Forty Shades of Green - Kilkenny II

I was a bit slow moving the morning after hanging out with our new Irish friends so we leisurely strolled the streets of Kilkenny checking out the shops, grabbing food, etc. Well by the afternoon I was back in shape so we decided to tour the Smithwicks Brewery.(one of my favorites..in fact i'm having one while writing this) As I mentioned earlier it wasn't high tourist season so the tour we went on had only two other people. Our guide for this journey was Rowan who had been with the company for many years. He had great pride in the company and informed us on the history of the town and brewery. After viewing the remains of the monastery on site (from the 14th century!) we were shown where the beer is brewed. If you've even been on a brewery tour before you know what comes next...the tasting.(which was of course delicious) After the tour we headed to dinner and one last bar and called it an early night.I enjoyed all the places in Ireland we visited but i felt most comfortable in Kilkenny. It kind of had a blue collar feel to it and you could tell the people were proud of their town.(and their Hurling team)

One thing we noticed about Ireland was that they seemed to love cover songs. When we checked into our hotel the song below was being played in the lobby. One of my favorite singers singing one of my favorite Dylan songs. My wife and I heard Jeff Tweedy play this live during the Solid Sound Festival. WE both had a smile on our faces as we reminisced about our special trip to the Berkshires. We also felt very lucky of the amazing things we've seen and were extremely grateful to be in Ireland. It felt like that song was played just for us during that moment.

Simple Twist of Fate - Jeff Tweedy

Forty Shades of Green - Kilkenny

So on the third day it was time to leave the city, jump in the rental car and head to Kilkenny. A few minutes after pulling out of the city we got our first glimpses of the beautiful Irish countryside. Once we reached our destination we hit the streets to find something to eat. We ended up in a pub called The Rafter Dempsey's Lounge (see picture) where we enjoyed the special of the day...Lasagna and chips. Sounds a little strange but with a nip in the air and our stomachs growling (and a few sips of Guinness in us) it was delicious. After leaving the pub we took a tour of Kilkenny Castle.(where construction was started in 1195!) The grounds and castle were in incredible shape.

We ended up grabbing dinner at Kyteler's Inn where the special was Shepard's Pie (perfect)which was a medieval style pub circa 1324 and at one time was owned by a woman accused of witchcraft. If you ever make it to Kilkenny check this place out. It has such a great look and feel. After dinner we decided to hang out with the locals at Tynans Bridge House Bar. A no frills watering hole where the locals hang. Since we were visiting in the off season we were the only Americans there that night.

After a few beers we engaged in conversation with some of the customers ( I believe our South Carolina accents stuck out a bit) and then the fateful question was posed.."May I buy you and your new wife a drink?" After saying yes i didn't realize that meant that whenever our beers were almost empty a brand new one appeared.(see pic with one our our new friends wearing my glasses. Notice the full beer next to my unfinished one) I had quite a few beers during our trip but this was the only night i got drunk. Not only was i drinking my beer but my wife kept pouring hers in my glass as well. Needless to say, we couldn't keep up with the locals. We had a great time that night and everyone was super welcoming. After awhile a guy got up and started playing guitar and singing songs. Well after a few drinks my wife for some reason requested the song below. the guy never had played it before but that night he obliged. So now every time I hear this song I think of drunken Irishmen and the smell of Guinness. Enjoy.

Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes