I love visiting places where people have gathered to pray, baptize, marry, bury, encourage, inform, and care for each other for hundreds of years. It makes me feel connected to those who came before me. What can we learn from their journey?
The church now belongs to the Church of Ireland and has been carefully preserved in its original Early Gothic style.
If you’d like a great view of Kilkenny and the surrounding beautiful countryside, you can also climb St. Canice’s Celtic Christian Round Tower, adjacent to the church. Constructed in the 9th century, it was built to protect both people and treasures. It was once a watchtower and a refuge. It is the oldest standing structure in Kilkenny, and on a nice clear day (not guaranteed in Ireland), the view from the top is totally worth the climb.
Wander the Streets of Kilkenny
If you are not in a hurry, this is a place where you can meander for hours and just explore with no plan and very little agenda. If you have time, I recommend just wandering the streets of Kilkenny and discovering some of its nooks and crannies at your leisure. If you’d like a specific place to find as you wander, ask someone in the tourist office, or a local on the street, where to find Butterslip Lane. This little part of town is quaint and charming and looks like it came right out of a scene from a Harry Potter book.
