Even the signboards on the highways call it 'Medieval City Kilkenny'. Given my fascination of the Middle Ages, I was too eager to visit a place that stood through that period. Kilkenny is a great place to start. Now, I must mention that there is more to Kilkenny than the city itself, for example, Thomastown, Bennettsbridge, and so on. There are about an hour's drive from Kilkenny city. But for now, I will talk about my exploration of Kilkenny city.
The first spot I hit was Kilkenny Castle. It looked beautiful shining in the afternoon sun.
The first spot I hit was Kilkenny Castle. It looked beautiful shining in the afternoon sun.
Impressive, isn't it? I took the castle guided tour and that was perhaps the highlight of my trip. A guide will bring you around the castle (there's no way you can do that on your own!) and tell you about its history. This castle was built in 1172 and was the home of the Butlers, an important Anglo-Norman family for 800 years. They also held positions such as the Earl. The castle was sold by them to the public for a sheer 50 pounds in 1967. As the castle was in deteriorating conditions as nobody lived inside it, it had to be refurbished. And so, it was tidied up and beautified to resemble what it would have looked like when the Butlers' resided in it. The following are photos from the castle's interiors:
First from right: dining hall, library, children's nursery, bedroom, study, painting gallery
Cool, isn't it?
I'll now share some interesting snippets from this tour. Firstly, something the guide said was really memorable. He said that people in the medieval era had an average life expectancy of 35 and many of them died of tooth problems. He added that the best century for humans to live in is probably the one we are living in right now. Doesn't that make us grateful?
Have a look at this grand couch. It's called a courting couch. As the name suggests, a young noble lady and gentleman would chat and get to know each other sitting on this couch. However, if you look closely, there are 4 spots on the couch which meant 4 people could sit. Apart from the couple, the other two people would be their guardians, like an aunt or an elder cousin or something. Back in the medieval period, a couple wasn't allowed to be on their own until they were married. Just imagine if that was the case today!
Cool, isn't it?
I'll now share some interesting snippets from this tour. Firstly, something the guide said was really memorable. He said that people in the medieval era had an average life expectancy of 35 and many of them died of tooth problems. He added that the best century for humans to live in is probably the one we are living in right now. Doesn't that make us grateful?
Have a look at this grand couch. It's called a courting couch. As the name suggests, a young noble lady and gentleman would chat and get to know each other sitting on this couch. However, if you look closely, there are 4 spots on the couch which meant 4 people could sit. Apart from the couple, the other two people would be their guardians, like an aunt or an elder cousin or something. Back in the medieval period, a couple wasn't allowed to be on their own until they were married. Just imagine if that was the case today!
P.S. Two of the seats are extra large simply to cater to the huge hoop skirts the ladies used to wear.
Speaking of ladies, the next snippet is that the ladies used to change their attires 6-7 times a day (assisted by their servants). They had a routine everyday - morning tea, chatting in the drawing room, lunch, time spent at the library, and so on. This probably entailed them changing their outfits a great deal, though it is hard for us today to understand why one would need a different outfit for each of these daily matters. Interestingly, there are several hidden passages throughout the castle for the servants to move without been seen by the nobles or their guests. That being said, however, there has been no significant record of the Butlers' mistreating their servants.
Speaking of ladies, the next snippet is that the ladies used to change their attires 6-7 times a day (assisted by their servants). They had a routine everyday - morning tea, chatting in the drawing room, lunch, time spent at the library, and so on. This probably entailed them changing their outfits a great deal, though it is hard for us today to understand why one would need a different outfit for each of these daily matters. Interestingly, there are several hidden passages throughout the castle for the servants to move without been seen by the nobles or their guests. That being said, however, there has been no significant record of the Butlers' mistreating their servants.
Next, this knitted/crocheted screen was located near the fireplace. It was used to shield the heat from the flames from torching (okay, maybe not torch, but bringing any sort of radiation that would destroy) the ladies' pretty snow-soft faces. Now, just look closely at the image on this screen. My first question was - is that a smartphone he is looking at? Incidentally, our guide remarked that when he took some schoolchildren on the same tour, a girl asked if the lady on the screen was texting. I really don't know whether the person is a he or a she and what he/she was doing.
Lastly, the art gallery was lovely. I don't spend hours going over old paintings, but I thought the room's architecture was splendid, especially the roof. It incorporated designs from different European cultures and the entire roof was decorated by one artist. This is a more close-up view of it:
Once the tour is done, one can go out into the pretty gardens outside the castle. Unfortunately, it had started raining so I couldn't spend much time out in the garden.
Following my visit to Kilkenny castle, I began exploring the city. Most buildings were constructed in the 1800s-1900s, but there are several important structures from the Middle Ages that still stand. For instance, this is the Tholsel. It served as a meeting place and even a market.
There is a Medieval Mile Museum located inside the Tholsel and you can visit that. Next, I walked on to catch a glimpse of St. Mary's church, whose towering structure gives Kilkenny a truly medieval skyline. Here it is!
Next, there is another museum at the Rothe House. The Rothe House also has an interesting history of a famous family occupying it. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to explore it. But it certainly looks amazing from the outside.
I'll wind it up for now. I know there is a lot more to see in the city, but I'll add that as we go along.
November 2017