The kings of hurling, Kilkenny is not just a centre of sporting excellence because they know how to have the craic too.
Sporting moment: The 2011 All-Ireland final
Trying to pick a sporting highlight for a county that has won 34 All-Ireland hurling titles is pretty tricky. You could make a case for the 2000 All-Ireland, a win that ended a short spell away from the limelight and the first under Brian Cody but instead we will go for the 2011 success against Tipp.
The Premier ended the hopes of a Kilkenny five-in-a-row the year before so wrestling back Liam MacCarthy in 2011 was described as ‘massively sweet’ by Cody in the aftermath. With many writing off the Cats as having their best years behind them, this win ended all talk of their era of dominance being over. Instead they were lauded as arguably the greatest GAA team of all time.
That they went and won it again the following year only boosted their claim to that crown.
Cat Laughs
The combination of the compact Kilkenny city centre, loads of fantastic pubs and some of the best comedians in the world is pretty special. The annual Cat Laughs Festival, which was first held in 1994, is now one of the cultural highlights of the Irish year.
Over 30,000 people cram into all sorts of venues to watch the best of foreign and home-grown comedy do their thing and it is easily the funniest way to spend the June Bank Holiday. This year’s event takes place from May 30 to June 3 and if you have never been, you are seriously missing out so go this year.
Kilkenny Castle
Right in the middle of the city, Kilkenny Castle is a stunning spot to wander around. The whole place is in fantastic shape and considering it has been there for 800 years it looks remarkable.
On match day, there is no better place to while away an hour or two before heading up to Nowlan Park.
