The kids had a massive lie-in this morning….not surprising as Mandy is fighting a head cold. Eventually we got moving but weren’t inspired to go too strong today.

We are staying just a short way from the center of town but as it was raining and with Mandy’s cold we decided to drive in. Crazy city streets and driving but we found a car park near the castle. Kilkenny Castle was my big draw here and it did not disappoint. We were able to walk through at our own pace to linger or not as we pleased. There were docents in the major rooms, if one had questions. A huge restoration has been done on the castle with rooms lavishly decorated similar to what they would have been previously.

The formal dining room, library and picture gallery, along with the bedrooms, were beautiful. Some of the most impressive things were the ceilings. And the views of the windows.

Once we felt we saw enough we walked a bit up the main road, but the rain decided to start coming down heavily. Fortunately we had our trusty hiking umbrellas with us. We ducked under cover a bit until it slacked, then walked up to the Design Center across from the castle entrance.

We were scheduled to meet Martin, our host, there in the restaurant above the Center. We hadn’t seen him in a number of years but recognized him immediately. With hugs all round we went to the counter to determine what we wished to have for a late lunch. While we ate we had a wonderful catch up conversation. All too soon he needed to get back to his parish for an evening mass.

By then the rain had cleared so we took the opportunity to walk along the River and back up through the castle park. With no more pep in our step we opted to return to the house for a quiet evening.