Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [193]
Bassetts at Woodstock ( 056-775 8820; www.bassetts.ie; lunch mains €9-14, dinner mains €19.50-27.50; lunch Wed-Sun, dinner Wed-Sat) Adjacent to Woodstock Gardens, John Bassett has turned his family home into an inspired dining experience. Dinner from Wednesday to Friday is à la carte, while Saturday nights feature tasting menus (€9.50 per course) paired with wines (from €5 per glass) served at set intervals from 7.30pm. The food is fresh, local and inventive (think duck with vanilla risotto, or chocolate fondant with pink peppercorn sorbet). Future meals graze right outside the door.
Motte Restaurant ( 056-775 8655; Plas Newydd Lodge; lunch menu €28.50, 2-/3-course dinner menu €36.50/42.50; lunch Sun, dinner Thu-Sat) On the northern edge of the village, this aubergine-trimmed cottage is illuminated inside by an open fire and candles. Beef in cracked pepper and brandy cream sauce is a highlight of its Irish menu.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
This is primarily car, hiking or biking territory, but buses run by Kilbride Coaches ( 051-423 633) connect Inistioge and Kilkenny.
Graiguenamanagh
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Graiguenamanagh (greg-na-muh-na; known locally simply as Graigue) is the kind of place where you could easily find yourself staying longer than planned. Spanning the Barrow, an ancient six-arch stone bridge is illuminated at night and connects the village with the smaller township of Tinnahinch on the County Carlow side of the river (look for the darker stones on the Carlow side – a legacy from being blown up during the 1798 rebellion).
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
Some picturesque walks pass through and near town – Click here.
Dating back to 1204, Duiske Abbey ( 059-24238; 8am-6pm) was once Ireland’s largest Cistercian abbey. What you see today is the result of 800 years of additions and changes and it is very much a working parish (come at the right time and you’ll interrupt the kids’ choir practice, much to their delight). The simple exterior and whitewashed interior only hint at its long history. To the right of the entrance look for the Knight of Duiske, a 14th-century, high-relief carving of a knight in chain mail who’s reaching for his sword. On the floor nearby, a glass panel reveals some of the original 13th-century floor tiles, now 2m below the present floor level. In the grounds stand two early high crosses (7th century and 9th century), brought here for protection in the last century. The smaller Ballyogan Cross has panels on the eastern side depicting the crucifixion, Adam and Eve, Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, and David playing the harp. The western side shows the massacre of the innocents.
Around the corner, the Abbey Centre ( 9am-1pm Mon-Fri, some days longer) houses a small exhibition of Christian art, plus pictures of the abbey in its unrestored state.
Friendly Philip Cushen is ‘at least the sixth generation’ to produce knitting yarns, blankets, tweed and winter woollies at Cushendale Woollen Mill ( 059-972 4118; www.cushendale.ie; 8.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-12.30pm Sat) and can give you an informal, behind-the-scenes peek at the mill’s century-old machinery in action.
Also in the village centre, Duiske Glass ( 059-972 4174; www.duiskeglass.ie; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Sat) creates contemporary and traditional crystal.
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
During late September, Graiguenamanagh’s narrow streets spill over with booksellers, authors and bibliophiles during the three-day Town of Books Festival (www.booktownireland.com). Plans are underway for Graiguenamanagh to become a year-round ‘book town’ in the same vein as Wales’ Hay-on-Wye – check the festival website for updates. Meanwhile, there’s a good antiquarian bookshop on Abbey St.
SLEEPING & EATING
Down by the boats tied up along the river, the inviting guesthouse and restaurant Waterside ( 059-972 4246; www.watersideguesthouse.com;