Rock of Cashel

This rocky stronghold which rises dramatically out of the Tipperary plain was a symbol of royal and religious power for more than a thousand years. The Rock of Cashel was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster as early as the 4th century and prior to the Norman invasion. St Patrick is said to have converted the King of Munster to Christianity here in the 5th century. Brian Boru was crowned as king here in 977 and made Cashel his capital. The King of Munster gifted the site to the Church, turning it into an important ecclesiastical center.

St Patrick's Cross

holding it for good luck

The O'Scully Moniment

erected in 1870 by a local landowner

Damaged during a storm

Breakfast at the hotel

We will drive to the Rock of Cashel first. We will then come back to spend the whole day in Kilkenny.

1810 Restaurant

We had our dinner at the restaurant in the hotel.

Cheers!

Calamari Rings

Vol Au Vent

Roast Irish Beef

Hoban Beef Burger

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Apple crumble

Hoban Hotel

We reached Kilkenny and went straight to the hotel. 

Jameson whiskey tasting

The last part of the tour is the whiskey tasting.

We were given three pegs of different whiskey

Another one for the road at the bar

Jameson Midleton Distillery

It all started in 1780 when John Jameson established a way of making whiskey in Bow Street, Dublin. The distillery moved to Midleton in 1975. We joined the Midleton Distillery Experience which is a fully guided tour around the Midleton Distillery. We learnt that a spirit must spend a minimum of three years maturing on the island of Ireland before it can call itself Irish whiskey.

Our tour began with an introduction to Jameson

Triple distillation

This is the largest pot still in the world

Built in 1825 it has a capacity of 143,872 litres