IRELAND: The Wicklow Way and Kilkenny

At the Upper Lake near Glendalough

One of the first trips I made on the Emerald Isle was along the Wicklow Way. Blessed with amazing geographical scenery and history, this is a popular route taken by tourists and a very easy yet fulfilling trip to take at the beginning of any holiday on the Emerald Isle.

Rather than take the walking route, I travelled with a well known award winning tour company called Paddywagon Tours. Leaving Dublin early in the morning, our charismatic driver took us along round the M50, Dublin's orbital motorway before we headed down the route towards County Wicklow.

Our first stop was in a village called Glendalough. Located near the Glenealo Valley, this is an area blessed with some extraordinary scenery. Sadly the sun wasn't out but that wasn't enough to hinder my ability to appreciate the amazing green beauty of the Irish countryside. And this was the place where I had the first of many scones during my holiday. As I write more of these articles later on this week, you will not stop hearing me talk about scones. Don't be surprised if I start talking life a food critic soon!

Amazing Irish countryside with flocks of sheep everywhere
(can you spot them?)

And this trip was the first opportunity for me to properly understand Irish history. When you read Irish history, you will be captivated by how heartbreaking it is at certain points in time. County Wicklow saw. During the 1798 rebellion, it was the centre point of some of the clashes that took place between those who wanted to liberate Ireland from British rule at the time and the British army (see the BBC history article for more details). Over 200 years later tourists from everywhere, including myself, come to this part of the world unaware of what happened all those years ago until they are enlightened about it.

Brownshill Portal Tomb

Continuing on towards Brownshill Dolmen, in County Carlow, we stopped there to take a look at this fascinating monument which was said to have been built approximately around 5,000 years ago (see Discover Ireland article for more details). According to Discover Ireland, The Portal Tomb was said to have been used as a location for religious rites.

Finally, we headed to the capital of hurling. Kilkenny. Their hurling team, Kilkenny GAA, has clinched the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 34 times in their history, including every year form 2006, apart from 2010. A stunning record if you ask me or anyone else. And walking around the town, you cannot escape the famous yellow and black colours of their team wherever you go. The people of Kilkenny take a sensational pride in their team. So much so that I found it infectious and nearly ended up purchasing a full size hurling stick. But I settled for a small sized one instead for decoration back home.

The other highlight of the town is Kilkenny Castle. It was built in 1195 and was once symbolic of Norman occupation. Today visitors flock to the castle and admire its amazing architectural beauty. And then there's a walk across the River Nore where you receive another stunning view of the castle Again the sun wasn't quite out on the day I was there but nevertheless it didn't hamper the trip.

And finally, a trip to Kilkenny isn't complete without visiting Ireland's most famous sweet shop - Kitty's Cabin. Full of amazing Irish confectionary and a wide variety of other choices, visitors to the shop are spoilt for choice.

I don't think I've ever spent so much money in a sweet shop in my entire life. As well as buying some gifts for my family back home, I bought myself a heavy yet diverse bag of pick and mix of sweets. Yum yum!

Kilkenny Castle