Day Trip to Kilkenny Castle

The last time I visited Kilkenny Castle, I was three years old. My favorite picture (and only real memory) of that trip to Ireland was sprinting through the rain with Finbarr to the castle walls. Coming back sixteen years later, with him and his family, felt like something of a homecoming.

Kilkenny Castle was finished in the early thirteenth century after the Norman conquest of Ireland. Many owners and wars later, it was handed over to the state in 1967 and opened to visitors. One of the few restored and furnished castles in Ireland, Kilkenny is a beautiful (and only slightly imposing) structure. The surrounding lawn and gardens are straight out of a fairy tale.

When Finbarr and Fadila took the kids into town to go book-shopping, I did a self-guided tour of the very lavish, very Victorian interior. The towering ceilings were incredible, and the decor felt as authentic as it was stately. After my tour, I went downstairs to the Castle Tea Room, where I had the most amazing Danish pastry with cream and strawberries.

Finally, I exited the castle to tour the gardens in the back. One of the gates overlooked the River Nore, which wound its way through the colorful village, ultimately blending in with the blue-grey sky above. After spending some time by the fountain in the garden, I met back up with Finbarr, and we drove back to Carlow for the evening. Traveling has been so exhausting, and this short day trip gave me much-needed time to unwind back at the house. I'm in love with everything about this country, but I've never appreciated the quiet power of *r e s t* so much.