From picturesque lane ways like the Butterslip and Evans Lane to the dominant medieval buildings like Kilkenny Castle and St Canice’s Tower and church and of course the endless selection of quality pubs like Kyteler’s Inn, home of the famous witch Alice Kyteler and Langton’s Bar, one of the citys finest establishments, Kilkenny is our home and we are proud of it. So much so that we even named our band after it so we can take Kilkenny with us wherever we go.
When we are traveling as a band to play Irish festivals in Las Vegas, the Czech Republic, Germany, Holland or somewhere else, people always come up to us after the shows and ask ‘what is a Kilkenny?’ It’s a talking point for us and we could talk all day about Kilkenny. So when we tell them, sometimes people are overwhelmed by our enthusiasm and many even turn up at our shows at home.
Of course we all love our national sport hurling and when we tell people in places like America about it, they think we are all crazy. We try to tell them that it’s like winning the Superbowl four years in a row and then they seem to get our excitement. We are proud to push the Kilkenny brand becuase it has had a huge influence on our music and when people sample a bit of the Irish culture first hand, they really see where our music comes from.
We hope the people who enjoy our shows abroad will be encouraged to come visit our home city and maybe catch one of our local shows and enjoy a pint after a day of visiting places like the historic Rothe House, a unique example of an early 17th century merchant’s townhouse in Ireland, or St. Francis Abbey Brewery, Ireland’s oldest brewery founded in 1221 and home of Kilkenny Beer.
History, culture, music, sport and impressive historic buildings are all around you in Kilkenny. It’s a city thats big enough to impress but small enough to walk around. Renowned for festivals like the Cat Laughs comedy festival, the Rhythm & Roots festival, the Arts Festival, Rockfall and Savour Kilkenny, people from all over the world flock to the Marble City every year.
We perform in Kilkenny almost every week and we hear accents from all over the world and it’s great to see people visit Kilkenny for a sample of our culture. We have a reputation abroad for being very friendly and welcoming, and I think this comes from a huge sense of pride for our city that seems to be common among all Kilkenny people.
We decided to dedicate this small section of our website to where we are from. For all of those people abroad who ask us what a Kilkenny is, we hope this helps to answer that question and we would love to see you visit us. Here is just a sample of some of the attractions.
Kilkenny Tourist Office (Shee Arms House), Rose Inn St, ☎ 056 7751500, www.kilkennytourism.ie. Not only is this a great place to get information about Kilkenny, it is also a tourist attraction itself. It is in Shee Alms House, a Tudor building built in 1582.
Kilkenny Castle and Gardens, Parade, Kilkenny, ☎ 056 7704100. €5.30 Adult, €2.10 Child. This stunning Norman Castle, which is the dominant feature in the city, is its principal attraction. Its huge forested gardens are beautiful to walk during the day.
Black Abbey, Abbey St, Kilkenny. Founded in 1225, this impressive Dominican Abbey has beautiful stained glass windows and is itself surrounded by the old city walls. Free Admission.
Rothe House, Parliament Street, Kilkenny, ☎ 056 7722893. A unique merchant’s house built in the 16th Century. It contains Kilkenny’s History Museum. €5 Adults, €3 for groups (10+).
St. Canice’s Cathedral, Irishtown, Kilkenny, ☎ 056 7764971. Built over 800 years ago, this impressive Cathedral and round tower are one of Kilkenny’s main attractions. With one of Ireland’s only accessable Round Towers, on top of which one can see the most amazing view of Kilkenny, this is a must for anyone’s trip to Kilkenny. The cathedral itself is wheelchair accessable.
Grace’s Courthouse, Parliament Street, Kilkenny (Opposite Rothe House). Housing Kilkenny’s Court House, this former fortress built in 1210 (Grace’s Castle) and then converted into a prison in the 1500s is full of history.
Butler House, Butler House, Patrick Street, Kilkenny (Across the Street from the Castle, through the old stables). This stunning Chateau-like building is one of the residences of the Butler family that ruled Kilkenny for many years. During Arts week it has many exhibitions.
Kilkenny ‘Slips’, Throughout Kilkenny (Running Perpendicular to High Street). These winding streets that ramble through thecity are a true view of Medieval Kilkenny.
St. Francis Abbey Brewery, Parliament Street, Kilkenny. This is Ireland’s oldest brewery, founded in 1221. Heard of Kilkenny Beer? Smithwicks? Budweiser? They have all, at one stage, been brewed in this brewery.
The Kilkennys
