Enjoying a glimpse of village life

 Borris, Co. Carlow

Rudkins Mill on the River Barrow near Bagenalstown

Ate lunch at the Stephouse Hotel in Borris
The "road" into our Airbnb

House on the River Barrow

Our beautiful Airbnb


View of the River Barrow and "our" swan


Where do I go over the falls?

Found the spot!





Older stone house on the property (not used)


The river was so beautiful we couldn't stop taking pictures! On the little island a drake and hen mallard are nesting

Definitely breezy by the river

Kilkenny Castle

Built after the Norman conquest, Kilkenny Castle has expanded over the years. Parts of the original are still being excavated and restored. The tour is a good one and display of the artwork and furnishings are tastefully done. This is an OPW site.



One of several beautiful tapestries










Gallery ceiling was handprinted in detail









Jerpoint Abbey

Jerpoint Abbey ruins are undergoing some restoration. Built by the Cistercian monks in the 800's it once covered a larger plot of land where a town, mill, and farmland were part of their keep.




Jerpoint Park and Lost Town

Joe O'Connell bought this property to raise a few sheep and then found out he has this heritage site on his land. He conducts the tour and is an enthusiastic story-teller, even if he did call Laura and me "old ladies" from the US! Ha! (He is pushing 80!)




Joe O'Connell did a demonstration with his dog Chip, a 2 year old Border Collie. Chip is learning to herd the sheep and won't be considered fully trained until he is 4.

Spring lamb and mother have their own pen


Graiguenamanagh 

Pronounced Greg - Na - MAN - ah, this is a wonderful village with so much history!

Laura hiked the Barrow Way trail along the river


Harbor at Graiguenamanagh

Very narrow stone bridge, typical of the Irish roads in the country


Duiske Abbey

Still in service this beautiful church has marvelous acoustics






Cushendale Woolen Mills

The original mill was built by the monks and uses water from the Black River to power the mill. It is a very clear river, called Black because you can see the black stones at the bottom clearly.


Jerpoint Glass Studio


Music at Mick Doyle's

One of the highlights of our trip was listening to traditional Irish music at this pub



Listen to a bit of the "sing song" we heard at Mick Doyle's. Word of mouth through the area let's all the area musicians to gather on the last Monday of the month, 9pm, bring your instruments! People from the village come with sandwiches and cookies and cakes. After the music ends at 11 the guests and the musicians visit and eat and finish their drinks. What a delightful evening we had! These guys were good!


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