Witches and Castles in Kilkenny

 Dear reader, this is where my Ireland trip differs from my other Europe trips greatly. I have become accustomed to my primary mode of transportation while travelling being my own two feet, and public transportation when absolutely necessary. But this time, in order to see Ireland wholly and truly, we rented a car.
             

The rental car process is an adventure in and of itself, let alone the actual feat of driving. And oh what a feat it was! Driving down two lane roads that were no wider than my driveway; hidden speed and traffic cameras everywhere; driving on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road…

Oh, and there was also some pretty bad traffic.

The driving responsibility fell solely on P’s shoulder’s, because I was too young to rent a car (nevermind the fact that I was the one that taught him to drive). It was definitely a challenge for me to “take a back seat” and just trust in P’s adaptability. The extended insurance also really helped with this challenge!

So, after a couple days in Dublin, we picked up our rental car and drove to Kilkenny, a pretty town a couple of hours South East of Dublin. 

After the adventure of trying to park, we breathed a breath of relief and got settled into our hostel.

Just look at my motley crew:

Our first order of business was walking through town to scope out where to eat. On our wanders, we came across the COOLEST THING A CITY HAS EVER DONE. Okay, so I’m not really an authority or anything, but this was pretty awesome.

In the main strip on the lower side of the town, there was a row of stores and restaurants. Across from the storefronts, there was a boarded up area with wood painted on it, and notices about witches and witchcraft. Alex and I immediately swooned. But only it got even cooler, because through the deliberate knots and holes cut in the fence, a passerby could view through to the other side of the boards and see some awesome graffiti. This was such a cool and fun project that I had chills. 

It turns out that the area had been an eyesore in comparison to the shops across the street, so the town took on a beautification project and this is what they came up with. So much cooler than a flower garden in a traffic median, I’d say. The project they came up with drew upon local folklore about a witch named Alice Kyteler who owned an Inn + restaurant.

                                


                               


Most of the notices on the boards mentioned Kyteler, and the witch visible through the boards was ostensibly her. Kytler’s actual Inn had been transformed into a pub, so we made sure to stop in there for a bite and a pint. 

 After lunch we continued on our way to the very first legit castle I have ever seen. Although this would not end up on my favourites list, it will still always have a fond place in my heart for having been the first. 

The castle grounds were wonderfully kept, so we started by traipsing a circumference of the grounds, and just letting the magnificence of the structure impose itself on us.

Unfortunately we did not manage to take any pictures of the inside of the castle, but it had been set up as a very well curated and decorated museum. I would definitely recommend stopping by Kilkenny for a quick day trip if you’re in the region.