Today another castle, this one though in ruin and not being restored but only stabilized. It was a short drive from Kilkenny to Cachel where there is a huge (even in ruin) 11th century castle sitting on a rock outcropping above the town. We had a quite informative tour from a local guide and learned more of the history of who did what in the castle and cathedral than I can possibly remember. Various Kings, lords and bishops built and added bits over the years and then in the 1700s the local bishop decided to abandon the cathedral in favor of a new Cathedral he had commissioned built "down in the town".

After the castle visit we spent a little time walking around the town area and sampling the local pastries, and in Nina's case a hot chocolate.