County Kilkenny
Information and Tourism
On a fine summer's day, County Kilkenny in the 'sunny south-east' of Ireland offers a pretty pastoral scene. Lush river valleys and green fields abound. Dotted here and there are villages that wouldn't look out of place on a box of chocolates.
County Kilkenny is also renowned for its impressive historic architecture. Much of it has a religious bent, including Jerpoint Abbey, an impressive Cistercian ruin. The hard-to-pronounce village of Graiguenamanagh, which literally translates as 'village of the monks', is home to Duiske Abbey, while the charming town of Kells boasts the only complete set of medieval walls in Ireland.
At the heart of Kilkenny is its county town, although you might upset a few locals if you insist on calling it a town too loudly. The title of city, awarded by Royal Charter in 1609, is still closely guarded. That said, this is the smallest city in Ireland, so you can easily take in most of its sights without wearing out too much shoe leather. There is an abundance of historical buildings here too, and popular tourist haunts include Kilkenny Castle and St. Canice's Cathedral. For post-sightseeing refreshments, there are also plenty of watering holes - around 60 pubs and bars in total, so a tour of the city may take longer than expected.
If you have any energy left, County Kilkenny has lots of opportunities for you to try out your golfing skills. The Mount Juliet Golf Course in Thomastown has, in recent years, hosted several major and professional golfing championships.
County Kilkenny Information and Fast Facts
- Country: Republic of Ireland
- Province: Leinster
- Population: approximately 98,000
- County administrative town or city: Kilkenny
- Language: English
- Area: 800 square miles / 2,070 square kilometres
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