Day 5 - Kilkenny

So far, we've all been incredibly busy making it difficult to find time to post and/or we've had marginal internet access to do it. We'll need to back fill text and photos over the coming days and should have an easier time to do this when we get to Dublin.

Today we began with a 4 mile forest walk at Claremorris Woods 20 miles south of Kilkenny. These are the lands around the former 17th century Claremorris estate comprising hundreds of acres of mature mixed forest and the remains of what was once the largest country home in Ireland - destroyed during the Irish Civil War in 1922. During the walk we serendipitously came across the old monastic ruin of Aghaviller, consisting of a small Medieval church and stump of an earlier Round Tower.

This afternoon was free time in the City - an opportunity for all to explore. A few of us climbed the 90 ft. 9th Century Round Tower and explored the 13th century cathedral of St Canice - the latter a marvel of design, construction and repository of centuries-old artifacts.
Peter K.