Day 4

Today is the visit to Kilkenny Castle. You can’t just walk into and wander around the castle; you have to take a guided tour of the semi-restored residence. We had an ultra bossy guide who was constantly reprimanding people for wandering off the carpet, leaning ever so slightly near the walls, and dawdling to gape at the paintings. It’s a half-hearted restoration attempt, and one wonders if they couldn’t just bedeck it for the moment instead of waiting for all of the original pieces to be returned before showing the castle in it’s splendor. Case in point: when we arrived at the last and most impressive room (the portrait gallery) each of the 20 huge portraits was cloaked in a white sheet to protect it from some imminent but not immediate restoration. Tom was none too pleased.

We wandered the quaint streets of Kilkenny, lunched at Matt the Miller’s Pub. And then decided to drive to Cashel in rain. After we checked into the Thornbrook House by the proprietor Mary, we drove the short distance into Cashel in the lashing rain. Laura decided that Italian food was in order and we spotted a dangerously empty looking place across the road called Morelli’s. We were the only patrons in there in the beginning, but it turned out to be the BEST! There was handmade pasta and truly authentic sauces. Now, coming from people who have lived in Rome and Florence, eating at any Italian restaurant is a challenge, but to eat at one in the middle of Ireland seemed downright like playing chicken with a chicken. Lisa had Penne ai Salmone, Cindy had Cannelloni con Spinaci, Eric and Bill had Lasagna, Lola and Tom had Chicken and Mushroom Fettucini and Clare polished off the entire plate of penne pomodoro. That sauce was simple and so good Lola and Lisa were wrestling over it to “fare una scarpetta” (make like a little shoe with bread). Dessert was fought over by Eric, Lisa, Clare, and Laura: Death by Chocolate and a tiny tower of crispy cookie and ice cream with chocolate.

téigh in éag (means: to end!)