Meet the Places and Faces Behind Kilkenny’s Cultural Experiences

Most of us have memories of exploring an orchard as a child, carefully selecting the ripest and brightest apple to savour on a warm Summers day! Well at Highbank Orchards you can re-live those memories and discover what life is like for a small scale Irish food producer.

Here you will meet Rod and Julie Calder-Potts, the couple behind Highbank Organic Farm in Co Kilkenny, which dates back to the 17th century and discover how the Calder-Potts have built on the success of their syrup by diversifying into apple juice and cider production.  Why not sample some of their syrups, juices, organic ciders and apple spirits at the Highbank Organic Farm Shop and then take a tractor train tour through the organic orchards. Here your Guide will explain the process that creates the distinctive flavours and character of the organic cider, apple gin and apple brandy, meeting the Calder-Potts for a chat on local history.  The guided tours last approximately one and half hours.

Visit: www.highbankorchards.com

Pack a lunch and head 15km outside Kilkenny city, where visitors will find the Augustine priory of Kells situated alongside King’s River beside the village of Kells. Explore the priory’s most striking feature, a collection of medieval tower houses spaced at intervals along and within walls which enclose a site of just over 3 acres. It consists of a church, a chapel, prior’s residence or sacristy and a number of domestic buildings for visitors to explore. An intriguing day out for anyone visiting Kilkenny this summer!

Walking Kilkenny’s Medieval Mile with a local guide is how conversation flows, weaving together rich architectural highlights and gossip through the centuries. If you want to discover the true history and facts, a guided tour from local historian Pat Tynan from Kilkenny Walking Tours will ‘pepper’ your walk with humour and laughter as he leaves no stone or lane-way ‘unturned’!

The Medieval Mile linking 13th-century St Canice’s Cathedral and the Anglo-Norman castle runs through its heart. Then climbing up the 100ft, 9th-century Round Tower beside the cathedral, you enjoy the most wonderful views over the city. At the heart of this discovery trail, you will find the Medieval Mile Museum, an example of Ireland’s finest medieval church where you can enjoy exhibitions and guided tours to truly soak up the tales of old Kilkenny. The walk culminates at the beautiful Kilkenny Castle where you can explore the grounds or enjoy a tour of this historic castle.

Visit: www.kilkennywalkingtours.ie

If you want something that takes you off the beaten track and into the countryside, then why not explore the story of a world of crafts at Cushendale Woollen Mills in Graiguenamanagh.  Six generations of the Cushen family have devoted themselves to crafting superior quality textiles in the small town of Graiguenamanagh from the 18th century to the present day. Today, Philip Cushen and his daughter Miriam carry the torch of this incredible story.

Cushendales is one of the few remaining Irish woollen mills continuing to create quality authentic textiles from the fleece of Irish sheep. Cushendale Woollen Mills offer a unique experience to see one of Ireland’s oldest working woollen mills where you will learn about Graiguenamanagh’s link with wool since 1204, Their family history since early 1800s, their unique process and see a 1900s spinning mule still in operation. Mill Tours are run weekly. Price is €7 per person and must be pre-booked.

Visit: www.cushendale.ie