Kilkenny, Guinness, and an entourage of Irishmen.

“If you ever go to Kilkenny
Remember the Hole in the Wall
You may there get drunk for a penny
Or tipsy for nothing at all.” – Unknown

We arrived in Kilkenny… after a long bus ride from Dublin through the Irish countryside. Upon arriving, we settle into our B&B and soon decide to get out and about. While strolling down the streets, we first come upon an old cemetery with crooked tombstones dating back to 1812 and further. Beside the cemetery is a gorgeous old cathedral… of course… the type you can seem to find all over Europe, while America really has nothing even close.

As we continued wandering the town of Kilkenny, I couldn’t help but admire the style. Almost all the stores fronts on the main streets were these decorated, crowned wooden facades. Bright red, pale blue, jet black etc. All joined, it made for a lovely street view. We did a bit of sightseeing, including Kilkenny Castle along with its sprawling lawn that went on for what seemed like miles. We popped in and out of stores and pubs. It was a pleasant surprise every time we opened a door, as we had no idea what to expect. Sometimes, we would walk behind a curtain to find a populated pub spot…and sometimes we would enter into a pub complete with the locals and the cliché “resident drunk.”

After grabbing a tasty pasta lunch, we hunkered down in the B&B for a while before catching the nightlife Kilkenny had to offer. At about 9pm, we wandered down to High Street and picked a random pub to stop over in; called the Left Bank.

We were enjoying our time at the Left Bank. The bar was quite large and filled with colored lighting and dark wood. As we sat enjoying a Guinness…or other nasty beer… we were soon approached by a friendly Irish chap. After talking a bit, we found ourselves not only enjoying the company…and increasingly difficult to understand accent of Antonio (yes, Irish raised..but born in Spain hence the name.) but of his FOURTEEN mates. Suddenly, we’re surrounded… chatting, joking, and conversation ensues. We all wander together to another after-party bar following our time at Left Bank. I made a bunch of new friends, learned how to properly pull a Guinness, learned a bunch of Irish history, and learned how to speak in a proper Irish accent. (Sorry, Alan… I tried to keep it up, but now all I hear is British.)

Despite a small mix-up in plans… where I found myself abandoned by friends…left with all the Irish boys in the wee hours of the night for a few hours… we had a fantastic time in Kilkenny.

The next morning, we had no time to enjoy the proper Irish breakfast offered to us by our hostess. We trudged our way through the streets to catch our bus back to Dublin.

Day two in Dublin…to be continued. Fun times!

“If you ever go to Kilkenny
Remember the Hole in the Wall
You may there get drunk for a penny
Or tipsy for nothing at all.”