Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [144]
The castle was completely restored in the 19th century and is now an exclusive hotel and golf club. Among its exterior oddities is an Evil Eye Stone, high up at the back of the castle. Thought to date from the 14th or 15th century, it depicts some very weird goings-on between nightmarish creatures that may be a woman, wolf and cock. Another carving depicts a monkey in bondage; definitely fertile grounds for voyeurs.
De Lacy’s (set dinner from €50), the restaurant, serves complex and formal meals in elegant surroundings.
The castle is 5km northwest of Castledermot on the Athy road (R418).
Castledermot
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Castledermot was once home to a vast ecclesiastical settlement, but all that remains of St Diarmuid’s 9th-century monastery is a 20m round tower topped with a medieval battlement. Nearby are two well-preserved, carved, 10th-century granite high crosses; a 12th-century Romanesque doorway; and a medieval Scandinavian ‘hogback’ gravestone, the only one in Ireland. Reach the ruins by entering the rusty gate on all-too-busy Main St (N9), then walking up the tree-lined avenue to St James’ church. At the southern end of town, the ruins of an early 14th-century Franciscan friary can be seen alongside the road.
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Counties Wexford, Waterford, Carlow & Kilkenny
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COUNTY WEXFORD
WEXFORD TOWN
AROUND WEXFORD TOWN
ROSSLARE STRAND
ROSSLARE HARBOUR
SOUTH OF ROSSLARE HARBOUR
KILMORE QUAY
SALTEE ISLANDS
HOOK PENINSULA & AROUND
NEW ROSS
AROUND NEW ROSS
ENNISCORTHY
FERNS
MT LEINSTER
COUNTY WATERFORD
WATERFORD CITY
CURRAGHMORE ESTATE
SOUTHEAST COUNTY WATERFORD
TRAMORE
DUNGARVAN
RING PENINSULA
ARDMORE
CAPPOQUIN & AROUND
LISMORE
NORTHERN COUNTY WATERFORD
COUNTY CARLOW
CARLOW TOWN
AROUND CARLOW TOWN
BALLON
BORRIS & AROUND
MT LEINSTER
ST MULLINS
COUNTY KILKENNY
KILKENNY CITY
CENTRAL KILKENNY
NORTHERN KILKENNY
* * *
Counties Wexford, Waterford, Carlow and Kilkenny are (along with the southern chunk of Tipperary) collectively referred to as the ‘sunny southeast’. This being Ireland the term is, of course, relative. But due to the moderating effect of the Gulf Stream, it is the country’s warmest, driest region.
Although sun-lounger time might be limited, the coastal counties of Wexford and Waterford are wreathed with wide, sandy beaches, along with thatched fishing villages, genteel seaside towns and remote, windswept peninsulas littered by wrecks – as well as a swashbuckling history of marauding Vikings, lighthouse-keeping monks and shadowy knights’ sects. You can stick to the coast (hop on a car ferry for a quick shortcut), or head into the hinterland to the beautiful Nire Valley and Comeragh Mountains, where prehistoric remains hide among the heather.
Deeper inland, the gently meandering River Barrow separates the verdant counties of Carlow and Kilkenny. But while County Carlow is a country gal at heart – with romantic country lodgings hidden away in her rolling hills, and flowering estates connected by a garden trail – Kilkenny is her city-slicker cousin. A mighty castle, a magnificent cathedral, narrow, winding medieval lanes and cracking pubs make County Kilkenny’s namesake city one of the most visited in the country, while hip eateries, happening clubs and a host of festivals give this spirited little city a worldly sophistication.
Best of all, thanks to that ‘sunny southeastern’ climate, these four counties have some of Ireland’s best outdoors pursuits, including glorious walking and cycling opportunities.
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HIGHLIGHTS
Storybook Sleeps Stay in a castle whatever your budget – from a haunted hostel near Ballyragget to a private island in Waterford city Click here
River Rambles Amble the towpath linking the charming villages of Graiguenamanagh and St Mullins
Horror Stories Learn about Ireland’s poignant history at the National 1798 Rebellion Centre in Enniscorthy and aboard a Famine ship in New Ross
Culinary Creations Sharpen your cookery skills with top chefs Paul Flynn in Dungarvan or Kevin Dundon in Arthurstown
Adrenaline