Kilkenny Castle

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A short day today to catch up on email and blogs and visit Kilkenny Castle. So, not much to report. We really overstayed our welcome we would think using the café at Callan for such a long time for the price of a coffee but they didn't seem phased.

After getting groceries we called in at the Famine Cemetery at Callan to see what it was about. Not much it would seem except for a memorial on the site. The site was fairly large and we believe 3500 people were buried there from the famine and workhouse diseases. It all seemed so unnecessary and we couldn't figure how people would die simply because potatoes weren't available.

In the afternoon we went into Kilkenny to visit Kilkenny Castle which we have missed both other visits. We took ourselves for a tour of the castle and asked the staff standing about with any questions we had. I was still curious about the famine so asked about it. I wondered why people could not eat other vegetables, or forage for herbs or berries. It appears that there was no seed and they were confined to their own small areas. The landlords owned all the land. They did not have the UN to come to the rescue so they emigrated or died.

Kilkenny Castle sits in a prime position in the town and is in very good order since it has been lived in, in more recent years. It was left derelict for a time but the owners gifted the castle to the town and it has now been restored to very good condition. The gardens and park and well kept and it is something for the locals to be proud of. Kilkenny is definitely a nice well kept and interesting town to visit.

Weather inclement! Doesn't know whether it's fine or wet.

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