Kilkenny Castle

Staying with Kilkenny we have Kilkenny Castle, a grand structure that can trace it origins back to the 13th century. It has been rebuilt and remodelled over the years partly due to changing family fortunes but also due to conflict - Oliver Cromwell damaged the castle in the siege of Kilkenny in 1650. It underwent some rebuilding in Victorian times with an attempt to restore its medieval appearance. Over coming years the castle suffered with death duties taking their toll and was heavily damaged in the Irish civil War in 1922. Come the mid 1930s the owners auctioned off the contents and the castle was abandoned for 30 years. In 1967 it was sold to a Restoration Trust for £50 and is now managed by the Office of Public Works and open to the public.The contents largely represent the period around the Victorian remodelling.

St Marys Cathedral, Kilkenny

I have to confess to entering such places primarily for historical and architectural reasons. This particular structure is not so old being commenced in 1843 and opened in 1857 and the grey stone facade is almost a little dull but if these should be minor complaints then the interior more than compensates.

Cahir Castle

Cahir Castle in County Tipperary, is one of Ireland's largest and best preserved castles. It is on a rocky island on the river Suir. It was built in the 13th century and was largely impregnable for many years but finally fell in 1599 when it faced a heavy artillery assault for the first time. However, it remains very much intact and is an impressive structure. Here are a few images from our visit last week.

Mitchelstown Cave

Mitchelstown Cave was discovered, by accident, in 1833. The cave, near Tipperary in Ireland, was discovered by Michael Condon who dropped a crowbar in to a crevise whilst quarrying limestone. He removed a few bolders to retirieve it and found himself looking down in to the cave system. Guided tours have now been conducted for many years showcasing various stalactites, stalacmites and other calcite formations as we went to see a couple of days ago.

Armed forces Day

Since 2009 the last Saturday of June has been Armed Forces Day in the UK. Originally it was veteran's day but is now an annual event that recognises and celebrates the men and women of the British Armed Forces both past and present. There are a number of events around the country including one on my local seafront this morning and I happened to be about. I was only armed with my cell phone but here are a few images.