#CountryKids in Kilkenny - History, Pokemon and Pizza

On our last full day in Ireland we stayed closer to our accommodation and headed back into Kilkenny. It wasn't the best of weather and we soon headed into the newest museum in the city to take cover. The Medieval Mile Museum only recently opened to show case 800 years of the city's history in a restored 13th century church:

Inside there are exhibitions of artefacts and displays about the history of the local area:

My son wasn't as enthralled as his gramps and I were with the old books on display:

#CountryKids Dunmore Cave

After the fun of Foot Golf it was Gramp's turn to choose an activity and he opted for Dunmore Cave which wasn't too far away. Its almost a tradition now to visit an underground attraction on our holidays! After a video introduction we descended into the cave following our guide:

It looked rather creepy as we were about to go in especially after hearing the story of a massacre of women and children in the cave by Vikings in 928 AD:

Once we had reached the bottom of the main steps we could still see the daylight reassuringly at the top:

#CountryKids Kilkenny Foot Golf

The thing my son was most looking forward to about our trip was the chance for another round of Foot Golf! He even packed his new football boots to give him a better chance against me and took his own football... did he beat me after all of that...

This time we went to Pococke Golf club where there was a choice of regular golf, foot golf or even rugby golf! Of course there was only one option for him so we paid up and kicked off:

With all the combinations of games there were plenty of signs to keep us going on the correct greens:

Each hole had its own par ranging from 3-5 and a football sized hole to score into:

Exploring Kilkenny

For our first full day in Ireland we didn't fancy going too far after travelling the whole day before. So we drove the short distance to Kilkenny to explore what the city has on offer. The first thing we spotted was our very own bar (but we didn't go in!):

The one thing Kilkenny isn't short off are pubs and bars! We wandered down to the River Nore with its colourful buildings:

Luckily for us there was space on the terrace for a late lunch with a view of Kilkenny Castle:

Reasons to be Cheerful: Irish Eyes are Smiling #R2BC

A late arrival for the linky as we have been on holiday and this is my first chance to use my laptop since I got back! Obviously my reasons are all holiday based and here are the smiles from Ireland:
1) Crossing the Sea

I was away with my two top men my son and my dad. We enjoyed our ferry ride across the Irish Sea from Holyhead and then a drive down to Knocktopher near Kilkenny.

2) Holiday challenges

My son and I climbed up steep ladders to reach the top of the 900 year old St Canice's tower in Kilkenny. Well worth it for the view even when you are scared of heights:

3) Running

I managed to find a lovely (if hilly) route to run in a wood to keep up the exercise. It was a hot one but it put a smile on my face:

4) Smile!

How could this not put a smile on your face when you are given your coffee:

Hope you are smiling this week too!