Kilkenny

25 June 2012

First of all, interesting name, right? The girls liked saying, “We’re going to Kilkenny” because it sounds like, “We’re going to kill Kenny.” Haha.

On our way from Cork to Kilkenny, we stopped at Cahir Castle. That was really cool! Our guide told us about some of the defenses that castles had in order to protect themselves. For example, the stairs were all built unevenly so that it was harder for enemies to run up them (and trust me, you really had to watch your step!). And going up, the stairs turn clockwise so that if you’re right-handed, you can’t use your sword very well. But if you’re coming down and turning counter-clockwise, your left hand is against the wall and your right hand is free.

After Cahir Castle, we went to the Rock of Cashel. But here’s the thing. It’s not just a single rock. It refers to all of the stone that was used to build the religious buildings that are there. It was a pretty neat place. I mostly enjoyed walking around the cemetery in the back. I found two graves with the name Johanna on them. I thought that was cool because my sister’s name is Johannah and it’s not a very common name.

There was also a giant cross outside with a myth attached to it. Our guide told us that if we can put our arms around it and have our middle fingers touch, then we won’t have toothaches for the rest of our lives. Well I hate tooth pain, so I thought I better give it a try. I didn’t make it. Not even close. So it looks like I’ll be experiencing some toothaches in my time.

Another myth is that if you hop all the way around the cross seven times in a row, then you’ll get married within the next year. Yeah, I didn’t try that one. Haha.

After leaving the Rock of Cashel, we drove to Kilkenny Castle. It was more modern than the others have been (there was actually a roof!). I think it could have been more fun, but we got there about a half hour before it closed, so the employees were really rushing us through. And we couldn’t take pictures inside, and that’s always lame. So there’s not really a whole lot to say about that.

We checked into our hotel, and then some of the girls and I went into town to find some more people to talk to. But Kilkenny is significantly smaller than Cork, and there wasn’t nearly as much going on. However, we did get to watch Gerard Hayes from Lord of the Dance for free! He was dancing in one of the pubs, so we went in and watched him. (He’s a really famous Irish dancer.)

Afterwards, we tried to find something else to do, but there just wasn’t anything going on. So we went back to the hotel instead. I got to Skype with my family again, which was especially nice because I could do it in my room and because the internet connection was a lot better.

That was my only night in Kilkenny (and to be honest, I’m kind of glad). We went to Dublin the next morning.