Kilkenny and Wexford

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We are about to farewell beautiful Ireland - on a ferry tomorrow bound for France. Our last days have been fun-filled - silliness and laughter!! 😊 😊
Kilkenny was quite possibly my favourite city from our visit to Ireland. It was quiet - guess it was easier to enjoy as there were not too many other tourists around. It just had so much character with lovely, old buildings and cobblestone roads - also seemed a bit better maintained and cleaner than the bigger cities we've been to. All the streets and shops in both County Kilkenny and County Tipperary were extensively decorated with team colours for the All-Ireland Hurling final - it's a bit like hockey mixed with lacrosse as far as we can tell.
We visited the Smithwick Brewery (pronounced Smiddick) - they make the Kilkenny beer available back in Oz. Our free sample drink at the end of the tour was actually pretty nice - Europe might make a beer drinker out of me after all 😊
Think all the activity has caught up with us a bit - we slept later than usual on Tuesday and were back in bed by 10pm like a couple of nannas!!
Live music and singing was heard well into the night at local pubs / bars on both Monday and Tuesday nights - these people know how to party!
Our last full day in Ireland saw us back on the road early Wednesday for a trip down to Wexford, visiting Waterford (House of Crystal), Kells (Priory ruins) and Enniscorthy (another day another castle) on our way. After a bit of a walk around the quiet streets of Wexford (so quiet we were worried we mightn't be able to get dinner), we stumbled across a lovely restaurant called The Yard. Another early night is in store for us weary travellers, ready to take on the next part of our European adventure!! 😊 😊

The Irish seem proud of their nation and why wouldn't they be?!
Here's some random facts for you:
* A bottleshop is called an 'Off Licence"
* time is pronounced as "half four" instead of four thirty
* buffet / set menu style dining is used at a lot of eateries (and done well - good food)
* weather is comparable to Melbourne - even if the sun is shining, you should take a cardi
* you can get white pudding as well as black pudding - it is pretty much black pudding without the blood
* Kilkenny beer is to Ireland as Fosters is to Australia - drank mostly outside the country of it's origin
* a roundabout is often just a painted circle on the ground

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