castles, cars, and cousins

Yesterday, a gloriously sunny day, we drove out to Kilkenny and hardly got lost at all! Road signs and maps don’t always agree here, but we figured it out, even at what the Irish call the “Mad Cow” interchange. I was very proud of David.

The countryside is just as expected: many quaint towns with curvy main roads, lots of horses, even more sheep, and miles and miles of green. Kilkenny was also as expected for a Sunday; it was hopping with tourists. We toured the magnificent Medieval castle which has had a significant Victorian makeover, and then we climbed the 100 foot high, 1000 year old round tower. We drank a Kilkenny quite close to the brewery and bought some crystal.

We’d have loved to spend more time in that charming town, but we had a very important date at aunt Mary and uncle Willie’s house in Newbridge. We were delighted (and a bit surprised) to also find cousin Oonagh, Aunt Christina, cousin Paul, his wife Ann and their 3 kids there. We had great fun and an astonishing feast with them all. Boy, can Mary ever cook!