Kilkenny, Carlow and Wexford
Ireland’s southeast is largely flat and has the country’s best climate. The geography helps explain why it’s a hotbed of hurling, the more expansive of Ireland’s traditional sports: Kilkenny, in particular, is mad about the game. The county’s attractions centre on its namesake city, which offers many historical sites, fine pubs and restaurants. To the south lie the evocative monasteries and trim waterside villages of the verdant Nore valley. County Wexford has much allure around the genial county town itself, with its thriving music scene. Meanwhile, the county’s southwestern corner features ruined abbeys and a sweeping arboretum, running between the bleak wonders of the Hook Peninsula and the historic river port of New Ross.
Thanks to its strategic position just across St George’s Channel from south Wales, Ireland’s southeast has borne the brunt of the country’s colonization. The Vikings founded an early settlement here, which grew into Wexford town, while the Anglo-Normans quickly exploited the area’s economic potential and greatly altered its physiognomy. They developed Kilkenny and Wexford towns and built castles across the two counties, while also transforming uncultivated areas into productive farmland. However, control was not always easily maintained. The MacMurrough-Kavanagh Irish dynasty, based in the north of County Wexford, continually frustrated English attempts to control the region, and full conquest only occurred when Cromwell arrived in the mid-1600s. Even after this, County Wexford witnessed some of the bitterest fighting during the 1798 Rebellion, before the insurgents were decisively defeated at Enniscorthy.
KILKENNY CASTLE
Highlights
1 Kilkenny city Vibrant and historic, Kilkenny preserves its medieval framework, centred upon its imposing castle, and has several exciting festivals to boot.
2 Jerpoint Abbey Atmospheric twelfth-century ruins, featuring a wonderful colonnaded cloister and fascinating carvings.
3 Inistioge Gorgeous riverside village overlooked by the rejuvenated Woodstock Estate.
4 Wexford Lively town that retains much of its medieval layout and is renowned for its opera festival.
5 National 1798 Centre Enniscorthy’s enthralling multimedia account of the 1798 Rebellion.
6 Duncannon A charming seaside village flanked by a grand, sandy beach and a looming fort.
7 Ros Tapestry Vibrant threads of local history, in an inspired community project in New Ross.
Highlights are marked on the Kilkenny, Carlow and Wexford map.
Kilkenny city and around
Unquestionably Ireland’s most atmospheric medieval city, KILKENNY straddles the broad River Nore, doglegging past its imposing castle. Downhill from here lies a compact grid of narrow streets, dating back to the city’s origins, though little of its former gated walls remains. The main street wends its way from the castle to Kilkenny’s other main landmark, the well-preserved, medieval St Canice’s Cathedral with its climbable round tower, en route passing Rothe House, architecturally impressive evidence of the city’s Tudor wealth. North of the city the major attraction is the strange calcite formations of Dunmore Cave.
Brief history
The first known settlement at Kilkenny is believed to have been a sixth-century monastic community founded by St Canice (Cill Chainnigh means “the church of Canice”). After the arrival of the Anglo-Normans, Strongbow erected a motte and bailey fort overlooking the Nore, in 1172, which was later replaced with a stone structure by his son-in-law, William Marshall. The latter also built a city wall and towers and forced the local population to live outside its boundaries in an area still known as “Irishtown” today. Subsequently, the city’s ownership passed through various hands, before James Butler, the third Earl of Ormonde, purchased the demesne in 1391.
Following the 1641 Rebellion, Kilkenny became the focus for the Catholic Confederation, an unlikely alliance of royalists loyal to Charles I and Irish landowners dispossessed by the Plantation. This established a parliament in Kilkenny, aimed at attaining Irish self-government and, in the process, restoring the rights of Catholics. However, its powers were short-lived, and, after Cromwell’s arrival in 1650, the city’s prosperity began to wane.
Nonetheless, nowadays Kilkenny still possesses an undoubted grandeur, largely untarnished by inappropriate modern building developments and, thanks to its castle and numerous other sights, as well as a lively nightlife and cultural scene, has become an integral part of the Irish tourist trail.
Kilkenny Castle
Castle Daily: March 9.30am–5pm; April, May
& Sept 9.30am–5.30pm; June–Aug 9am–5.30pm; Oct–Feb 9.30am–4.30pm;
Nov–Jan admission by guided tour only • €6; Heritage Card • 
kilkennycastle.ie Butler Gallery Daily: March 10am–1pm &
2–5pm; April 10am–1pm & 2–5.30pm; May–Sept 10am–5.30pm; Oct–Feb 10am–1pm
& 2–4.30pm • Free • butlergallery.com
Sitting strong above the Nore, Kilkenny’s stately castle was built in the early thirteenth century by William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, and purchased in 1391 by James Butler, third Earl of Ormonde. His family’s wealth was founded upon huge areas of land acquired in Kilkenny and Tipperary, and his descendants, surviving siege by Cromwell in 1650, subsequently built the grand entrance gateway later that century and gradually developed the broad parklands that still extend to the southeast of the castle. Further work began around 1826, enhancing the castle’s medieval exterior while adapting its interior in contemporary country-house style. The Butlers remained in residence until 1935, when a decline in the family’s fortunes led to their departure and the auction of the castle’s contents. The building fell into disrepair, until it was acquired by the Irish state in 1969, and has been much restored over subsequent decades.
Inside the castle, you’ll be able to see the impressive hall, whose chequered floor is tiled with black Kilkenny marble (actually a polished limestone, but prevalent enough in the hills around Kilkenny to have given it the nickname “Marble City”), as well as a library, drawing room and nineteenth-century-style bedrooms. En route you’ll pass a portrait of the first Duke of Ormonde which, for a period in its life, hung in the gents’ toilet of a restaurant in New York – a far-flung result of the 1935 auction. The castle’s crowning glory is its extraordinarily long gallery, which occupies almost the entire length of the River Wing, replete with twin fireplaces and marble carvings of key moments in the history of the Butler dynasty. Its 1825 hammer-beam roof, punctuated by curving columns bearing the heads of various mythical beasts, is decorated by whimsical Pre-Raphaelite daubs.
The former kitchens in the castle’s basement house the prestigious Butler Gallery, devoted to temporary modern-art exhibitions (though at some stage the gallery is slated to move to the Evans Home on Barrack Lane).
Kilkenny Design Centre and National Craft Gallery
Kilkenny Design Centre April–Sept Mon–Sat
10am–7pm, Sun noon–6pm; Oct–March Mon–Sat 10am–6pm, Sun noon–6pm • kilkennydesign.com National Craft Gallery Tues–Sat 10am–5.30pm,
Sun 11am–5.30pm • Free • 
056 779 6147, nationalcraftgallery.ie
Across the Parade from the castle, the converted eighteenth-century
stables house the Kilkenny Design Centre,
which retails a broad range of premium Irish crafts, and has a recommended
upstairs café. Behind the shop, you’ll find the attractive, airy
premises of the National Craft Gallery,
which mounts a varied programme of exhibitions by Irish and international
craftspeople, ranging from stained glass to quilts. Beyond the gallery, you
can visit several small craft workshops in the courtyard and the beautiful
walled gardens that back onto Butler House; if
you’re interested in further crafty exploration, pick up a “Craft Trail”
leaflet from the gallery or the tourist office (or go to madeinkilkenny.ie or trailkilkenny.ie, which also
has information on workshops and courses), detailing twenty or so other
studios around the county.
High Street and Parliament Street
Heading down the Parade from the castle and across the junction to the High Street leads past the Tholsel, the city’s erstwhile financial exchange and, subsequently, town hall, constructed in 1761. The High Street blends seamlessly into Parliament Street, both replete with shops and cafés, intriguing alleys and offshoots.
Rothe House
Parliament St • April–Oct Mon–Sat 10.30am–5pm, Sun 3–5pm;
Nov–March Mon–Sat 10.30am–4.30pm • €5 • rothehouse.com
A complex of three dwellings linked by courtyards, Rothe House is the finest remnant of the city’s Tudor prosperity. It was built for a wealthy Kilkenny merchant and his twelve children between 1594 and 1610, and is now, fittingly, home to the Kilkenny Archaeological Society and offers a genealogical service. A new interactive exhibition is planned to tell the history of the house, which is most interesting for its architecture, including two huge Kilkenny marble fireplaces on the first floor and the second floor’s impressive king-post roof, made of Irish oak beams. Behind the house, two walled gardens – one for vegetables and herbs, the other a still immature orchard – have been restored to their early seventeenth-century state, stretching back to a rebuilt section of the city wall.
Black Abbey
Just before Parliament Street becomes Irishtown, on Abbey Street, stands the Holy Trinity Church, more commonly known as the Black Abbey, thanks to the colour of the habits of its founders, the Dominicans. Dating from 1225, the abbey was suppressed during the Reformation and fell into disrepair. Now fully restored, and again a Dominican establishment, it houses some fine carvings and a glorious fifteen-panel rosary stained-glass window.
St Canice’s Cathedral
Cathedral April, May & Sept Mon–Sat
10am–1pm & 2–5pm, Sun 2–5pm; June–Aug Mon–Sat 9am–6pm, Sun 1–6pm;
Oct–March Mon–Sat 10am–1pm & 2–4pm, Sun 2–4pm • €4 Tower Access weather permitting (no under-12s)
April, May & Sept Mon–Sat 10am–1pm & 2–5pm, Sun 2–5pm; June–Aug
Mon–Sat 9am–6pm, Sun 1–6pm; Oct–March Mon–Sat noon & 3pm, Sun 3pm • €3,
combined ticket with cathedral €6 • stcanicescathedral.com
Kilkenny’s Church of Ireland cathedral, thirteenth-century St Canice’s, looms above Irishtown. Though its spire collapsed in 1332, the rest of this grand Gothic structure remains true to its date of origin. The magnificently carved interior contains many splendid sixteenth- and seventeenth-century tombstones, often cut from black Kilkenny marble, including some remarkable effigies of the Butler family. In the churchyard stands a graceful ninth-century Round Tower, the only vestige of St Canice’s monastic settlement, whose 30m summit affords a superb vista of the city spread out below.
Dunmore Cave
Mid-March to mid-June & mid-Sept to Oct daily from
9.30am, last tour 4pm; mid-June to mid-Sept daily from 9.30am, last tour
5pm; Nov to mid-March Wed–Sun from 9.30am, last tour 3pm • €3; Heritage Card
• heritageireland.ie
Formed in a limestone outcrop of the Castlecomer plateau, 10km north of the city off the N78, Dunmore Cave’s series of chambers features numerous beautiful calcite creations – curtains and crystals, stalactites and stalagmites; the most remarkable of the last stands some 4.5m high. The cave is referenced in the Annals of the Four Masters, which recounts that the Vikings massacred a thousand people here in 928, a tale partially substantiated in 1967 when excavations uncovered the skeletons of more than forty women and children, and a Viking coin.
KILKENNY FESTIVALS
The major event in the city’s packed cultural calendar is the ten-day
Kilkenny Arts Festival ( kilkennyarts.ie) in
August, featuring all manner of music, as well as drama, film, various
exhibitions and literary goings-on. Kilkenny
Tradfest ( kilkennytradfest.com) brings four days of traditional music,
dance and workshops around St Patrick’s Day in March, while the four-day
Rhythm and Roots Festival ( kilkennyroots.com), over
the bank-holiday weekend at the start of May, spotlights American
country and roots music. The bank-holiday weekend in early June,
meanwhile, hosts the marvellous four-day comedy festival, The Cat Laughs ( thecatlaughs.com), and
the bank-holiday weekend in late October sees an imaginative four-day
festival of food, Savour Kilkenny ( savourkilkenny.com).
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: KILKENNY CITY
By train Kilkenny’s MacDonagh Train Station is off Dublin Rd, a 10min walk along John St to the city centre.
Destinations Dublin (4–6 daily; 1hr 40min); Thomastown (4–7 daily; 10min); Waterford (4–7 daily; 35min).
By bus Bus Éireann services leave from the train station and most also stop on Ormonde Rd in the centre; J.J. Kavanagh’s stop on Ormonde Rd; and Kilbride’s New Ross buses stop on Ormonde Rd and the Parade, while their Graiguenamanagh buses stop at MacDonagh Junction, a shopping centre next to the train station, and the Parade.
Destinations Bus Éireann: Athlone (1–2 daily; 2hr 50min); Cahir (Mon–Sat 1 daily; 1hr 35min); Carrick-on-Suir (6–7 daily; 45min); Cork (Mon–Sat 3 daily; 3hr); Dublin (9 daily; 2hr 10min); Inistioge (1 Thurs; 35min); New Ross (1 Thurs; 1hr 15min); Thomastown (1–2 daily; 25min); Waterford (3–5 daily; 1hr).
J.J. Kavanagh ( jjkavanagh.ie): Dublin & Airport (6 daily;
2–3hr).
Kilbride ( kilbridecoaches.com): Graiguenamanagh (Mon–Sat 2
daily; 55min); Inistioge (Mon–Sat 2 daily; 40min); New Ross
(Mon–Sat 2 daily; 1hr); Thomastown (Mon–Sat 2 daily;
30min).
INFORMATION AND TOURS
Tourist office In the Shee Alms House, one of very few Tudor almshouses remaining
in Ireland, on Rose Inn St (May, June & Sept Mon–Sat
9.30am–5.30pm; July & Aug Mon–Sat 9am–6pm, Sun 10.30am–4pm;
Oct–April Mon–Sat 9am–5pm, sometimes closing for lunch; hours worth
checking on 056 775 1500). Ask here about the
Smithwick’s Experience ( smithwicksexperience.com), a multimedia celebration of
Kilkenny’s 300-year-old ale on Parliament St (on the site of the old
brewery), which was just about to open at the time of
research.
Walking tours Pat Tynan’s 70min walking tours of the medieval city (mid-March to
Oct Mon–Sat 10.30am, 12.15pm & 3pm, Sun 11.15am & 12.30pm;
€7; 087 265 1745, www.kilkennywalkingtours.ie) depart from the tourist
office.
Cycling tours Kilkenny Cycling Tours, Bateman’s Quay ( 086 895
4961, kilkennycyclingtours.com), provides tours of city and
county, as well as rental.
Kayaking tours Go with the Flow ( 087 252 9700, gowiththeflow.ie)
offers guided and self-guided kayaking and canoeing trips on rivers
Nore and Barrow.
ACCOMMODATION
Kilkenny has plenty of accommodation, but advance reservation is necessary – and prices often go up – at weekends, throughout the summer and during festivals.
HOTELS AND B&BS
Berkeley House 5 Patrick St 056 776
4848, berkeleyhousekilkenny.com. Centrally
located Georgian town house, offering very pleasant
accommodation in airy, tastefully decorated en-suite rooms.
Continental breakfasts served. €100
Butler House 16 Patrick St 056 772
2828, butler.ie. This expansive former dower
house of Kilkenny Castle was decorously refurbished in the 1970s
by Kilkenny Design Centre (in whose café breakfast is
served). Its spacious rooms marry Georgian
refinement and modern furnishings and facilities to stunning
effect, and some overlook the beautiful garden and castle.
€135
Celtic House 18 Michael St 056 776
2249. Welcoming, well-maintained,
modern town house B&B, adorned with the artist owner’s
landscapes and set in a quiet, fairly central location. Rooms
are colourful, airy and en suite. €80
Club House Hotel Patrick St 056 772 1994,
www.clubhousehotel.com. Kilkenny’s
oldest hotel, this well-run former coaching inn provides genteel
traditional hospitality – think stags’ heads and Rotary Club
meetings – good breakfasts and comfortable, good-value bedrooms,
many of them in the maze-like extension at the back, away from
the main road. €85
Dunromin Dublin Rd 056 776 1387,
dunrominkilkenny.com. Welcoming,
superbly maintained nineteenth-century family home, covered in
creepers and flowers, on the main road near the train station,
providing very comfortable en-suite B&B rooms and fine
breakfasts. April–Oct. €70
Kilkenny Hibernian Hotel 1 Ormonde St 056 777
1888, kilkennyhibernianhotel.com. Once a bank
and later the HQ of a food company, this lovingly restored
Victorian building features a variety of lavish accommodation
furnished with red carpets and lots of polished wood, above two
popular bars and a bar-restaurant. Good-value half-board deals.
€90
Kilkenny House Hotel Freshford Rd 056 777
0711, kilkennyhousehotel.ie. A 15min walk from
the centre, this modern, spacious, two-storey features large,
bright, well-appointed rooms. A real bargain from Mon to Thurs
and Sun, and a likely fallback at weekends, though prices almost
triple on Sat. €50
Rosquil House Castlecomer Rd 056 772
1419, rosquilhouse.com. An elegant and
welcoming upmarket guesthouse, a 10min walk from the centre,
with spacious, stylish and well-equipped rooms, an attractive
sitting room and fine breakfasts. Self-catering mews also
available. €85
Zuni 26 Patrick St 056 772
3999, zuni.ie. Located above the restaurant of
the same name in a converted century-old theatre, with 13
luxurious contemporary bedrooms featuring a minimalist decor of
dark wood and white. Half-board deals available. €90
HOSTEL
Kilkenny Tourist Hostel 35 Parliament St (IHH) 056 776
3541, www.kilkennyhostel.ie. Large and
well-run hostel in a very central Georgian town house, featuring
spacious dorms, a few private rooms, a well-equipped kitchen, a
turf fire in the sitting room and laundry facilities. Front
dorms can suffer from street noise at weekends. Dorms €17, doubles €42
CAMPSITE
Treegrove Caravan & Camping
Park Danville House 056 777
0302, treegrovecamping.com. Popular,
well-equipped site 1.5km southeast on the R700 New Ross road (or
a 25min walk or cycle ride down the tree-lined riverside path);
campers’ kitchen, laundry and bike rental. March to mid-Nov. €17
EATING AND DRINKING
Kilkenny has more than a smattering of good restaurants, and there’s an interesting farmers’ market on
Thurs mornings on The Parade, offering farmhouse cheeses, cakes and
handmade chocolates. If you’d like to explore further, check out the
food trail on trailkilkenny.ie, which includes delicatessens, producers,
cooking courses and restaurants. Plenty of attractive bars, generally untouched by the tasteless hands of
refurbishment, serve decent snacks and meals, and some lay on great
traditional music sessions. Weekends, however,
can get a bit too rowdy for some tastes, as Kilkenny has become a
popular venue for Irish stag and hen parties.
RESTAURANTS AND CAFÉS
Café Sol William St 056 776 4987,
restaurantskilkenny.com. Bright, warm
and thus appropriately named, this fine café-restaurant offers
great salads, sandwiches and various hot dishes at lunch, while
the evening menu features an eclectic though mostly European
array of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes with local ingredients
well to the fore (currently €23 for 2 courses). Mon–Thurs 11.30am–9.30pm, Fri & Sat
11.30am–10pm, Sun noon–9pm.
Campagne 5 The Arches, Glasshouse Lane 056
777 2858, campagne.ie. Recently awarded a Michelin
star, Campagne offers elegant and
confident modern French cooking using local produce, served in
olive-green booths decorated with colourful paintings of country
life. Keep your bank manager happy by coming for the lunch and
early-bird set menu (€25 for 2 courses). Tues–Thurs 6–10pm, Fri & Sat 12.30–2.30pm &
5.30–10pm, Sun 12.30–3pm.
The Gourmet Store 56 High St 056 777
1727. Deli supplying wonderful multilayered
sandwiches, salads and cakes to take away or eat in their small
café, as well as stocking a vast assortment of culinary
delights. Mon–Sat 8am–6pm.
Kilkenny Design Centre The Parade. The centre’s
modern, daytime self-service café offers splendid salads, a
variety of homemade soups, and more substantial meals, all at
reasonable prices. On weekend evenings, the upstairs room turns
into a classy restaurant, Anocht
(meaning “Tonight”), serving dishes such as lemon and rosemary
roasted sea bass (€22.50) on specially commissioned stoneware.
Café daily 10am–6pm; restaurant
Thurs–Sat 6pm–late.
La Rivista 22 Parliament St 056 777
1666. Hospitable Italian restaurant in
a well-lit, high-ceilinged, modern space, dishing up moderately
priced pizzas, tasty pasta and a varied selection of main
courses, all in large portions. Good-value set menu, offering
two courses for €20 (€23 on Sat, €17 at Sun lunch time). Mon–Sat 5–10pm, Sun 12.30–10pm.
M.L. Dore 65 High St 056 776
3374. Friendly, old-fashioned, self-service
tearooms, styling itself the “nostalgia café”, with a wide
variety of cakes, snacks, soups, salads and meals on offer,
served at tables out on St Kieran St and in a heated rooftop
garden. Daily 8am–10pm.
Mugshot Café 25 James St 056 777 7798,
www.mugshotcafe.ie. Bright, welcoming
café, using local ingredients from named sources wherever
possible, with a pleasant, unobtrusive retro style. There’s a
wide choice for breakfasts, scones, waffles and delicious apple
and almond crumble, and you can lunch on quiche and two salads
for €9, or the hot special of the day. Mon–Sat 8.30am–5.30pm, Sun 11am–4pm.
Rinuccini 1 The Parade 056 776
1575, rinuccini.com. Authentic Italian-run
restaurant where classily prepared traditional dishes such as
suprema di pollo ai funghi
(chicken with mushroom cream sauce; €22) are served with some
élan; early-bird menu nightly. Mon–Fri
noon–3pm & 5–10pm, Sat noon–3.30pm & 5–10pm, Sun
noon–3.30pm & 5–9.30pm.
Royal Spice 11 Patrick St 056 771
2646, royalspice.ie. One of Ireland’s best
Indian restaurants, a stylish, modern affair that uses fresh
local produce such as trout wherever possible. Less familiar
dishes include a delicious lasuni prawn curry (€16.60) and
there’s a wide choice of vegetarian dishes, either as sides or
mains. Three courses for €22 for early birds (5–7pm). Mon & Tues 5–10pm, Wed–Sat 5–11pm, Sun
12.30–10pm.
Zuni 26 Patrick St 056 772
3999, zuni.ie. Very fine and stylish
modern-Irish dishes with Mediterranean and Asian influences,
such as sesame-seed-coated tuna with avocado and wasabi purée,
served in a contemporary café-restaurant that used to be a
theatre. On the pricey side (most mains €20–25), but there are
early-bird and tapas menus every evening and a cheaper, simpler
lunch menu. Mon–Wed 8am–9.30pm,
Thurs–Sat 8am–10pm, Sun 8am–9pm.
PUBS AND BARS
Bollard’s St Kieran St. Friendly bar (and weekend wine bar) with craft beers on draught, fine meals (not Sun), pleasant tables on the alley and traditional music Fri, plus Tues & Thurs in summer. Mon–Thurs 10.30am–11.30pm, Fri & Sat 10.30am–12.30am, Sun 2–11pm.
John Cleere’s 28 Parliament St 056 776
2573, cleeres.com. The city’s longest-running
traditional-music session is here on Mon, as well as an open
session on Wed, and other music throughout the week in the bar’s
theatre, which also hosts comedy and drama. Mon–Thurs 11.30am–11.30pm, Fri & Sat
11.30am–12.30am, Sun 1–11pm.
Kyteler’s Inn St Kieran St kytelersinn.com. This medieval inn’s
spooky reputation is linked to erstwhile resident Alice Kyteler
who was tried for witchcraft in 1324. She fled to England,
leaving her maid Petronella to take the rap – and her place on
the burning woodpile. The bar has open fireplaces, solid oak
beams and plenty of nooks and crannies, and offers traditional
music at weekends in winter, twice nightly in summer – including
give-it-a-go bodhrán lessons Mon &
Tues at 6.30pm that are free and open to anyone. Mon–Thurs 11.30am–11.30pm, Fri & Sat
11.30am–2am, Sun 12.15–11.30pm.
The Left Bank The Parade leftbank.ie. This hulking, granite,
Neoclassical edifice on Kilkenny’s main corner, a former Bank of
Ireland branch, has been reborn as a popular good-time bar, with
regular live bands and DJs on Sat. The interior has been fitted
out with huge carved mirrors, leather armchairs and ornate
fireplaces and screens, while smokers are pampered with a
covered, heated backyard with its own outdoor bar. Mon–Thurs noon–11.30pm, Fri & Sat
noon–12.30am, Sun 12.30–11pm.
The Marble City Bar High St langtons.ie/marble-city-bar. Central bar
and tearooms serving delicious food, and which have been
revamped in a mostly Art Deco style and hung with
black-and-white photos of movie stars, with outdoor tables on St
Kieran St. Mon–Thurs 9am–11.30pm, Fri
9am–12.30am, Sat 9am–2am, Sun 9am–11pm.
Tynan’s Bateman’s Quay. You’ll get a great pint of Guinness at this 300-year-old riverside pub, which is furnished with leather banquettes and a lovely carved-wood horseshoe-shaped bar, topped with marble. Mon–Thurs 10.30/11am–11.30pm, Fri & Sat 10.30/11am–12.30am, Sun 11.30am/noon–11pm.
ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORT
Hole in the Wall Just off High St, behind Enable Ireland
087 807 5650, holeinthewall.ie. Hard to categorize but
impossible to ignore: Ireland’s oldest-surviving town house, dating
back to 1582, has been lovingly restored by a local cardiologist,
who hosts regular musical evenings, including Singspiele, narrative
shows on historical subjects enhanced with music, poetry and
visuals. It’s worth popping in to admire the architecture, even if
it’s just for a daytime coffee in the summer or an evening drink in
the tiny tavern. Tavern Mon, Wed & Thurs
8pm–midnight, Fri 8pm–1am, Sat 2.30pm–1am.
Nowlan Park O’Loughlin Rd 056 776 5122,
kilkennygaa.ie. The main stadium in hurling-mad
Kilkenny, with imminent plans to increase capacity to 40,000 – in a
county whose population numbers only 95,000. Match tickets only cost
around €15.
Watergate Theatre Parliament St 056 776 1674,
watergatetheatre.com. The leading venue in
Kilkenny for the performing arts, the Watergate Theatre offers a
varied programme of drama, classical and contemporary music, dance
and comedy.
Southern Kilkenny
Some of the county’s finest spots lie towards its southern extremity, countryside defined by the lush valleys of the rivers Barrow and Nore. Near the Nore are major ecclesiastical remains at Kells and Jerpoint Abbey, while above the beguiling village of Inistioge you can explore the extensive gardens and arboretum of the Woodstock Demesne.
Kells
Fourteen kilometres south of Kilkenny on the R697 lies the medieval village of KELLS, a petite and picturesque settlement straddling a tributary of the Nore, the King’s River.
Kells Priory
Open access
A short stroll east from the village centre along the Stonyford road stands one of the country’s most atmospheric ruins, Kells Priory, set by the river. This Augustinian foundation was established in 1193 and had a turbulent history, being sacked in both 1252 and 1327, before dissolution in the 1540s. Most of its remains date from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and inside the still-standing curtain wall, with its gatehouse and towers (earning it the local nickname “Seven Castles”), are a church and chapel and several domestic buildings. All told, it’s one of the largest and most outstanding Irish medieval sites, though the priory has no connection with the Book of Kells housed in Trinity College, Dublin, which is named after Kells in County Meath.
Jerpoint Abbey
Daily: early March to Sept 9am–5.30pm; Oct 9am–5pm; Nov to
early Dec 9.30am–4pm • €3; Heritage Card • heritageireland.ie
The major tourist sight in the south of the county is Jerpoint Abbey, which lies on the N9, 20km south of Kilkenny city. Originally founded as a Benedictine house in 1158, the abbey was colonized by Cistercians some twenty years later. The oldest remains are the twelfth-century Romanesque church, but the rest, set around a beautifully colonnaded fifteenth-century cloister, follows the characteristic Cistercian design. The abbey features a number of thirteenth- to sixteenth-century tomb sculptures in the transept chapels and some intriguing carvings on the cloister arcade, including the “little man of Jerpoint” whose stomach-crossed hands and open-mouthed expression suggest either mirth or dyspepsia.
ACCOMMODATION: JERPOINT ABBEY
Abbey House 056 772 4166, abbeyhousejerpoint.com. Top-notch,
all-en-suite B&B opposite the abbey, in a restored,
creeper-clad eighteenth-century mill house on the River Arrigle,
with freshly squeezed orange juice and local rainbow trout for
breakfast. Very good rates for singles. €80
WALKS IN SOUTHERN KILKENNY
Several worthwhile waymarked trails cross
southern Kilkenny. The South Leinster
Way runs for 100km from Kildavin in County Carlow, via 800m
Mount Leinster in the Blackstairs Mountains, to Carrick-on-Suir in Tipperary. The most attractive part is in
southern Kilkenny, between Borris – where the path intersects the
Barrow Way – and Mullinavat,
especially the 16km from Graiguenamanagh to Inistioge. The southernmost
section of the Barrow Way, a pretty 8km riverside path, is the most
pleasant way to get from Graiguenamanagh to St Mullins, and there are
new trails from Kilkenny to
Bennettsbridge (12km) and from Thomastown to Inistioge (11km) along the Nore – for
information on the latter and on the forthcoming Kilkenny–Inistioge
path, as well as on other walking and cycling routes in the county, go
to trailkilkenny.ie,
which features downloadable maps and apps.
Thomastown
The jumping-off point for Jerpoint Abbey, THOMASTOWN, 2km to the northeast, is a pleasant riverside village on the Dublin–Waterford train line. A walled town of some note in medieval times, Thomastown now maintains scant sense of its own antiquity, other than its old bridge across the Nore and the ruined thirteenth-century church of St Mary’s at the top of the main street, Market Street.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: THOMASTOWN
By train Destinations Dublin (4–6 daily; 1hr 55min); Kilkenny (4–7 daily; 10min); Waterford (4–7 daily; 30min).
By bus Destinations Bus Éireann to: Athlone (1–2 daily; 3hr 20min); Dublin (6 daily; 2hr 25min); Inistioge (1 Thurs; 10min); Kilkenny (1–2 daily; 25min); New Ross (1 Thurs; 50min); Waterford (10–11 daily; 30–40min).
J.J. Kavanagh ( jjkavanagh.ie): Dublin & Dublin Airport (7
daily; 2hr 10min–3hr); Waterford (6 daily; 45min).
Kilbride ( kilbridecoaches.com): Inistioge (Mon–Sat 2 daily;
10min); Kilkenny (Mon–Sat 2 daily; 30min); New Ross (Mon–Sat
2 daily; 30min).
EATING AND DRINKING
Blackberry Market St 086 775 5303,
theblackberrycafe.ie. Excellent,
central, daytime café, which uses locally sourced ingredients
where possible to rustle up keenly priced sandwiches, soups,
quiches, salads and daily specials, as well as home-baked cakes
and good coffees. Mon–Fri 9.30am–5.30pm,
Sat 10am–5.30pm.
Sol Low St 056 775 4945, restaurantskilkenny.com. Around the
corner from Market St, a cheery, modern, bistro-style
restaurant, serving dishes such as roast chicken breast with
chorizo and black pudding for dinner (currently €23 for 2
courses) and cheaper, simpler choices for lunch. Mon–Sat 11.30am–3pm & 5.30–9pm, Sun
11.30am–9pm.
Inistioge
Eight kilometres down the Nore from Thomastown is the quaint village of INISTIOGE (pronounced “Inisteeg”), set around a tree-lined green, an old church and a narrow-arched stone bridge over the river. Unsurprisingly, the attractive location, with its verdant hills rising above the village, has drawn film-makers, and both Circle of Friends and Widows’ Peak were shot here in the 1990s.
Woodstock Demesne
Daily: April–Sept 9am–7.30pm; Oct–March 9am–4pm • Car
€4, pedestrians free • www.woodstock.ie
The steep lane rising from Inistioge’s village green leads after 2km to the Woodstock Demesne. When its owners left Ireland during the War of Independence, the estate’s Georgian mansion was taken over by the Black and Tans and, like many similarly tarnished dwellings, was burnt down after independence in 1922. However, since 1999 the county council have been restoring the Victorian gardens, and you can enjoy walks lined by firs and monkey puzzles, an arboretum, rose gardens, rockeries and breathtaking views of the Nore valley, as well as a summertime tea room in a cast-iron conservatory.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: INISTIOGE
By bus Destinations Kilbride ( kilbridecoaches.com): Kilkenny (Mon–Sat 2 daily;
40min); New Ross (Mon–Sat 2 daily; 20min); Thomastown
(Mon–Sat 2 daily; 10min).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Woodstock Arms 056 775 8440, woodstockarms.com. The village’s main
provider of hospitality is the Woodstock
Arms, a pleasant, family-run pub with tables out on
the green, offering well-appointed en-suite rooms, with good
rates for singles. €70
Wexford town
WEXFORD is a happy-go-lucky kind of town with plenty of scope for enjoying music in its pubs, but it has its serious side too, not least in the shape of its internationally renowned opera festival. There are few sights to see in the town itself – more is on offer in the surrounding area – but the appeal of the place lies in its atmosphere and setting: its long, narrow medieval lanes huddle for shelter inland of the exposed quays, which line the southern shore of the wide Slaney estuary, with the railway line to Rosslare dividing the main road from the promenade and a busy little marina.
The town began life as a Viking base for incursions and trading, before becoming an early Anglo-Norman conquest in 1169. Wexford later housed an English garrison whose loyalty to the Crown resulted in vicious fighting against Cromwell’s army in 1649. The town also played a significant role in the 1798 Rebellion, which was finally quelled at Enniscorthy. Wexford’s lengthy quays pay testimony to its re-emergence as a prosperous trading centre in the nineteenth century, though gradual silting of the harbour’s entrance and the development of Rosslare Harbour led to its demise as a competitive port.
Westgate Tower and Selskar Abbey
Guided 45min tours (Tower and Abbey) March–Oct Mon–Sat 3pm
• €3 • wexfordwalkingtours.net
Wexford’s walls once had five gates, but the only survivor is the Westgate Tower, completed in 1300. The adjacent Selskar Abbey was founded by Alexander de la Roche who left Ireland to fight in the Crusades, but returned to discover that his fiancée, incorrectly advised of his death, had become a nun. He also took holy orders, becoming an Augustinian, and established Selskar in the early twelfth century. After the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170, Henry II came to Selskar Abbey to do penance. The abbey must have survived Dissolution since Cromwell’s troops took the trouble to destroy it when they captured the town. Alongside its remains stand a fourteenth-century tower house and a nineteenth-century church, while part of the old town wall can be seen running along one side of the graveyard.
The Bull Ring
Selskar Street leads to the town’s narrow main drag, imaginatively entitled Main Street, albeit with South and North variations, which is lined with shops, bars and cafés. On North Main Street, the Bull Ring derives its name from the time when bull-baiting, a once popular form of entertainment, took place here – the bull’s hide, apparently, was given to the mayor, the meat to the poor. It later became a rallying-point for politicians – Charles Parnell, James Connolly, Éamon de Valera and Michael Collins all addressed the crowd here. The bronze monument of a 1798 Pikeman that stands in the square was sculpted by Oliver Sheppard, also responsible for The Death of Cúchulainn housed in the GPO in Dublin. On Fridays and Saturdays, the Bull Ring now hosts an interesting market, peddling everything from artisan foods to antiques, and handmade clothes to soaps.
St Iberius’s Church
The interior is best seen during one of the regular
classical-music concerts hosted by the church • musicforwexford.ie
A little further along Main Street from the Bull Ring is Anglican St Iberius’s Church, named after Ibar, the contemporary of St Patrick who Christianized Wexford. It dates back to the late seventeenth century but was much remodelled in 1760 and features a fine Georgian interior, possibly designed by John Roberts. The church’s unusual gallery was installed to accommodate troops stationed in the town, and its broader-than-long shape was an ingenious answer to the problem of the site’s proximity to the city wall.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: WEXFORD TOWN
By train O’Hanrahan Train Station, which has left-luggage facilities, is on Redmond Square at the north end of the quays.
Destinations Dublin (3–4 daily; 2hr 35min); Enniscorthy (3–4 daily; 25min); Rosslare (3–4 daily; 20min); Rosslare Europort (3–4 daily; 25min).
By bus Buses stop on Redmond Square.
Destinations Bus Éireann: Dublin & Airport (roughly hourly; 2hr–2hr 45min); Enniscorthy (roughly hourly; 20min); New Ross (5–8 daily; 40min); Rosslare Europort (5–7 daily; 30min); Waterford (5–8 daily; 1hr).
Wexford Bus ( wexfordbus.com): Dublin & Airport (9–12
daily; 2hr 30min); Enniscorthy (9–12 daily; 30min).
Tourist office Crescent Quay 053 912 3111 (July & Aug
Mon–Sat 9am–6pm, perhaps opening Sun, too; Sept–June Mon–Sat
9.15am–5.15/5.30pm).
Walking tours Hour-long tours of the town (March–Oct Mon–Sat 11am; €5; wexfordwalkingtours.net) pick up from the tourist
office.
Bike rental Hayes, 108 South Main St 053 912 2462, hayescycles.com.
ACCOMMODATION
Wexford has a good range of accommodation, though you should try to book a few months in advance for rooms during the Opera Festival.
The Blue Door 18 Lower George St 053 912
1047, bluedoor.ie. Welcoming, very central
Georgian town house hung with pot plants, where the rooms are
bright, attractive and comfortable and the breakfasts, served in
the cheery front room, are tasty and generous. €70
Faythe Guesthouse The Faythe 053 912 2249,
faytheguesthouse.com. A fine Victorian
house in a quiet part of town just southeast of the centre,
whose pretty grounds include the remaining wall of an old
castle, offering very agreeable rooms and a splendid lounge with
an open fire. €80
Ferrybank Camping and Caravan Park 053 918 5256, wexfordswimmingpool.ie. Scenic, breezy
seafront camping just across the bridge from the quays, with the
public swimming pool, gym, sauna and steam room on site
(discounted admission for campers), as well as a campers’
kitchen, laundry, recreation room and playground. €16.50
McMenamin’s Townhouse 6 Glena Terrace, Spawell Rd 053
914 6442. An absolute gem, this late
Victorian, red-brick town house features characterful rooms with
antique bedsteads, very helpful owners with plenty of tips on
enjoying the town, and breakfasts – including homemade bread,
jams and whiskey marmalades – to die for. €90
Rosemount House Spawell Rd 053 912 4609,
wexfordbedandbreakfast.ie. This spruce
Georgian town house offers plush, en-suite rooms furnished with
antiques and a fine array of breakfast goodies; very good rates
for singles. €90
St George George St 053 914 3474,
stgeorgeguesthouse.com. Welcoming,
remodelled Georgian town house set around a courtyard with
bright, comfortable, en-suite rooms and plenty of local advice.
Reductions without breakfast or for stays of two nights or more;
very good single rates. €70
Whites Abbey St 053 912 2311,
whitesofwexford.ie. Wexford’s most
historic hotel, dating back to the eighteenth century, has been
thoroughly redeveloped in a lavish and airy contemporary style
around a grand courtyard, with an attractive 20m swimming pool,
a gym and a spa. Their own website carries half-board and other
special offers. €89
EATING AND DRINKING
Wexford has plenty of good cafés and restaurants and numerous lively pubs, several of which serve bar meals and feature live music.
RESTAURANTS AND CAFÉS
Cistin Eile 80 South Main St 053 912
1616. Far from being just “another
kitchen” as its Irish name might suggest, this informal
restaurant is an exceptional place, serving imaginative
modern Irish food with a rustic bent, in dishes such as
Wicklow venison salad, spiced apple, red wine and rosehip.
At lunch time, you can feast on the market fish dish of the
day plus either a glass of wine or a dessert for a give-away
€15. Mon & Tues noon–3pm,
Wed–Sat noon–3pm & 6–9pm.
Green Acres Selskar St 053 912
2975, greenacres.ie. A handsome red-brick
house with a modern glass extension and attractive tables on
a pedestrianized street. Inside you’ll find a well-stocked
deli and wine shop, a first-floor art gallery and a bistro
serving creative fare such as Kilmore crab claws with
grilled limes, ginger, sesame and soy glaze (€29.50).
Mon–Sat 9.30am–10pm.
La Dolce Vita 6–7 Trimmer’s Lane 053 917
0806. Astonishingly good, authentic
Italian food, served in a delightful small café with outdoor
seating on a broad, pedestrianized street and at inexpensive
prices too (pastas from €10). Mon–Thurs 9am–5.30pm, Fri & Sat 9am–9pm.
Spice Monck St, above the Crown Bar
053 912 2011, spicerestaurant.net. Upmarket Indian
restaurant with elegant modern decor, specializing in
Keralan and other South Indian dishes – try the tasty Goan
fish curry (€18.50). Mon–Thurs
5.30–10.30pm, Fri–Sun 5–11pm.
Vine 109 North Main St 053 912
2388, vinerestaurant.ie. Appealingly set
in a lofty, ornately corniced first-floor room, this largely
authentic Thai restaurant covers all the standards (main
courses around €20), including an especially wide range of
appetizers, rustled up in an open kitchen by Thai chefs.
Tues–Sun 6–10pm.
The Yard 3 Lower George St 053 914
4083, theyard.ie. The varied setting – a
tiny café on North Main St, leading to a bright, informal
restaurant with polished wood floors and antique tables,
which opens onto an attractive, leafy yard – matches the
diverse global menu: everything from tasty sandwiches to
duck salad with mango and crispy noodles. Early-bird dinner
menu Mon–Wed 6–8pm, Thurs–Sat 6–7pm; €23 for 2 courses.
Mon–Sat 9am–10pm.
PUBS AND BARS
The Cape The Bull Ring. The
undertaking side of the business, as claimed by the sign,
has long gone, and this popular meeting place is very much a
place to catch up with local news and watch the world pass
by, possibly from one of the outdoor tables, while supping a
good pint of Guinness. Mon–Thurs
10.30am–11.30pm, Fri & Sat 10.30am–12.30am, Sun
noon–11pm.
Centenary Stores Charlotte St 053 912
4424. The Stores are most famous
among Wexford’s youth as a weekend nightclub, but the
original pub, at the heart of this entertainment complex in
two 1850s town houses, is still a very congenial spot, with
its dark wood floor and panelling, and a pleasant,
south-facing outdoor area. It has a diverse, inexpensive,
daytime food menu and hosts a traditional session Sun lunch
time. Mon–Wed 10.30am–11.30pm,
Thurs–Sat 10.30am–2am, Sun 12.30pm–1am.
Maggie May’s Monck St 053 914
5776. This long, narrow bar, with
leather banquettes and chandeliers, a huge, covered beer
garden with an open log fire and a good range of beers and
cocktails, comes to life during its frequent music sessions,
which include traditional/ballads on Sun and Mon. Mon–Thurs 10.30am–11.30pm, Fri & Sat
10.30am–12.30am, Sun 12.30–11pm.
Simon’s Place South Main St 053 918
0041. Smart update of a traditional
pub, boasting simple, fresh decor in dark brown and cream,
with polished wood floors, chairs and tables, and a great
selection of half-a-dozen craft beers on draught, including
O’Hara’s excellent stout from Carlow. Breakfast and lunch
served Mon–Sat. Mon–Thurs
9.30am–11.30pm, Fri & Sat 9.30am–12.30am, Sun
6–11pm.
The Sky and the Ground 112 South Main St 053 912
1273. This dark and woody bar, with
a large beer garden at the back, is an atmospheric place for
a pint and some good food, staging regular live music,
including Candlelight Sessions on Tues, which feature
everything from acoustic soloists to roots/Americana bands.
Mon–Thurs 2–11.30pm, Fri &
Sat 2pm–12.30am, Sun 12.30–11pm.
T. Morris Monck St 086 842
0498. Friendly, gnarly old bar, fitted
with bare wooden floors, old grocers’ drawers and signs to
give a relaxed, sprawling, anything-goes air. It has one of
Ireland’s cutest beer gardens, decorated with fairy lights,
bamboo and roses, and hosts traditional music Wed, plus Mon
and Tues in summer. Mon–Thurs
4–11.30pm, Fri 4pm–12.30am, Sat noon–12.30am, Sun
3–11pm.
ENTERTAINMENT
Wexford Arts Centre Cornmarket 053 912 3764,
wexfordartscentre.ie. Music, theatre,
dance, comedy and art exhibitions are just some of the offerings
that are laid on by the Wexford Arts Centre, which is located in
the eighteenth-century market house.
Wexford Opera House High St 053 912 2144,
wexfordoperahouse.ie. Wexford Opera
Festival’s home, which has undergone an impressive €30 million
rebuilding programme, hosts drama, dance, comedy and music
throughout the year and now offers a panoramic rooftop café and
weekly guided tours.
WEXFORD FESTIVALS
The biggest event in Wexford’s cultural calendar is
undoubtedly the prestigious Wexford Opera
Festival ( wexfordopera.com) over two weeks in late October,
which draws not only performers and companies from around the
world, but international audiences too, attracted by its
distinctive programme of rarely performed works – tickets
(booking opens in May or June) and accommodation need to be
reserved months in advance. The main performances are
supplemented by a variety of concerts and talks; by a
broad-based fringe festival ( wexfordfringe.ie), featuring art exhibitions, drama,
comedy and more music; and by an old-fashioned fairground and
two spiegeltents on the Quays, which
host cabaret, comedy and contemporary music ( wexfordspiegeltent.com). There’s a food festival over three days in late May ( wexfordfoodfestival.ie), while late June’s Maritime Festival ( wexfordmaritimefestival.ie) involves special events
at the county’s maritime sights such as the Dunbrody Famine
Ship, as well as boat races, music and lots of kids’ activities
in the town.
Around Wexford town
To Wexford’s north lies Ireland’s premier wildfowl sanctuary, Wexford Wildfowl Reserve, beyond which the coastline is punctuated by some lovely sandy beaches: 10km from town, past Curracloe, lies the powder-soft, dune-backed Ballinesker Beach, which deputized for Omaha Beach as the site of the D-Day landings in Steven Spielberg’s World War II epic Saving Private Ryan; and further up the coast near Kilmuckridge is another broad beach popular with families, Morriscastle, known as “the golden mile”.
To the west of Wexford is the impressive Irish National Heritage Park, while to the south runs rather bland countryside, though the ornate gardens of Johnstown Castle and the Irish Agricultural Museum are well worth visiting. The small seaside resort of Rosslare has a splendid beach, much enjoyed by families in summer, while Rosslare Europort is a major point of entry into Ireland. A little further out of the county town’s orbit, energetic Enniscorthy is best known for its associations with the 1798 Rebellion, which is commemorated in an excellent museum.
Wexford Wildfowl Reserve
Daily 9am–5pm • Free • 076 100 2660, www.wexfordwildfowlreserve.ie
On the north side of the Slaney estuary, the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve will provide fascination for twitchers and laypeople alike. It occupies a charming patch of reclaimed land, 2m below sea level, known as the North Slobs (from Irish slab, meaning “mud, mire or a soft-fleshed person”), a maze of channels, reed beds, grazing lands and tillage. Between early October and mid-April, this peculiarly rich habitat is home to thousands of ducks, geese and swans, while in spring and autumn large numbers of birds on migration stop to feed here. Of particular importance in the former category are the ten thousand or so Greenland white-fronted geese, about a third of the world’s population, which winter on the reserve after nesting in Greenland, as well as the two thousand pale-bellied brent geese, which arrive in mid-December after breeding in Canada. Year-round inhabitants include 42 wader species, mute swans and a healthy population of Irish hares.
To get to the reserve, head 3km up the R741 Gorey road, then turn right for 2km. As well as various hides, you’ll find the well-run visitor centre, which houses an observation tower and an engaging little exhibition. It’s not possible to walk by yourself in the protected environs of the reserve, but if you fancy stretching your legs at this stage, you could make for the nearby Raven Nature Reserve, an expanse of dunes and pine forest that runs down to Raven Point at the mouth of the estuary. To get there, retrace your steps to the R741, head north for 500m, then turn right; the reserve is 8km from the turn-off, via the village of Curracloe.
Irish National Heritage Park
Daily: May–Aug 9.30am–6.30pm, last admission 5pm;
Sept–April 9.30am–5.30pm, last admission 3pm • €9 • 053 912
0733, inhp.com
Four kilometres west of Wexford off the N11 Dublin road at FERRYCARRIG, the carefully researched Irish National Heritage Park will plug the gaps in your imagination, with sixteen full-scale reconstructions of the sites and buildings that configure Ireland’s known history, right through from Mesolithic times. A tour around the park, either with a costumed guide or by yourself with an audio guide, takes you past, and sometimes into, all manner of dwellings and ritual sites, while the undoubted centrepiece is an impressive facsimile of a twelfth-century castle (built over the ruins of a castle of that era).
Irish Agricultural Museum
Museum April–June, Sept & Oct Mon–Fri
9am–5pm, Sat & Sun 11am–5pm; July & Aug Mon–Fri 9am–5.30pm, Sat
& Sun 11am–5.30pm; Nov–March Mon–Fri 9am–4pm, Sat & Sun noon–4pm •
April–Oct €8 (includes admission to gardens); Nov–March €6 Gardens Daily: April–June, Sept & Oct
9am–5pm; July & Aug 9am–7pm; Nov–March 9am–4.30pm • April–Oct €3;
Nov–March free • irishagrimuseum.ie • The Wexford Bus services to Kilmore Quay and
to Rosslare from Redmond Square both pass within walking distance of the
agricultural museum ( wexfordbus.com).
It’s well worth taking a trip 6km south from Wexford town to Johnstown Castle. This nineteenth-century Gothic Revival mansion is not open to the public, but its extensive grounds feature an abundance of trees and plants, outdoors and in hothouses, as well as ornamental lakes, rich woodland, a sunken Italian garden and a ruined medieval tower house. The estate’s old farm buildings are now home to the Irish Agricultural Museum, which explores rural history via displays, artefacts, a wealth of furniture and machinery, and re-created workshops and kitchens. As well as a café, there’s also a specific display on the Famine, recounting its impact, the search for a cure for potato blight, and the massive changes in rural Ireland that ensued.
Rosslare and Rosslare Europort
Some 11km southeast of Wexford town, with a train station on the Rosslare
Europort line, is ROSSLARE (aka Rosslare
Strand), a single-street village with a massive and popular sandy beach and
a superb place to stay, Kelly’s. A little further southeast along the coast, ROSSLARE EUROPORT ( rosslareeuroport.irishrail.ie) is a major ferry terminal
surrounded by hotels and B&Bs, serving arrivals from Wales, France and
Spain. Should you arrive by car, there’s no reason to linger, and if you
come on foot there are train and bus connections to various parts of
Ireland.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: ROSSLARE AND ROSSLARE EUROPORT
By ferry The terminal hosts a bureau de change, a Budget car-rental
outlet ( 053 913 3318, www.budgetcarrental.ie) and offices of the ferry
companies:
Irish Ferries (for Pembroke; 1890 313131) and
Stena Line (for Fishguard; 053 916 1560).
By train There are stations both at the Europort and in Rosslare village.
Destinations Rosslare Europort to: Dublin (3–4 daily; 3hr); Enniscorthy (3–4 daily; 50min); Rosslare (3–4 daily; 5min); Wexford (3–4 daily; 25min).
By bus Buses stop at the port and the village.
Destinations Rosslare Europort to: Dublin (Mon–Sat 1 daily; 3hr 25min); Enniscorthy (Mon–Sat 1 daily; 1hr); New Ross (5–6 daily; 1hr); Waterford (5–6 daily; 1hr 25min); Wexford (5–7 daily; 30min).
Rosslare to: Rosslare Europort (5–6 daily; 5min); Waterford (5–6 daily; 1hr 20min); Wexford (Bus Éireann 5–6 daily, Wexford Bus 2–3 Mon–Sat; 20–40min).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Hotel Rosslare 053 913 3110, hotelrosslare.ie. Surveying the harbour
from a cliff-top position, this hotel provides tastefully
furnished, spacious rooms in an unobtrusive contemporary style,
some with balconies with great views. Good deals on family
rooms. €79
Kelly’s Resort 053 913 2114, kellys.ie.
Nothing less than a national treasure, family-run Kelly’s sits in lovely Mediterranean
gardens right by the 8km strand and continues to offer the
highest standards of Irish service, both attentive and relaxing.
It offers an ESPA-designed spa with thermal, seawater and
seaweed treatments, as well as a host of activities for adults
and kids. Its walls – including those in its two excellent
restaurants – are adorned with one of the finest private
collections of modern Irish art. Both restaurants, the more
formal and classical Beaches, and the
more relaxed and innovative La Marine Bistro
and Bar, use the finest of local produce. All
manner of packages available. March–Nov. €198
Enniscorthy
Around 24km north of Wexford, the attractive old town of ENNISCORTHY straddles the River Slaney, its main streets, such as Castle Hill, rising steeply from the west bank towards Market Square.
ENNISCORTHY FESTIVALS
Dancing in the streets is the order of the day during the Street Rhythms Festival ( enniscorthystreetfest.com) in June, while the Strawberry Festival ( strawberryfest.ie), over
ten days at the end of June, includes lots of entertainments, a
three-day literary festival and punnet-loads of Wexford’s famous
strawberries – which you’ll see for sale at roadside stalls in and
around the county at this time of year.
National 1798 Centre
Parnell Rd (10min walk from Market Square, heading
down Rafter St) • April–Sept Mon–Fri 9.30am–5pm, Sat & Sun noon–5pm;
Oct–March Mon–Fri 10am–4pm, Sat & Sun noon–5pm; last admission 1hr
before closing • €7, €10 joint ticket with Enniscorthy Castle • 1798centre.ie
The National 1798 Centre is a high-tech sound-and-vision fest, capturing the excitement of events prior to the Rebellion, the rising itself and its aftermath, all cogently set within broader intellectual and political contexts that brought about American independence and the French Revolution. There’s a marvellous display on the conflict between revolution and counter-revolution set out on a giant chessboard. Another highlight is an audiovisual featuring an enthralling debate between actors playing the roles of the Dublin-born Whig politician and philosopher Edmund Burke and Thomas Paine, the English radical and American revolutionary whose Rights of Man (1792) was a direct riposte to Burke’s more conservative Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790). It was on the gorse-covered Vinegar Hill, opposite on the Slaney’s eastern bank, that the rebels of 1798 met their demise at the hands of British forces.
Enniscorthy Castle
Castle Hill • April–Sept Mon–Fri 9.30am–5pm, Sat &
Sun noon–5pm; Oct–March Mon–Fri 10am–4pm, Sat & Sun noon–5pm • €4,
€10 joint ticket with 1798 Centre • enniscorthycastle.ie
Though it’s a proper castle in the heart of town, with turrets, round towers and crenellations in the traditional style of Norman stone fortresses, Enniscorthy Castle has spent most of its 800-year existence as a private residence. Now completely renovated, it numbers among its exhibitions a first floor that’s been re-created as it might have been when it was last inhabited, in the early twentieth century. Other engaging and thoughtful displays cover the 1916 Easter Rising and pioneering modernist furniture designer, Eileen Gray, who was born at nearby Brownswood House. Staff will escort you to the crenellated roof for fantastic views of the town, the river, Vinegar Hill with its ruined windmill and, to the west, the Blackstairs Mountains.
St Aidan’s Cathedral
Just west of Market Square along Main Street, St Aidan’s Cathedral is an imposing Gothic Revival edifice, designed in the mid-nineteenth century by Augustus Pugin, whose other works include Killarney’s cathedral and the interior of the Palace of Westminster. As well as impressively high pointed arches, the cathedral features an oak carved pulpit and beautiful stained-glass windows depicting saints and bishops.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: ENNISCORTHY
By train The train station is on the east side of the river, just off Templeshannon, which leads north from Enniscorthy Bridge.
Destinations Dublin (3–4 daily; 2hr 15min); Rosslare Europort (3–4 daily; 50min); Wexford (3–4 daily; 25min).
By bus Buses set down outside the Bus Stop Shop on the Shannon Quay on the eastern bank of the Slaney.
Destinations Dublin (roughly hourly; 2hr 25min); New Ross (4 daily; 40min); Rosslare Europort (Mon–Sat 1 daily; 1hr); Waterford (4 daily; 1hr 10min); Wexford (roughly hourly; 20min).
Tourist office Enniscorthy Castle is the official information point
( 053 923 4699).
ACCOMMODATION
Riverside Park 053 923 7800, riversideparkhotel.com. Top-notch hotel
on the Promenade near the 1798 Centre, with modern, attractive
rooms, many of which overlook the river, and its own indoor
pool, gym and sauna. €79
Salville House 053 923 5252, salvillehouse.com. To the southeast of
town, about 3km away off the N11 Wexford road, this attractive,
creeper-clad, 1850s country house in traditional style (no TVs
in the bedrooms, lawn tennis) enjoys fine views of the Slaney
valley from its hilltop perch; breakfasts and dinners (bring
your own wine) are excellent. Good rates for singles;
self-catering also available. €100
EATING AND DRINKING
Enniscorthy hosts a lively farmers’ market every Sat morning on Abbey Square.
The Antique Tavern Slaney St, down towards the quays from
Market Square 053 923 3428. Great
spot for an atmospheric pint, a half-timbered,
eighteenth-century pub with a wealth of local photos and
memorabilia on its walls and a covered upstairs balcony for
absorbing views of the river and Vinegar Hill. Roughly Mon–Thurs 5–11.30pm, Fri & Sat
5pm–12.30am, Sun 5–11pm.
The Bailey On the quays near Cottontree Café 053 923 0353, thebailey.ie. Converted into a café-bar from
a nineteenth-century malt warehouse and decorated in plush
Victorian style, The Bailey offers
good food and regular live gigs. Mon–Thurs 10.30am–11.30pm, Fri & Sat 10.30am–12.30am,
Sun 12.30–11pm.
Cottontree Café Slaney Place, on the west bank opposite
the old bridge 053 923 4641. Quirky
café with plenty of floral elements in its design, offering
tasty minestrone, gourmet sandwiches and mains such as goat’s
cheese and tomato salad (€9). Mon–Sat
8.30am–5pm, Sunday 11am–5pm.
Via Veneto 58 Weafer St 053 923
6929, viaveneto.ie. A cosy, white-tablecloth
restaurant offering authentic Italian main courses, including
plenty of fresh fish, and much cheaper pizzas and pastas.
Three-course set menu €24.50, two-course early bird (before 7pm,
not Sat or Sun) €18.50. Mon &
Wed–Sat 5.30–10pm, Sun 5–10pm.
Hook Peninsula and the Barrow estuary
The sightseeing highlight of Wexford’s southwestern corner is the atmospheric ruin of Tintern Abbey, at the neck of the blustery Hook Peninsula, which is punctuated with sandy beaches and a fascinating medieval lighthouse. Circumnavigating Hook Head brings you to the pleasant little resort of Duncannon and nearby Ballyhack, whence car ferries cross the Barrow estuary to Passage East in County Waterford. This ferry service is 20km south of the first road crossing of the Barrow, at the busy town of New Ross, and is certainly worth taking if you’re short of time, but that way you’d miss out on a tight cluster of attractions on the east bank of the river, notably the glorious remains of Dunbrody Abbey, the John F. Kennedy Arboretum, and the charming Ros Tapestry and vivid Dunbrody Famine Ship at New Ross.
ACROSS THE ESTUARY TO WATERFORD: BALLYHACK
If you’re heading for County Waterford, then the Passage East Car Ferry
( 051 382480, passageferry.ie) from Ballyhack,
1km northwest of Arthurstown, is a boon, saving time and mileage with a
five-minute crossing. Ferries operate a continuous service (April–Sept
Mon–Sat 7am–10pm, Sun 9.30am–10pm; Oct–March Mon–Sat 7am–8pm, Sun
9.30am–8pm; car €8 single, €12 return; cyclist €2 single, €3 return). While
waiting for the ferry, you might be tempted by a visit to Ballyhack Castle, a fifteenth-century tower
house in the village built by the Knights Hospitallers of St John (June–Aug
Mon–Wed, Sat & Sun 10.30am–5pm; free; heritageireland.ie).
Tintern Abbey
Abbey Mid-May to late Sept daily 10am–5pm •
€3; Heritage Card • heritageireland.ie Walled garden Daily: May–Sept 10am–6pm; Oct–April
10am–4pm • €3 • www.colcloughwalledgarden.com
On the broad neck of the Hook Peninsula, 30km southwest of Wexford town off the R374, lies the dramatic ruin of Tintern Abbey. This early thirteenth-century Cistercian foundation was constructed by William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, to give thanks for being saved from drowning at sea, and was populated by monks from its better-known namesake in Monmouthshire, Wales. After dissolution in 1536, the abbey was granted to one of Henry VIII’s officers, Anthony Colclough, who much modified the buildings, while subsequent additions, including the battlemented walls, were made by his descendants, who lived here until the 1960s. Of the original cruciform church, the tower, chancel, cloister walls and south transept chapels are extant. Beyond the abbey, verdant woodland trails lead to the recently restored Colclough Walled Garden, which is traversed by a stream crossed by five small bridges.
Hook Head
Hook Head itself is entirely exposed to the elements, serene in good weather – though very dangerous for swimming – and excitingly wild in a storm. The rocky shoreline has a wealth of fossils and it’s a popular location for birdwatchers, who visit to spot migrations, as well as whale- and dolphin-watchers.
Hook Lighthouse
Visitor centre Daily 9.30am–5/6pm;
obligatory guided tours June–Aug every 30min, 10am–5.30pm; Sept–May
hourly, 11am–5pm • €6 • hookheritage.ie
The oldest operational lighthouse in the world, Hook Lighthouse was built by William Marshall in the early thirteenth century to guide ships safely into the Barrow estuary on their way to his thriving port of New Ross, replacing an earlier beacon. Apart from a short period during the 1600s, it has functioned ever since and became fully automated in 1996. Guided tours lead to the lighthouse’s top, some 36m high, and recount its history, paying note to the monks who were the first light-keepers here; there’s also a café and bakery. Check out their events roster on the website.
Duncannon and around
DUNCANNON is a small, friendly village with
a lovely beach protected from the elements by a rocky coastline at its
southern extremity. On the beach, you can take kitesurfing and stand-up paddleboarding
lessons ( 087 675 5567, www.hookedkitesurfing.ie), and in August there’s a three-day
International Sand-Sculpting Festival,
in which a host of competitors produce astonishing, but sadly temporary,
artworks, followed by a two-day kitesurfing
festival.
Duncannon Fort
May–Sept daily 10am–5.30pm; Oct–April Mon–Fri
10am–4.30pm; optional guided tours on the hour, but worth checking on
051 389454 • €5 • duncannonfort.com
Looming above the village from its lofty promontory is Duncannon Fort, constructed in 1586, on the site of a Celtic fort and a Norman castle, as a bulwark against Spanish invasion. Much remodelled since then, the fort was burnt down by the IRA in 1922. Though Ireland was officially neutral during World War II, the fort was rebuilt on its outbreak, becoming a base for the Irish Army until 1986. As well as art and crafts galleries and studios, and a café, the complex includes a small maritime museum, a dry moat with 10m-high walls, ramparts with great views of the Barrow estuary and down to Hook Head and, in a surviving older building, a fetid dungeon where the Croppy Boy, the subject of a well-known song of the 1798 Rebellion, was allegedly incarcerated.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: DUNCANNON AND AROUND
By bus Destinations New Ross (Mon–Sat 3 daily; 35min); Waterford (Mon–Sat 3 daily; 1hr).
Tourist office Hook Tourism’s office is by the post office (Mon–Fri
9.30am–5.30pm, plus May–Aug Sat 10am–2pm; 051
389530, hooktourism.com).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Dunbrody House Just before Arthurstown, 3km north of
Duncannon 051 389600, dunbrodyhouse.com. Sumptuous,
traditional country-house accommodation in an 1830s mansion set
in glorious parklands. As well as a luxurious spa, the hotel
houses one of Ireland’s foremost cookery schools so it’s
unsurprising that the restaurant here is exceedingly good; a
simpler, cheaper menu is offered in the seafood bar afternoons
and evenings, and there’s a pub offering live music at weekends,
and pizzas. Good-value half-board packages. €198
Glendine House On the east side of Arthurstown, 3km
north of Duncannon 051 389500, glendinehouse.com. With fine views of
the estuary, this welcoming late Georgian country house in
expansive grounds offers luxurious, upmarket B&B. Good rates
for singles; self-catering also available. €98
The Moorings B&B By the fort and beach in Duncannon
087 992 9138, mooringsbnbwexford.com. Bright, modern,
pine-floored and furnished house with comfortable, well-kept
en-suite rooms and an attractive garden. Very good rates for
singles. Continental breakfast included. €50
Roche’s By the beach in Duncannon 051 389188, sqiglrestaurant.com. Roche’s features a cosy, old-fashioned front bar –
home to traditional sessions on Fri – and larger spaces beyond,
including a beer garden. Bar food includes their famous chowder
and seasonal Wexford strawberries, while the converted barn next
door houses Sqigl, their creative
modern restaurant. Bar Mon–Thurs
11am–11.30pm, Fri & Sat 11am–12.30am, Sun 12.30–11pm;
restaurant summer Tues–Sat 6.30–9pm.
Dunbrody Abbey
Mid-May to mid-Sept daily 11am–6pm • Abbey €3; maze €6
(includes fee for pitch and putt course) • dunbrodyabbey.com
A few kilometres up the R733 from Arthurstown lies ruined Dunbrody Abbey, a Cistercian monastery founded in 1170 by Hervé de Montmorency, on the instructions of his nephew, the Anglo-Norman invader, Strongbow. Overlooking the Barrow estuary, its magnificent remains centre on a 60m-long early Gothic church, whose most notable features are the elegant west doorway and east window. Following Dissolution, the abbey passed into the hands of the Etchingham family whose descendants added the tower and nearby buildings and own the land to this day. On site there’s also a tea room, pitch and putt course, and a full-sized maze, which utilizes 1500 yew trees.
John F. Kennedy Arboretum and Kennedy Homestead
Arboretum Daily: April & Sept
10am–6.30pm; May–Aug 10am–8pm; Oct–March 10am–5pm; last admission 45min
before closing • €3; Heritage Card • heritageireland.ie Homestead Daily: April–Sept 9.30am–5.30pm;
Oct–March 10am–5pm • €7.50 • kennedyhomestead.ie
A few kilometres north of Dunbrody Abbey, on the east side of the R733, the horticultural connection continues at the John F. Kennedy Arboretum, funded by Irish-Americans in memory of the former US president, who returned to visit his ancestors’ homeland in 1963. The arboretum houses an astonishing assortment of more than 4500 trees and shrubs from the world’s temperate regions, as well as a summertime tea room (May–Sept). Its grounds sweep upwards along the slopes of Slieve Coillte, whose 270m summit provides panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. JFK’s great-grandfather, Patrick, was born a little to the northwest in Dunganstown, where the Kennedy Homestead describes his emigration to the US, fleeing the Famine in 1848, and traces the family’s subsequent history.
New Ross
NEW ROSS squats beside the River Barrow, its
quayside marred by poor redevelopment and heavy traffic, but there’s still
life in the old place, especially in the lanes behind the frontage. The
river provided access to the upstream countryside of Wexford and Kilkenny,
and the town’s importance beyond being a local embarkation point is
emphasized by the quayside presence of the Dunbrody
Famine Ship. The JFK Dunbrody
Festival ( jfkdunbrodyfestival.org) takes place over three days towards the
end of July and features a variety of musical and other events, as well as
markets and street theatre.
Dunbrody Famine Ship
Daily: April–Sept 9am–6pm; Oct–March 9am–5pm • €8.50;
Heritage Island • dunbrody.com
The Dunbrody Famine Ship tries to convey what life must have been like on a nineteenth-century “coffin ship”. It’s a faithful reconstruction, fully seaworthy, of the kind of three-masted barque that carried Irish emigrants to North America from ports such as New Ross, usually in appalling conditions – with death rates among the passengers commonly reaching twenty percent. Guided tours, complete with costumed actors playing passengers, take you around the ship. In the visitor centre, which houses a café, you can access a database of emigrants to the US between 1846 and 1851, the main Famine years when over a million people left Ireland.
Ros Tapestry
Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, plus Easter–Oct Sun 10am–5pm • €6;
Heritage Island • rostapestry.com
Across the road from the Famine ship, it’s well worth visiting the enchanting Ros Tapestry, a hugely ambitious and fruitful community project. Depicting scenes from the Norman history of New Ross and the locality, such as the founding of Tintern Abbey, in 2m-wide panels, the tapestry has been hand-stitched by a hundred volunteers in various towns around Wexford and Kilkenny since 1999; there’s a demonstration panel in the reception area that’s often being worked on. Engaging guided tours show off the completed panels in their impressive exhibition area, explaining not only the historical detail but also the variety of pictorial styles in the vividly colourful work, which employs around four hundred shades of two-ply wool.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: NEW ROSS
By bus Buses stop on the quayside.
Destinations Bus Éireann: Dublin (4 daily; 3hr 10min); Enniscorthy (4 daily; 30min); Kilkenny (1 Thurs; 1hr 15min); Rosslare Europort (5–6 daily; 1hr); Waterford (9–10 daily; 20–40min); Wexford (5–8 daily; 40min).
Kilbride ( kilbridecoaches.com): Kilkenny (Mon–Sat 2 daily;
1hr).
Tourist office At the Dunbrody Famine Ship (same hours; 051
425239).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
New Ross hosts a farmers’ market every Sat morning on The Quay.
Café Nutshell 8 South St 051
422777. Your best bet for eating out,
parallel to and one block east of the quayside, an excellent
daytime café and health-food deli serving everything from juices
and smoothies to sandwiches (around €7), meat, seafood and
cheese platters, and daily-special hot dishes. Mon–Sat 9am–6pm.
The Galley North Quay 051 421723,
rivercruises.ie. If you fancy lunch,
afternoon tea or dinner on the water, then book a table on
The Galley, which plies between
New Ross and Inistioge on the Nore, up the Barrow towards St
Mullins or down to Waterford, all dependent on the tide and
numbers. April–Sept/Oct.
MacMurrough Farm Cottages 051 421383, macmurrough.com. On the northeast side
of town, 3km or so out, this welcoming working farm rents out
lovely, comfortable, well-equipped cottages with central heating
and stoves, one with a piano, at very good rates by the night or
week. €50