Thesis statement: The city Kilkenny is a magical place that everyone should visit.
Supporting arguments: kind strangers; cat-themed venues; balance of tourists & locals
Conclusion sentence: Kilkenny city offers and unique collection of attractive features that provide visitors with a fulfilling experience.
Now allow me to flesh that out.
Before you read further, Kilkenny is pronounced kill-KENNY (like you're clarifying who the target is). "Kil" means "village" or something like in Irish.
I knew it must be a good sign when I got the last parking spot in the tourist parking near St. Canice's Cathedral. This lot was on the edge of town, but no bother; I'd get a nice stroll in and orient myself. After hopping out of my car (I was in a chipper mood), I took off towards the Kilkenny Castle. Along the way, I stumbled on *gasp* The Black Cat Pub (their CATchphrase is "The purrrrfect pint!"). Okay, I doubt that the pub actually has playful cats with which to interact (as I had hoped here) but Kilkenny got points in my book for being cat theme-friendly.
Unfortunately, I got a wee bit lost (probably fuzzy-brained after seeing the pub), and I stumbled upon a painter touching up a sign. I think it's charming that so many of the signs are hand painted here, and I asked the guy first for directions, and then for a picture. Although it would've been great to get a shot of him in action, he must've not wanted his mug in the photo because he stepped off his ladder.
Except I accidentally got him in the picture. I'm creeped out.
Unfortunately, my general experience with most Irish is that they do not default to being friendly with strangers. However, Kilkenny proved different, and Mr. Painter was the first to resident to do so. He gave me thorough directions--twice, just to make sure I got it right--and then talked about his painting background and his sister who married a Chicagoan and how he loves Country Music and Nashville.
After he cheerfully saw me on my way, another local walked up to me on the sidewalk and said, "I saw yeh talkin' the the painter, and I just wanted teh tell yeh a bit more about tis old section of town." She filled me in on a bit of the history. So helpful!
When I finally got into the city, I was delighted to find its town center to be tourist-friendly (a souvenir shop and street entertainers) but also cater to the locals with the likes of furniture and shoe stores. A kindly lady was standing at a corner, holding a collection bucket to support a local elderly home, and when I tossed in a few Euro, she responded, "Bless you, love!"
Not sure if this is a pro or a con, but one of the performers played his fiddle along with animatronic mannequins. His act may be material for nightmares, but at least he he isn't a corporate sellout, right??.
I finally arrived at Kilkenny Castle, which has been extensively remodeled and is totally worth a visit. While I was browsing through their painting collection (I found a beautiful Madonna & Child by Carlo Dolci), I heard strains of Pharrell's "Happy" coming from the courtyard. My interest piqued, I looked out the window to see the last bit of a triathlon winding through the castle grounds. Apparently some of the terms of the castle procurement was that the grounds could still be used for municipal activities. cool.
For my fourth example of friendly strangers, I asked one of the race volunteers what the race was for. Instead of gruffly responding "to support a suicide prevention group", the lady followed up with telling me about her history of running, and we discussed different races that we'd run and injuries we've gotten (apparently 200-mile relays haven't made their way over). Then she told me about an ideal cycling route that she wanted to do later this summer.
On my way off the beaten path, I stopped in a musical instrument shop, where the shop owner took the time to guide me through purchasing... a cheap Irish whistle. Then we got talking about Irish music and classical vs folk techniques and how we should both be better than we actually are. It was a nice moment of genuine camaraderie.
It may seem odd that I'm so strongly emphasizing my positive interactions with locals, but the people I met in Kilkenny (albeit a small sample size) were overwhelmingly the type that you'd expect to meet in Ireland: warm, helpful, and friendly. Of course I understand that a population will feature diverse characteristics and that perhaps it is condescending to think that all Irish would welcome tourists, but it was refreshing to interact with so many people that readily responded with enthusiasm.
I had to get going to the Rock of Cashel, but as if to put two cherries on top of my experience, as I wasgetting lost (I actually found Mr. Painter and asked for directions again) walking back to my car, I spotted two more cat-centric places.
Recap:
GIFSoup
Supporting arguments: kind strangers; cat-themed venues; balance of tourists & locals
Conclusion sentence: Kilkenny city offers and unique collection of attractive features that provide visitors with a fulfilling experience.
Now allow me to flesh that out.
Before you read further, Kilkenny is pronounced kill-KENNY (like you're clarifying who the target is). "Kil" means "village" or something like in Irish.
I knew it must be a good sign when I got the last parking spot in the tourist parking near St. Canice's Cathedral. This lot was on the edge of town, but no bother; I'd get a nice stroll in and orient myself. After hopping out of my car (I was in a chipper mood), I took off towards the Kilkenny Castle. Along the way, I stumbled on *gasp* The Black Cat Pub (their CATchphrase is "The purrrrfect pint!"). Okay, I doubt that the pub actually has playful cats with which to interact (as I had hoped here) but Kilkenny got points in my book for being cat theme-friendly.
Unfortunately, I got a wee bit lost (probably fuzzy-brained after seeing the pub), and I stumbled upon a painter touching up a sign. I think it's charming that so many of the signs are hand painted here, and I asked the guy first for directions, and then for a picture. Although it would've been great to get a shot of him in action, he must've not wanted his mug in the photo because he stepped off his ladder.
Except I accidentally got him in the picture. I'm creeped out.
Unfortunately, my general experience with most Irish is that they do not default to being friendly with strangers. However, Kilkenny proved different, and Mr. Painter was the first to resident to do so. He gave me thorough directions--twice, just to make sure I got it right--and then talked about his painting background and his sister who married a Chicagoan and how he loves Country Music and Nashville.
After he cheerfully saw me on my way, another local walked up to me on the sidewalk and said, "I saw yeh talkin' the the painter, and I just wanted teh tell yeh a bit more about tis old section of town." She filled me in on a bit of the history. So helpful!
When I finally got into the city, I was delighted to find its town center to be tourist-friendly (a souvenir shop and street entertainers) but also cater to the locals with the likes of furniture and shoe stores. A kindly lady was standing at a corner, holding a collection bucket to support a local elderly home, and when I tossed in a few Euro, she responded, "Bless you, love!"
Not sure if this is a pro or a con, but one of the performers played his fiddle along with animatronic mannequins. His act may be material for nightmares, but at least he he isn't a corporate sellout, right??.
I finally arrived at Kilkenny Castle, which has been extensively remodeled and is totally worth a visit. While I was browsing through their painting collection (I found a beautiful Madonna & Child by Carlo Dolci), I heard strains of Pharrell's "Happy" coming from the courtyard. My interest piqued, I looked out the window to see the last bit of a triathlon winding through the castle grounds. Apparently some of the terms of the castle procurement was that the grounds could still be used for municipal activities. cool.
For my fourth example of friendly strangers, I asked one of the race volunteers what the race was for. Instead of gruffly responding "to support a suicide prevention group", the lady followed up with telling me about her history of running, and we discussed different races that we'd run and injuries we've gotten (apparently 200-mile relays haven't made their way over). Then she told me about an ideal cycling route that she wanted to do later this summer.
On my way off the beaten path, I stopped in a musical instrument shop, where the shop owner took the time to guide me through purchasing... a cheap Irish whistle. Then we got talking about Irish music and classical vs folk techniques and how we should both be better than we actually are. It was a nice moment of genuine camaraderie.
It may seem odd that I'm so strongly emphasizing my positive interactions with locals, but the people I met in Kilkenny (albeit a small sample size) were overwhelmingly the type that you'd expect to meet in Ireland: warm, helpful, and friendly. Of course I understand that a population will feature diverse characteristics and that perhaps it is condescending to think that all Irish would welcome tourists, but it was refreshing to interact with so many people that readily responded with enthusiasm.
I had to get going to the Rock of Cashel, but as if to put two cherries on top of my experience, as I was
 |
| Gamers were playing board games inside. adorbs. |
Recap:
GIFSoup
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