Kilkenny is a beautiful medieval city nestled on the banks of the River Nore in the south-east of Ireland. Acclaimed internationally as a centre for craft and design, it plays host every year to major cultural events, including Kilkenny Arts Festival and the Cat Laughs Comedy Festival.
We go to so many prestigious festivals around the world, but Kilkenny has a quality that outshines all the othersJohn Whibley, Holidays with Music
The city was named after a 6th-century monk, St Canice, whose memory lives on in the beautifully restored St Canice’s Cathedral. Another landmark building is the magnificent Kilkenny Castle, built by the Normans during the 12th century.
The charming medieval centre is filled with galleries, boutiques, great pubs and restaurants, all packed into a handful of streets, making the city small enough to explore on foot, and it’s this intimacy that helps to make the Festival so special.