Ireland’s Ancient East: Kilkenny, Jerpoint and the Rock of Cashel

Route description

From Dublin the M9 motorway reaches Kilkenny in about an hour and a half. The M50 around Dublin has a barrier-free toll between junctions 6 and 7: pay online by 8 pm the next day, or you will be fined. Kilkenny is a compact medieval city along the River Nore; park in one of the central car parks and walk the Medieval Mile between the castle and St Canice’s Cathedral.

Kilkenny Castle sits above the river with free parkland and paid guided rooms. St Canice’s Cathedral has a round tower you can climb for a view over the city. Drive south on the R700 via Bennettsbridge for about 20 minutes to Thomastown and Jerpoint Abbey just beyond it, a Cistercian ruin whose cloister is full of carved figures. Inistioge, a riverside village, is a pleasant detour nearby.

Head west via Callan on regional roads to Cashel, about an hour. The Rock of Cashel rises above the town with its round tower, cathedral and Cormac’s Chapel, whose Romanesque carvings and frescoes are the highlight. Use the pay car park below the rock; the ruins of Hore Abbey in the fields below are free to wander and give a good view back up.

Cahir is 20 minutes south on the M8. The castle stands on a rock island in the River Suir, with the town square car park close by, and a riverside path leads to the Swiss Cottage, a thatched cottage orné. The M8 then runs south to Cork in about an hour; there is a toll plaza on the Fermoy bypass section, payable in cash or by card.