Kilkenny and Kinsale (part 1)

We left Dublin on Sunday morning and headed south towards Kilkenny to visit the city's castle. The castle was beautifully restored and inside was decorated as it would have been the last time it was occupied. The castle seemed more of a manor than a defensive castle.

We were lucky with the weather again. It rained a bit while we were inside the castle, but as we left to walk the streets of Kilkenny the skies cleared again.

We walked up and down the streets (a lot was closed since it was Sunday) and ended up eating in an old bank converted into a restaurant.  I had a Kilkenny beer :)

From Kilkenny we continued south to the small town of Kinsale. After getting lost and asking for directions a few times (...it's right past the green and then hang an immediate right, keep the church on you right side...)  we finally made it up a tiny street to our B&B: The Old Presbytery.

The Old Presbytery was a wonderful place to stay. It had onsite parking and you could walk into town. The owners were very nice and informative. The breakfast was good too.

After walking around town and down to the dock we looked for a place to eat. We ended up at a place our B&B recommended called Finn's Table. Apparently it's new restaurant that just opened up. Toward the end of dinner the chef/owner came out and was talking with people and I overheard him talking about getting the place ready and how everything was going (his wife was sick, they lived upstairs, adjusting to life in Kinsale...).

 I had the scallops and lobster. The scallops were the best I have ever had! I would highly recommend visiting Finn's Table if you are ever in Kinsale.

On Monday we shopped around and found some Ireland souvenirs made in Kinsale by a company called Wild Goose. Throughout or trip I noticed Wild Goose crafts and thought about our time in Kinsale.

After shopping we met up with a tour lead by Dermot Ryan. The tour way ok, not as wonderful as it was advertised on TripAdvisor. If I were to do it again. I would go with the other guys -Dave and Barry (I think). Despite that, I did learn a few things like most of the market area is built on reclaimed land and boats would hook up to the post below:

I did like seeing all of the fun colored building.

Dermot Ryan

After the tour we headed out to explore the the surrounding area.