Kilkenny is a picturesque region where history is inseparably mixed with nature. Among the hilly areas you can see the ruins of the abbey, old churches and charming towns with stone houses and bridges.
The county covers areas where settlement has developed since the Neolithic period. In many places you can see dolmens and barrow tombs. In turn, stones from the early Middle Ages and Christianization of the island come with ogham and engraved crosses. The most famous of them is presented at the church of St. Mary in Gowran.
The local churches and monastery ruins come from the Middle Ages. The most famous of them is the Romanesque Jerpoint Abbey, in which you can admire sculptures and medieval tombstones presenting bishops, knights, saints and mythological creatures, including dragons.
The county's largest city and capital is the city of Kilkenny, which is a large center of arts and crafts. At the local castle, built at the end of the 12th century by the powerful Butler family, there is a Craft Center with craft workshops and small shops. Kilkenny is also famous for the production of excellent beer.
The region can also boast of numerous gardens that were part of the now-non-existent magnate residences. One of them is Jenkinstown Park, which currently serves recreational purposes. An interesting place are also open to the public Dunmore caves with rich stalactite garment.
