Well known for it’s lively nightlife, there’s a plethora of bars, restaurants and clubs for you to check out, along with an assortment of landmarks.  See Kilkenny Castle, or check out St Francis’s Brewery, home of Smithwicks and Kilkenny beer. Marvel at the shiny limestone façades of the old buildings in the centre of town and if you want to get away from it all you can have a walk round Barrow Valley and do a spot of fishing in the River Nore.

Kilkenny (Irish: Cill Chainnigh, meaning “church of Cainnech“)^[2] is a city located in south-east part of Ireland and the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny.^[3] It is built on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster. The city is administered by a Borough Council and a Mayor which is a level below that of city council in the Local government of the state although the Local Government Act 2001 allows for “the continued use of the description city”. The borough has a population of 8,711, however the majority of the population live outside the borough boundary, the 2011 Irish Census gives the total population of the Borough & Environs as 24,423.

Kilkenny is a popular tourist destination. In 2009 the City of Kilkenny celebrated its 400th year since the granting of city status in 1609.^[4] Kilkenny’s heritage is evident in the city and environs including the historic buildings such as Kilkenny Castle, St. Canice’s Cathedral and round tower, Rothe House, Shee Alms House, Black Abbey, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny Town Hall, St. Francis Abbey, Grace’s Castle, and St. John’s Priory. Kilkenny is regarded for its culture with craft and design workshops, the Watergate Theatre, public gardens and museums. Annual events include Kilkenny Art Festival, the Cat Laughs comedy festival and music at the Rhythm and Roots festival and the Source concert. It is a popular base to explore the surrounding towns, villages and countryside.

Kytlers Inn

With a history dating back to 1263, Kytelers Inn, in the heart of the Mediaeval City of Kilkenny, combines a rich heritage with 21st century amenities and service.

Since it was first established by the notorious Dame Alice de Kyteler in the 13th. Century, the Inn has welcomed visitors and has provided them with good food and beverages. To-day its menu maintains the proud tradition of Irish cooking and from its taps flow local beers like Kilkenny and Smithwicks as well as Guinness and the Irish lager, Harp.

It is a place of merriment and celebration whose rafters continue to be raised by music and song, where weddings, birthdays and family events are celebrated and where the people of Kilkenny and their visitors gather for music, dance and conversation.

One of the oldest inns in Ireland, its first owner occupies a special place in the history of Kilkenny. The daughter of a Norman banker, Alice de Kyteler married four times and in the process amassed a considerable fortune. Local jealousies abounded and she was eventually accused of witchcraft and sentenced to be burned. Her excellent connections with local gentry ensured however that she was ‘spirited’ out of the country to England before the execution could take place.