Kilkenny and Waterford, Ireland 2026

A quick look at some of the highlights of my trip to Ireland, beginning in Waterford – several of us were invited to the wedding of our friends, Duncan (who I met when I was 5 - very Betsy-Tacyish) and Marlene’s daughter, Regina, in County Cavan. Having only had a 24-hour layover in Dublin many years ago, I decided I wanted to see more of the country and persuaded my college classmate, Susan, to join me for several days of sight-seeing before we headed to the wedding.

Mt. Congreve Gardens

After landing in Dublin, we began by taking a bus to Kilkenny and leaving our luggage at the oddly named Sweeney Todd Barbers (even more strangely, there are quite a few hair salons with that name – who knew) and hurrying to the Kilkenny Castle. Unfortunately, the guided tour, which we’d heard was great, was full, but we were able to book the last self-guided tour of the day and have a late lunch.

Kilkenny Castle is a 12th-century fortress built as a wooden and stone fortress by Norman knight Richard de Clare to guard the River Nore and secure control over the province of Leinster. The Castle was also part of key historical events, including a 1650 siege by Oliver Cromwell and a 1922 occupation during the Irish Civil War. It is now owned by the government and has been restored to some extent and furnished as it was in the 19th century.

It was very hot and it took a while to find the bus stop to Waterford but we did not have to wait too long and soon we were heading south again. I was interested in Waterford because some of my Irish forbears came from there, although I did not have time to research this in advance (next trip!). An added bonus was that my second cousin Sabrina, although she grew up in NYC and attended Brown and MIT, now lives in Waterford with her family.  It was delightful to spend time with her!  On Sunday morning, she walked the three miles from her home to our B&B and we took a taxi to the Mount Congreve Gardens, which she thought we would enjoy. The estate, comprising 70 acres of woodland and gardens, was owned by the Congreve family for many generations and is home to one of the largest private plant collections in the world, featuring designed walks and lovely gardens. There is also a restaurant where we had brunch that featured ingredients from the garden. We enjoyed the gardens, then took a taxi to Waterford’s historic old town.

A secret garden at Mt. Congreve

Waterford is Ireland’s oldest city, founded by Viking settlers in 914 AD. It evolved from a key Norse trading port into a major Anglo-Norman stronghold, a prosperous 18th-century Georgian trading hub, and the birthplace of world-famous Waterford Crystal. We especially enjoyed visiting Reginald's Tower, built after the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland on the site of an earlier fortification and is the oldest civic building in Ireland and it is the only urban monument in Ireland to retain a Norse or Viking name.

Sabrina also took us to the Book Centre in Waterford, located inside the old art deco theatre, which she knew I would enjoy (pretty astute for someone who’s only met me about 4 times in my life). I bought the sequel to Death at the White Hart. I also bought a cheap pair of sneakers at a charity shop because I had already done so much walking that my shoes were uncomfortable. I also bought socks at Dunnes, where of course I saw shoes that might have been more suitable.

View of the harbor from Reginald's Tower

Then Sabrina went home to prepare for dinner and we visited the Waterford Medieval Museum, which contains bits of natural and human history. Later, I figured out the bus to her home and I had a pleasant dinner with her family. I had met her daughter Astrid, now a university student in Galway, years ago when she visited the US and lived in Cambridge, but had had never met her former partner (who is Irish, which is how they wound up in Waterford) or daughter Sapphire.

Astrid is studying government and has taught herself book binding. She made me this beautiful book box because she remembered I had once given her a copy of The Phantom Tollbooth (I think this is called casting your bread on the waters)!

Sabrina has an amazing garden and is thinking about taking the horticulture course offered at the Mount Congreve Gardens, although she already seems extremely knowledgeable to me!

These characters are the Norman knight Richard de Clare (known as Strongbow; see above, he was all over) and his wife, Irish princess Aoife MacMurrough.  The king of Leinster sought Strongbow’s assistance in regaining his power in Ireland. In return he promised Strongbow his daughter Aoife in marriage. Strongbow landed in Ireland on August 23, 1170 and attacked Waterford with a force of some two hundred knights and one thousand other troops. Aoife and Strongbow were married at Christ Church Cathedral soon after Waterford was seized.  I don't imagine she had much choice in the matter but she outlived him and became a wealthy widow, securing her children's fortune.

A replica Viking longboat with a red sail called the Vadrafjordr, the Viking name for Waterford, is in front of Reginald’s Tower.