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Visit the Kilkenny Medieval Mile, and retrace the 1500-year legacy of this old capital of Ireland on a historical trail through the city.
Kilkenny is the medieval stronghold of Ireland’s Ancient East. Once the great medieval capital of Ireland, Kilkenny’s 1,500 years of heritage runs through its laneways, stairwells, walled city gates, towers, and stone-clad landmarks.
Though it started life in the 6th century as a monastic settlement, it grew with the arrival of the Normans in the 12th. It became a walled town of seven gates, with a castle to the south and a cathedral to the north.
Today it is a city of nine churches, two cathedrals, and up to 70 pubs for its 30,000 inhabitants and guests.
Walking the Kilkenny Medieval Mile Trail – The First Medieval Capital of Ireland
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Medieval Mile Kilkenny Landmarks
In European history, the Middle Ages, or the medieval period, lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. Walking the Medieval Mile means being able to backtrack in years by the thousands.
Back to the 9th century where the round tower stands beside the 13th St Candice’s Cathedral – one of two medieval towers in all of Ireland that can be climbed.
To Kilkenny Castle, built upon a 12th Century Castle erected by the Norman invader, Strongbow, whose son-in-law (William Marshall) built the fortified structure that remains a centrepiece of the city.
And to the Smithwicks brewing house takes you on an interactive experience to the 1300s and the monks of St. Francis Abbey, where Irish beer was born.
The historical trail of Kilkenny’s Medieval Mile.
Kilkenny Castle.
Smithwicks Brewery is a traditional experience in Kilkenny.
The old houses of the Medieval Mile in Kilkenny
Pass through colorful Pub Street in Kilkenny town while walking the Medieval Mile.
Kilkenny Medieval Mile Lanes
Laneways that connect the Medieval Mile divert visitors from the modern high streets back into the old.
Mary’s Lane and Coffin Lane are two of many lanes in the medieval mile, or you can clamber down the steps of the arched alleyway from 1616 called Butter Slip that connects the modern High Street to the picturesque medieval street of St Kierens.
The medieval Butterslip Lane in Kilkenny.
The other side of Butterslip lane to the medieval street of St Kierens.
Visit the Oldest Inn in Kilkenny
On St Kierens Street is the famed Kytelers Inn – the oldest inn in Kilkenny and at the centre of Ireland’s (and it is said Europe’s) only witch trials took place here in 1324.
The Kyteler family arrived with the Normans, where the moneylending ways of the banker, Joseph Kyteler, didn’t go down too well with the church. His daughter Alice took over when he died, marrying four wealthy men who all died under mysterious circumstances. Accused of heresy and witchcraft, she fled to England, and her maid (on trial as an accomplice) was burnt at the stake.
You can visit the 13th Century built Kyteler’s Inn, join the merriment of live music, and dare yourself to venture into the dark corners of the stone-walled rooms, where rumour has it, Alice sometimes watches over to make sure her Inn is running to order.
St Kierens Street on Kilkenny’s Medieval Mile.
Pop into the Kytelers Inn in Kilkenny for a pint and ghost stories.
Irish Band at Kyteler’s Inn.
Kilkenny Medieval Mile Tours
Want more local insight? Walking tours of Kilkenny’s Medieval Mile are available as part of the offering from the Kilkenny Tourist Office. Pat Tynan has been guiding visitors around Kilkenny for the past 30 years and touches upon a dozen great sites in the city.
This top-rated Kilkenny historical highlights walking tour takes you through multi-layers of Kilkenny’s history in two hours.
This Historical and Hysterical walking tour is a comical storytelling walk through the iconic sights of the Medieval Mile.
Preserving Medieval Kilkenny
Kilkenny underwent heavy restoration in the 1960s to preserve its ancient legacy. Buildings were restored and re-opened, the city was granted ownership of the Castle and opened to the public for the first time in 1976, unsightly neon signs were removed, and small shops were retained.
Even more recent historical buildings, such as 16th-century merchants’ houses, can be found intact behind the 18th and 19th-century buildings, like The Hole In The Wall music venue – the oldest surviving townhouse in Ireland from 1582 where you could once have ‘got drunk for a penny’.
Viking strongholds and medieval capitals are not built over in the south of Ireland’s Ancient East but are used as a means of living history – ceremonious historical gateways of the early urbanisation that made cities like Kilkenny what they are today.
Wander through 5,000 years of history as I did by travelling around the southeast region of Ireland.
My trip was in conjunction with Ireland Tourism as part of a campaign to bring the country’s centuries-old history to life.
Rooftop view over Kilkenny.
Where to Stay in Kilkenny
There are plenty of Kilkenny hotels and hostels if you want to stay beyond a day trip.
I stayed at the beautiful Kilkenny Pembroke Hotel 4-star property behind the Castle. Stylish decor and the on-site Statham’s Bar & Restaurant offers traditional Irish and international food.
The Kilkenny River Court Hotel is one of the bestsellers and is in a top location. On the banks of the River Nore, you may even be lucky and get a room that looks out over the grounds of Kilkenny Castle. Stylishly decorated with a traditional touch, this hotel in Kilkenny is set in a quiet location but in close distance to the main sightseeing and entertainment areas in the centre of the city.
A Kilkenny hostel option is the Tourist Hostel located in an 18th-century townhouse with a mix of private rooms and dorms. Right in the heart of the city for easy access to historical hotspots, nightlife, and access to public transport.
Kilkenny to Waterford – Medieval Cities of Ireland
On a journey from Kilkenny to Waterford, you can visit two cities associated with the rich urban history of Ireland – where Viking and Norman invaders made their mark. These historical trails are preserved, and it’s worth combining the two cities to retrace history via the Medieval Mile and Viking Triangle routes of Ireland’s Ancient East.
READ MORE: On the Waterford Viking Triangle – Visiting The Oldest City of Ireland
The two cities are less than one hour apart in journey time, via Irish rail or by road. If you want to visit both, the easiest routes are as follows.
Dublin to Starting City
Dublin to Kilkenny
- 2 hours – 2 hours and 30 minutes.
- Via the 600 Dublin Coach or the Kildare/Waterford Rail Service.
Dublin to Waterford
- 2 hours and 40 minutes.
- The most frequent and direct service is the number 736 Kenneally’s Bus Service.
Between Waterford and Kilkenny
Waterford to Kilkenny / Kilkenny to Waterford
- 53 minutes via Irish Rail.
- This journey is on the Kildare/Waterford Rail Service or you can take the frequently running number 600 Dublin Coach.
End City to Dublin
Kilkenny to Dublin
- Approximately 2 hours.
- This is via the 600 Dublin Coach or the 717 bus service (operated by JJ. Kavanagh & Sons).
Waterford to Dublin
- 2 hours and 40 minutes.
- Via the 736 Kenneally’s Bus Service or number 600 Dublin Coach.
Book Your Tickets
If you are not on a self-drive route, you can plan and book rail and bus tickets on the Transport for Ireland (TFI) site.
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