Mountains, museums and music in Ireland’s Ancient East.

This weekend, we travelled to Waterford and Kilkenny as we continued on our mission to find the best places in Ireland to visit, to include in our upcoming season’s BEYOND THE GLASS ADVENTURE TOURS.

We began on Saturday morning with a trip to the Comeragh Mountains. This mountain range lies in the South-East of Ireland, between Clonmel, Dungarvan and Waterford City.

One of the most beautiful parts of the mountain range is Coumshingaun and it is here where we started our walk. Despite the rain and mist it was a very enjoyable hill walk and there were still some spectacular views and crazy skies. Coumshingaun Lake is a beauty to behold and a fine example of a glaciated corrie lake. The ridge that surrounds the lake makes for a fine Summer’s day hill walk, alas today it was shrouded in cloudsso we left that hiking adventure for another day.

Waterford City, Ireland’s oldest city established by the Vikings, is a really great place to visit at any time of year. On Saturday night it was bustling with life. The 2018 Winterval Festival had just been launched. There were numerous markets and food stalls set up in the Viking Triangle area of the city, lovely for some stress free shopping and for grabbing a tasty burger. “Kila”, one of Ireland’s finest musical groups, played a free gig at the recently developed Apple Market. The superb music resonating in this great setting made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening. It was so lovely to see children, teenagers and adults alike, all enjoying the fantastic music.

On Sunday we explored some of Kilkenny City. We called into Saint Mary’s Cathedral and took a stroll around the streets of the Marble City. In the afternoon, we visited the fantastic new Medieval Mile museum. The museum was definitely worth visiting. The church where the museum is situated has been beautifully renovated to create a wonderful space. There are many items of interest on display in the museum including Medieval coins and buttons, ornate tombstones and beautiful Celtic crosses and old letters. Together it tells the story of medieval Kilkenny very well. This museum is definitely a great addition to the city.