Review of holidays in Kilkenny.

Kilkenny sits in the southeast of Ireland, a small city with cobblestone streets and a medieval core that draws visitors for good reason. You can walk the whole centre in an afternoon. The castle dominates the skyline, and its ochre walls and formal gardens are kept to a standard that suggests full-time care from a grounds team of six or so. Guides move groups of twenty-odd through the state rooms at a steady pace.

We joined a tour at 10:15. Climbing the stone stair to the Long Gallery I counted forty windows, then lost my place at thirty-two and gave up. It's a bright room either way. The floorboards are polished to a shine that catches the light, and a rope keeps visitors off the most fragile boards. From the windows you look down over the River Nore and the green lawns below, and on a clear morning you can pick out the round tower at St Canice's.

Kilkenny is also known for craft breweries and pubs. At one bar I tried a stout and a porter side by side, and the barman talked me through the difference with the patience of a schoolteacher, his finger tapping the bar top for emphasis. A pint runs around five euros. The town treats drinking as a cultural responsibility rather than a mere pastime, and the atmosphere is relaxed but serious at once. I never did learn the name of that barman.

Art lovers won't be stuck for options. The National Craft Gallery sits among several galleries, full of ceramics, glasswork and jewellery. I'd budgeted nothing on the way in and left wondering whether I truly needed another pair of socks, given the price of a hand-blown glass vase. I kept my hand in my pocket. On the way out I stopped to look at a shop window of woven scarves and lost a good ten minutes to a shopkeeper's story about a kiln.

The medieval mile is a delight for anyone who likes to wander. Small shops and cafés line the historic streets, and you're left wondering why you ever thought bigger cities were better. Stop for a coffee, try a regional speciality, and the afternoon drifts by.

Kilkenny pairs contemporary energy with its old stones. A morning at the castle, lunch with a craft beer, then an evening at a live music session in one of the small pubs. I left with a few photos and a loose plan to return. The bus back to Dublin leaves from the station at the bottom of the hill, and the driver was playing traditional music on the radio.