This morning we left the fair city of Dublin and headed south. We headed towards Wiclow National Park, an area know for its picturesque beauty. The first stop was the area around Sally Gap known for its vistas. We saw.....fog covering most of the views. As we headed down into the valleys near Glendalough, the fog disappeared and views improved. Glendalough is home to a 6th century monastery founded by St. Kevin. He was a hermit who sought solitude at Glendalough. However, his followers soon learned of his location and started pilgrimages to see him, thus starting a monastery which functioned until the dissolution by Henry VIII. The monastery ruins sit along two lakes in a beautiful valley. You can see why St. Kevin would have chosen this place to reflect on God’s creation.

We continued on to Kilkenny, a medieval town with several sites worth seeing. We had a short tour by a local guide who dressed as a knight and enjoys fighting in mock medieval battles in full garb. He was interesting and informative and it was funny to watch people’s reactions as we strolled through town. We covered the history of Kilkenny including some local colorful characters including Alice Kyteler who went through 4 husbands who all died mysteriously before suspicion caught up with her and she was forced to flee. One of her attendants was captured and forced to confess that she and Alice were witches, the first such instance of witch "trials" in Ireland.

We then had dinner at the Kyteler Inn which has been an inn for 700 years and was originally owned by Alice Kyteler.

As the evening was gorgeous, we strolled around town and ended the day sitting in a cafe by the river Nore which flows through Kilkenny.