is still in Kilkenny, it is a pub that has been open since the 1300's and was originally run by Alice the witch herself. We actually had dinner there later that night. No poisonings to report! The food was really good. We'll get to that soon!

After leaving the cave we headed into Kilkenny. We made it to our hotel using our trusty map, and checked in. We're staying at the Pembroke Hotel, which is right downtown. We're about a 5 minute walk from the castle, and also 5 minutes from the High Street, with all the shops and restaurants. We immediately headed out to the Castle!!! Interestingly, the castle was originally built by William Marshal, the first Earl of Pembroke, in 1195. This was really exciting for me, as I am fascinated by "the Marshal," as he was known. He successfully existed at the English court in a really tumultuous time - he was a favorite of Eleanor of Acquitaine, as well as of Henry the Second (this was no mean feat, as the two hated each other in the part of life that they knew William during) who were ruling during his first years as a knight, and then the three kings succeeding them. He ended his days as the Regent of England, one of the wealthiest and most famous men of his time, and he left a legacy of success and happiness. He married Isabelle de Clare, whose father Richard had been married to an Irish princess, Aoife - the de Clare lands was one of the greatest inheritances in England, and by marrying Isabelle Williams came into these. He was also known as the best knight of his time, winning every tourney that he attended, and being an incredible jouster. In addition to all of this he was a fearless battle commander.

Anyway, sorry for the history moment! I highly recommend reading about him.
The castle was beautiful, and had been added to by the Ormonde's ever since they first inhabited it. The Butler family, which bore the title of Duke of Ormonde, Earl of Pembroke, and a bunch of others, lived there until 1935 when they were majorly cash strapped and they left the castle. They auctioned off almost all of the contents, and the castle was left empty and in great disrepair until the 70's. Major renovations have taken place, and much of the castle has been restructured to its original state. They also recovered many of the items that were auctioned. We thoroughly enjoyed the castle tour, and then we headed out to explore the huge parkland that is still part of the estate. It is now a city park, and we walked miles of beautiful trails through forested areas, as well as across the enormous lawn that stretches out in front of the castle. It was a beautiful day, and there were many families playing and relaxing in the park.

After this we stopped at a small bakery for a snack and coffee. Brandon had a chocolate eclair and I had something called "vanilla slice." It was essentially a Napolean, and oh my gosh were they both delicious!

We then headed to the other end of town to go to St. Canice's Cathedral. Those of you who have looked at my photos on Facebook will see that I accidentally called the cathedral St. Chanice's! The reason for this is that when Brandon and I started looking at the cathedral several months ago, the first time I said the name, he thought that I had said St. Chauncey's Cathedral. It's definitely a big joke between us. We got to the church and decided straight away to climb the tower located next to it. The tower was built in 842 as part of the original monastery that was there, and it was quite interesting to climb! We had to go up these steep ladders, and then squeeze out of a little hole onto the top. It was a very good thing that we were the only people there! The views from the top were absolutely breathtaking! Amazing views of the castle, other cathedral's in the town, as well as the surrounding countryside and the cathedral itself, as we were above it. As many of you know, I have a slight fear of heights, but I don't let it stop me from doing things. While climbing back down I said to Brandon "I hope this doesn't collapse while we're in it!" He pointed out that it has, in fact, survived the last 1150 years, and that we would most likely be just fine. Such logic! Such reason!

We then headed into the church. What a beautiful place! Once again we were the only people there, and it was wonderful inside. The ceiling of the church was made of these beautiful wooden beams rather than the stone that is normally seen in cathedrals. We both decided that it was one of our favorite cathedrals out of all the others that we have been to. We then explored the graveyard and grass around the church itself, and headed back into town.

After walking the streets for a while we decided to go to Kytler's Inn for dinner. The atmosphere was so cool inside! It definitely felt like stepping back into time, although I imagine is looks quite different from how it looked in the 1300's. I had fish and chips, and Brandon had Salmon and Haddock cakes and chips. Everything was really good - nice greasy pub food! While we were eating we noticed a TV displaying a game of a sport we didn't recognize. It was all men, on a pitch similar to a soccer field, with a goal post that had a net as well as the two highs of american football. The men were using these sticks that had a handle like a short hockey stick, and a hard round piece on the end. The game looked really intense and somewhat violent, the men had no problem whacking each other with their sticks! We had no idea what sport it was, and when we returned to the hotel we asked the lady at the front desk. She told us that it was hurling, and Brandon and I both had a moment of "OH!" We've both heard of hurling but had never seen it. She also told us that the men who play on the national teams are not paid anything, they just do it for love of county and sport! Apparently Kilkenny is the number one team, and has been for the last decade. Well done, Kilkenny!

We then strolled the streets for a while, and there were SO MANY PEOPLE going out! All the pubs were packed and we could tell that it was a lively Saturday night in Kilkenny.

More to come soon! Take care dear friends.

XO

Linds