I felt a bit odd being the only guest at the hostel. While I was having my breakfast I chatted a bit with the owner. Turns out that the hostel had been a small 15 bed place and the renovations not only modernized it, but doubled the size. For a while Ray wasn't sure what changes to make, then he spent some months backpacking around South America. It was during this trip that he kept tract of the things that worked and didn't work at the different hostels he stayed at. They even had a dishwasher at this place!
I didn't explain the rtw bit, but he asked where I was from, what I thought of Kilkenny, and where I was headed next.
Ray – What do you do now in NYC?\
Me – I was in finance, but now I'm taking some time off and don't have a job.
Ray – Would you like one? I could used some more people here.
Me – No thanks, I'm not quite at the point where I am ready to work.
I'm not actually adverse to working at some point. Now just isn't the right time and Kilkenny isn't the right place. I would need it to fall into my lap at a time when I don't have massive amounts of things booked and when I am in a place that I would like to get to know better.
After chatting with Ray and leaving my bag in the common room I headed off to see Kilkenny.
My first stop was the St. Candice Cathedral. This cathedral is how Kilkenny first got its city status and how it retains it, despite the small size of the place. The 800 year old cathedral is pretty interesting. There is a lot of graves and funerary sculpture to check out. Plus, they allow pictures inside. Many of the graves were those of the Butler family. The Butlers were an English family that bought Kilkenny Castle a long time ago.
One odd bit in the cathedral was the Kyteler slab. It was found outside of the home of Kilkenny's witch, Dame Alice Kyteler. Apparently both her and her daughter were jailed for being witches in 1324. Somehow Alice escaped, but she left her daughter behind. He daughter was the first woman in Ireland to be burned at the stake for being a witch.
Next to the cathedral is a 1000 year old tower. The monks would use this to protect themselves from the Vikings and as a lookout over the town. To get to the top it takes some effort and more dexterity than I really have. The last bit is the hardest, squeezing through the top hole. I barely made it, and had to hold back chuckling when a big German guy almost got stuck. Of course, squeezing my over sized (but getting smaller) rear down the hole probably looked just as silly. The view was worth the climb and I took a ton of pictures. Otherwise, you might not believe that I actually climbed up there.
While in the cathedral I ran into Haley, an American studying in Aberdeen for a semester. As there are only about 4 small sites in Kilkenny, and we would have run into each other at each one, we decided to see the town together.
We headed first to the Black Abbey. It's about 800 years old and the oldest abbey in Ireland that is not in ruins. Instead of being destroyed during the reformation, it was converted into a courthouse. This only protected the building for a bit. When Cromwell's troops came through the city in 1650 they desecrated the cathedral. It wasn't until 1816 that the building was once again being used as a cathedral. The abbey does not have that rebuilt feel to it. When it was being remodeled a statue of the trinity was found hidden in the wall from the 1400's. Outside of the building are empty stone coffins. That was pretty quickly.
Haley and I made a quick stop at the unimpressive St. Mary's Cathedral before wandering down to the castle. A wooden fortification had been built here in 1172. This was later replaced by a stone castle. The Butler family bought the castle in 1391 and over the next several years refurbished it to be less of a castle and more of a palace. The Butlers left Ireland and sold off most of the castle's contents, leaving the building vacant in the 1930's. The building sat empty and deteriorated greatly. In 1967 the Butlers, now living in America, sold the castle to the people of Kilkenny for about $100. It was decided that the castle should be restored to its 1830's glory. Quite a bit has been done, however much is left to be refurbished.
During the restoration an attempt was made to reunite as many of the original objects and paintings to the castle. This was only mildly successful. About 15 years ago an American recognized a print of one of the original paintings that had not been found. Turns out that the painting was hanging in a bar in Manhattan. The castle was able to buy back the painting and hung it in its original spot.
The castle was quite lovely, however Haley and I were in agreement that the people with kids should have been thrown out. They were letting the kids scream and run wild during the entire tour. The kids were touching everything and making it hard to hear the guide. I did manage to learn a few interesting things. People used to sleep upright because they felt that it was healthier than lying down. Women used to pluck their hair to create larger foreheads because they thought it made them look smarter. Also, slopped steps make you look more graceful. Well, anyone but me. I almost fell down them.
A small cemetery behind the castle held the remains of a few members of the Butler's family. Their dog Sandy was also buried beside them.
Haley and I grabbed lunch at a cute place called Blaa Blaa Blaa. Then we wandered down the river Nore. There was still time before my bus, but not really enough time to do any of the day trips I had planned.
Kilkenny is adorable, but you really only need one day to see it, even less if the brewery is closed as it was when I was there. What you need time for is all the interesting sites just out of the city. I really wish that I had gotten my act together sooner so that I could have done one.
I said goodbye to Haley and headed off to the bus station. The driver was a bit mad and I was happy when we finally reached Dublin. I spent that evening talking with Rory and Michele before going to sleep.
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