Kilkenny (9/13)

[Chris] 

On Saturday, we decided to wake up at 6:30 am (1:30 am to our bodies) and drive to Kilkenny for our first "Adventure".  It's about an hour away and is considered THE medieval town of Ireland due to its historic castle. We chose this day because it was also the day of the annual Medieval Marathon, which complicated driving a bit, but it was also our first chance using the Irish parking app!

Things we saw in town:

• the river and marathon/10k
• the most amazing rainbow welcoming us to Ireland
• some charity shops (thrift stores)
• the Black Abbey (actual mass started while we were there, maybe the largest stain glass in Ireland)
• Southwicks brewery (we declined the tour)
• lunch at a gas station (long story, but it was delicious!) 
• the Round Tower at St. Canice's Cathedral (maybe the tallest tower in Ireland, maybe the oldest tower in Ireland, something superlative)
• the Butler House gardens 
• the Butler Gallery (art museum) 
• the castle rose garden
• the castle lawn
• and of course THE KILKENNY CASTLE.  We picked up a family pass for Irish historical sites which should more than pay for itself over our time here.   Our guide Mary was amazing, and we learned a lot about castles, their frequent turnover and renovations, and their decay and restoration.

Butler is the family that owned the castle for its final 600 years.  Interestingly the patriarch of that family was the butler to the king, so the king changed their name from Fitzgerald to Butler.  You can read more here if you are interested:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilkenny_Castle

 

We have arrived!

River, back side of castle, and marathon runners along the esplanade

Flowers along the river

A different Sam's Club?

The view of the Round Tower from the bottom.  The space to climb 100m was claustrophobic.

The view from the top

Me waving to Sam

The well-known Irish Cross

Medieval!

Butler Gallery. There were 200 of these blocks, each painted with a microscopic view of a major world city (approx one per country).

A lot to see!

Butler House gardens

 

A neat tree in the woods by the castle lawn

Lily teaching chess after a drizzle darkened the board appropriately

View from the Rose Garden

In the underground chambers, which are the only part of the castle that were not updated by various owners over the past 700 years.  The top of the chamber is "wattle and daub" (sticks and mud) construction which apparently is strong enough to support solid stone above it.

 

Very ornate

Giant Irish Elk horns (long extinct, these were unearthed, not hunted).  The largest deer to ever live.

 

 

"Chinese" was the fashion of the day, very exotic.  This room only has part of the original wall paper (in color), the rest was more recently hand drawn to complete it.

 

 

I think this was a table offered in peace with engravings of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Another impressive room, just can't be captured on camera.

These shields were used to protect the faces of sitting women from the heat of the fire, which would melt their make up.  I will add this to my radiation heat transfer lectures.  Apparently this is the origin of the phrases "Save face" and "Have a melt down" although the internet disagrees.

 

There were 7 giant tapestries

I think this bed was when the Queen came to visit

A massive art hall was the end of the tour