Kilkenny is a city of 26,000 built on a gentle rise above the River Nore, 113 kilometres southeast of Dublin. The Irish Rail service from Heuston takes one hour and thirty minutes. Dublin is a Georgian and Victorian city; Kilkenny is, at its core, a medieval one. The street plan inside the historic walls follows the Norse and Norman layout that has been here since the 10th century.
The Dublin Marathon runs on the last Monday of October - a bank holiday. Tuesday morning, with one night's recovery, the Irish Rail service from Heuston to Kilkenny departs throughout the day. Fares booked in advance at irishrail.ie are around €15 to 25 single.
Kilkenny: The Medieval Mile
The Medieval Mile runs approximately one kilometre from Kilkenny Castle at the southern end to St Canice's Cathedral at the northern end. The terrain is flat in the valley beside the Nore.
Kilkenny Castle (OPW, entry approximately €8) was built by William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, from 1213 and rebuilt in Victorian times by the Butler family, the Earls of Ormond who owned it from 1391 to 1967. The three surviving towers and the long gallery with its hammerbeam roof are the most impressive spaces; the parkland around the castle, sloping gently down to the River Nore, is free and extensive.
The Smithwick's Experience on Parliament Street occupies part of the site of the brewery that has operated in Kilkenny since St Francis Canice established a monastery here in the 6th century. Tours cover the brewery history and include a tasting. Entry approximately €18.
St Canice's Cathedral (Church of Ireland, entry approximately €6) was begun in the 13th century and is the second longest cathedral in Ireland. The interior is one of the best Gothic spaces in the country - the carved black Kilkenny marble used throughout gives the building a distinctive dark richness. The adjacent Round Tower (9th century) can be climbed by those whose legs have recovered; the interior stair is a steep spiral that is inadvisable on post-marathon Day Two.
The Medieval Mile Museum in the former Rothe House on Parliament Street (entry approximately €8) is one of the best-preserved late medieval townhouses in Ireland, with a series of courtyards. The museum is flat throughout.
Where to Stay and Eat
Campagne on The Arches is the current Kilkenny fine-dining benchmark - modern French-influenced cooking by chef Garrett Byrne, with a particular strength in local Kilkenny and Tipperary produce. Book ahead.
Getting to the Airport
Bus Eireann services 4 and X4 run from Kilkenny Bus Station to Dublin Airport in approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. Services run several times daily; check buseireann.ie. Fares are approximately €15 to 20 single. The bus goes directly to the airport without requiring re-entry to Dublin city centre.