The first two sights are in Kilkenny city and can be seen on foot in a day. The rest are spread across the east and are listed with their distance from Kilkenny and from Dublin.
1 Kilkenny Castle
Founded by the Normans in the 1190s and remodelled over the centuries, the castle was the seat of the Butlers, Earls and Dukes of Ormonde, from 1391 until 1935; the family sold it to the city in 1967 for a token £50. Highlights are the Long Gallery, with its painted hammerbeam roof, and the 20 hectares of parkland along the River Nore.
Practical: OPW; Heritage Card valid. Self-guided, with guided tours at some times of year. Park free. Allow 1–1.5 hours. The Kilkenny Design Centre is in the stables opposite.
2 The Medieval Mile & St Canice’s Cathedral
From the castle, High Street and Parliament Street lead past the Tholsel (town hall), the Medieval Mile Museum in a former church, the merchant’s Rothe House and Kyteler’s Inn — once owned by Alice Kyteler, accused of witchcraft in 1324 — to St Canice’s Cathedral. Its slender round tower, about 30 metres high, can be climbed by a series of ladders for a view over the whole city.
Practical: Cathedral and tower ticketed; the tower has a minimum age and is closed in bad weather. Rothe House and the museum are separate tickets. Allow half a day for the mile.
3 The Rock of Cashel
A limestone outcrop crowned with a cluster of medieval buildings, visible for miles across the Golden Vale. It was the seat of the kings of Munster — St Patrick is said to have baptised one here — before being given to the Church in 1101. Cormac’s Chapel (1134) is Ireland’s finest Romanesque building; beside it stand a round tower, a roofless Gothic cathedral and a high cross.
Practical: About 1 hour west of Kilkenny, 1 h 45 min from Dublin, just off the M8. OPW; Heritage Card valid. Cormac’s Chapel is visited by limited guided tour. Windy and exposed — allow 1–1.5 hours.
4 Glendalough
The “valley of the two lakes”, where St Kevin settled as a hermit in the sixth century and a monastic city grew up after him. A 30-metre round tower, a stone-roofed church known as St Kevin’s Kitchen, a cathedral and Celtic crosses stand among the trees, and paths lead on to the Upper Lake and into the Wicklow Mountains National Park.
Practical: About 1 h 30 min from Kilkenny, 1 h 15 min from Dublin. Site free; paid car parks and a visitor centre (OPW). Arrive before 10 am or after 4 pm in summer. Walks from 30 minutes to all day.
5 The Wicklow Mountains & Powerscourt
South of Dublin the granite hills rise to open moorland crossed by the Military Road over the Sally Gap. Below it lies Lough Tay, nicknamed the Guinness Lake for its dark water and pale beach. At the foot of the mountains, Powerscourt Estate has formal terraced gardens and, a few kilometres away, Ireland’s highest waterfall.
Practical: Mountain roads are narrow and can be closed by snow or ice in winter. Powerscourt gardens and the waterfall are separately ticketed.
6 Newgrange & Brú na Bóinne
In a bend of the River Boyne, three great passage tombs — Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth — were built around 3200 BC. Newgrange’s 19-metre passage leads to a corbelled chamber that is lit by the rising sun for a few minutes around the winter solstice. Knowth has the largest collection of megalithic art in western Europe. The complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Practical: About 45 minutes north of Dublin, 2 hours from Kilkenny. Entry only via the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, with timed tickets — book online ahead (OPW). Allow 2.5–3 hours. Places for the solstice sunrise are allotted by lottery.
7 Waterford & the Viking Triangle
Ireland’s oldest city was founded by Vikings in 914. The stout round Reginald’s Tower anchors the Viking Triangle, a compact quarter with the Medieval Museum, the Bishop’s Palace and several smaller museums, and the House of Waterford Crystal, where you can watch glass being blown and cut. West of the city, the Waterford Greenway is a 46 km traffic-free cycling route to Dungarvan.
Practical: About 45 minutes south of Kilkenny, 2 hours from Dublin. Museums sell individual and combined tickets. Allow half a day.
