The Medieval Mile

The Medieval Mile consists a set of streets in Kilkenny city center that are particularly important to the history of the city and also important to tourists. Those streets are The Parade, Rose Inn Street, St. Kieran Street, High Street, Parliament Street, and Dean Street. Kilkenny may be home to the only `Parade` in Ireland (such a street name is more common in Britain). You will find lots of places to eat and drink in The Medieval Mile, and your hotel may be either to the west of Kilkenny Castle or across the River Nore in the other direction. This area is vibrant and serves not just international tourists but also Irish tourists who like to visit the compact and historic city center on weekends.

Kilkenny City

Kilkenny City, with a population of just 8,000, is located inside the incomplete ring road which attempts to circle the town (the N77/N10 and N76). Kilkenny College, Newpark Wildlife Farm and Kilkenny Golf Club are located in the northern part of town, interspersed with residential neighborhoods. Eastern Kilkenny, with Hebron Road as a major thoroughfare, is very commercial. Many car dealerships have full-scale lots in this part of Kilkenny City, and there are shopping malls such as the Newpark Shopping Centre and the MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre which are popular with both locals and tourists. The southern part of Kilkenny City, which includes the residential area of Loughboy, is a sprawling, easygoing suburb. A number of hotels and B&Bs have opened up in the area, especially around Waterford Road. The further west you go in Kilkenny City, the more rural the area becomes.

Callan

Callan is the part of County Kilkenny that stretches for ten or fifteen miles on the N76 motorway once you leave Kilkenny City. Callan Town is very rural, but at 2,500 people it is still the largest town in the County. An Augustinian friary (`The Abbey Meadow`) can be seen here, as can The Moat, one of the best examples of a motte-and-bailey castle you will find in the Republic of Ireland. Much of the area around Callan is rural and dotted with farms.

Thomastown

Thomastown is the area that sits southeast of Kilkenny City on the R700 motorway and on the Dublin-Waterford Irish Rail line. Central Thomastown (pop. 2,200) is a lively market town well-known for its fresh trout and salmon which are fished directly from the River Nore. Jerpoint Abbey and the Kilfane Glen and Waterfall are situated on both sides of Thomastown. Much of the area around Thomastown is quiet and peaceful, and you will find that some of the country houses in the area double as bed-and-breakfasts or resorts.