Back in the 1800's a guy was out in his backyard forest when he dropped something down a little embankment. When he went to retrieve it he discovered the entrance to a cave. The cave has now been in the family for 6 generations. They have explored a lot of it and made it relatively safe for the public ( added steps handrails and some light).
The sign said no photographs but when asked our you guide said 'what sign' . About 40,000 people visit the cave a year. I would put it up on a Do Not Miss list. It is difficult to get to without a car. The family still lives on the property and have opted to keep the setting serene and as natural as possible. There is no coffee shop just a vending machine and well kept bathrooms. The ticket office is a window on the side of the house. The tour guide sold us our ticket. There are no set tours (yet) as they will only tour when there are 2+ adults to tour with. The cave I still living and forming stalagmites and stalactites. The tour guide said it takes 2 weeks for water to get from the surface into the cave. They tested this with dye way back when. I'm glad they added steps even if they are very steep.
Photos were difficult to take. In one part of the cave there is a large open area. They put up chairs and hold small concerts here!
After the cave exploration we stopped back in Kilkenny to visit the castle grounds
They had some interesting sculptures. This one is in remembrance of missing people everywhere.
We ended the evening back in Dublin at the Jack Kavanagh pub. One of the oldest family owned pubs in all of Ireland. The same family gas run the pub since 1833. It is fondly called the gravediggers pub as it is next to a graveyard and every night they leave a pint for the gravedigger. It was Monday and sadly the kitchen closed at 3pm. They don't have a website and I believe they close early. We were there at 9pm hoping for dinner. They had some leftover sandwiches and pizza to offer. There are two entrance one seemed more bar-like the other more food friendly. Next time I will have to get in earlier for a proper meal.
I must say that so far I have loved the pics of Ireland the best. Hopefully someday I can visit too. It is breathtaking. Glad you are having an awesome trip. Stay safe my friend....
ReplyDeleteAgreed Ireland has been simply beautiful! Thanks for the comment. - Shelley
DeleteThe cave is sooo awesome!! And I like that it is owned privately. I like that there is a sculpture dedicated to missing people, and that you could interact with it. Ant L
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