{My Kilkenny Experience}
I think I can speak for everyone when I say we have done
a lot of traveling. Twenty minute bus rides to four hour bus rides, we've pretty much experienced it all. Yet, amongst all the traveling and hustle of everyday Ireland one place stood out in particular; Kilkenny. Perhaps it was the fact that we got to see something unique or maybe it was just the unbelievable vegetable wrap-thingy that curved my craving for healthy food, something about this place caught my eye! On the artistic side of things here are a few of my favorites from our adventure in Kilkenny.
#1 St. Canice's Round Tower
One of two climbable towers in Ireland, the Round tower of Kilkenny was an experience to remember. Dated between 700 and 1000 A.D., the tower was ssed as a means for lookout. The tower is now known as the oldest standing building in Kilkenny. It is made of limestone and stands around 30 meters tall (about 90 feet). The tower is located on the grounds of St. Canice's cathedral and serves as historical structure open for tourism- or shall we say climbing. I believe that it was an act of Irish humor to not inform the visitor of the tour, being I, that it was INDEED climbing. Nestled inside the rather narrow tower were about 8 or 9 ladder-like staircases. Skirt and all I managed to climb to the top of this magnificent tower and take a few pictures before my instincts commanded me to climb down.
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| Kilkenny tower |
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| The stairs, or shall I say ladder. |
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| A view from a small enclosure at the top |
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| The view of Kilkenny, 90ft. above! |
#2 Immortalizing the Donut -in the word's of Emma Gates
Ah! Finally an art gallery and one of fine taste if I might add. I was over the top excited to see the themes of this gallery as they portrayed the natural world, especially deer! Growing up in a family of hunters I had the unfortunate opportunities to see many deer gutted; as a child I actually thought deer were quite beautiful but kept quiet to avoid the usual go-around about hunting. Secondly, who doesn't adore donuts. I literally could eat them all day if I wasn't such a self proclaimed health-nut. Alright back to the serious stuff- Magnhild Opdol was born in 1980 in Sunndalasora, Norway. In 2007 she attended the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland. Since then, Opdol has featured her work in countless exhibits and often sticks to her fascination with the natural world, particularly the woods. In this exhibit, Point of No Return, Opdol pulled from pop culture favorites and post cards of nature to create a collaboration of humorous taxidermy and bronze donuts. My favorite piece was most definitely the bronze donuts. Although i'm still unfamiliar with the show Twin Peaks, I loved her use of taking something so belittled -such as a donut- and encasing in a permanent fixture to bring out the level of elevation something can have when it's "dolled" up a bit.
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| Fawn; bronze and hand blown glass 2013. |
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| Mysteries of Love, wood and taxidermy 2011. |
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| Invitation to love, cardboard donut boxes 2013 |
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| The Necessary Lie, 54 bronze donuts, glass, wood. 2013 |
#3 St. Canice's Cathedral
The St. Canice's Cathedral is the second longest cathedral in Ireland. In 1202 work began under Bishop Hugh De Mapilton to construct this Early-gothic (romanesque) style structure-this is displayed by the construction of the pointed arches found within the nave. Eighty-three years later, building ceased and the cathedral stood complete. Passed back and forth between religious powers, the cathedral now stands as a member of the Church of Ireland-protestant. In 1650, the Cathedral was damaged by the dreadful Oliver Cromwell and the major stained-glass windows were shattered. In 1875 the windows were repaired and to this day shine in jewel toned colors. Within the cathedral are several tombs dedicated to the deceased of powerful families. On the beams of the choir stands one can find wood carvings atop the wooden beams. The images ranged from majestic birds to detailed lambs.
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| The cathedral |
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| The pointed arches displaying it's early gothic style. |
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| Church pews. |
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| Marble sculpture found atop a tomb. |
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Stained glass windows, reinstalled in 1875.
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| Example of a wooden carving found in the choir seating. |
*** P.S. I paid to use a toilet today, 20 cents to be exact. There's no way I could write all of this and not mention the moment I aided the economy in order to bring relief to my bladder.
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