Kilkenny day trip and a River Dance

I took a quick day trip to Kilkenny on Tuesday to visit the famous Medieval town.  On the bus I met a lady who was visiting her sister for the day and she walked into the town center with me and pointed me in the direction of the castle and recommended a great local restaurant where I had a delicious lunch.  I started my time off in Kilkenny by taking a tour of the historic site with one of the local guides.  The tourism information center is housed in a Medieval building that is still owned by the Sheehan family.  The tour guide pointed out several fossils that were in the stones of the tourism building, which she said we would see throughout the town.  A few of the highlights of our tour were the Black Abbey monastery (no longer in use), the Saint Canice Cathedral, the KilkennyCastle, and the Black Abbey Road. 

Closeup of the Black Abbey Monastery

Black Abbey Road

Closeup of a fossil on the Kilkenny Visitor Center

Saint Canice Cathedral

At the cathedral I climbed the tower, which was pretty much straight up and down with very little wiggle room for backpacks.  I was able to take several photos of the town from all directions at the tower top.  I was able to tour the inside of the castle, most of which was renovated at various periods and did not reflect the Middle Ages in the interior.  The exterior of the castle was outstanding, as were the gardens surrounding the castle.

View of Kilkenny from the St. Canice Tower

Kilkenny Castle

A photo of me at Kilkenny Castle

I made it back to Dublin just in time to literally run to my hostel, change my clothing, and walk quickly to the theater to catch a production of River Dance.  Having only viewed the Big Top Chautauqua's spoof on River Dance, titled River Pants, it was grand to see the real deal.