Day 2

We got up early and started for Kilkenny. It was a few hours drive and once we got there, we went straight to the Kilkenny Castle. We took a tour of the castle and it was amazing. Some parts of the castle were redone because there was a 32 year period where the castle was vacant with no one taking care of it and a lot of the rooms were destroyed and unkept. It was amazing knowing that in some of the rooms, I was walking where people walked back in the 1800s.

The inside was just as amazing as the outside!

This table was an original piece from the castle and it was made out of Italian Marble. It was used as a waking table. Meaning this is where family members of the family who owned the house were laid during wake ceremonies and funeral ceremonies.

These pictures were from the Tapestry Room (Above).

This seat was the Communication Chair. During Arranged Marriages, the couple would meet at this seat. They would sit back to back with a chaperone on each side. They could talk to one another to get to know each other before getting married. The chaperones would ensure that the topic of conversation would stay appropriate. The small space under the top allowed for the young soon-to-be couple to pass secret notes or hold hands secretly. 

These pictures were from the drawing room, where the family would gather in the evenings or guests would be invited in (Above).

These pictures were from the bedrooms in the castle (Above). They included guest rooms and family rooms. There is also a picture of a very early toilet or "water closet" that was installed when plumbing was first used.

These pictures were from the picture hall (Above).

After the tour of the castle, we walked around the town and visited the chapel in town. It was beautiful! It was St. Mary's.

After walking around some more, we checked into our hotel. We stayed at the Lyrath Estate Hotel.

We then took a taxi back to town and ate dinner then went to a bar. It was the first taxi I've ever taken!