In Honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Here Are 3 Fabulous Pubs in Kilkenny, Ireland!

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, my second favorite holiday (after my Birthday), I am sharing three really lovely pubs that I visited in December in Kilkenny, Ireland. This was my second visit to Kilkenny, Ireland, and Kilkenny is home to many great pubs and restaurants. As such, there are certainly other great pubs in Kilkenny, but I enjoyed these three a lot!

Kilkenny Castle.

TYNAN’S BRIDGE HOUSE BAR

Tynan’s Bridge House Bar was, by far, my favorite pub in Kilkenny, and ranks among my favorites of all time. Tynan’s is located right of the River Nore in the heart of Kilkenny. Tynan’s is a quintessential Irish pub that is filled with character and charm. The bartender gave us a very warm welcome despite it being 11 AM on Christmas weekend…. Like any real Irish pub, Tynan’s serves no food and there are no TVs in the bar. I enjoyed several Guinness here during my visit in December. Tynan’s is a must-visit for pub lovers in Kilkenny.

Tynan’s Bridge House Bar.

A great pour.

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Attending Gin School At Pearse Lyons Distillery, Dublin, Ireland

Who knew gin is super popular in Ireland? Not me! When I think of Ireland, I certainly think of alcohol, but that of the whiskey, Irish Cream liqueur, and beer variety. Well, gin has become very popular in the last several years and a number of distillers have popped up all over Ireland. In fact, I even tasted a gin flavored ice cream at Murphy’s in Dublin. Yes, gin flavored ice cream – that is how popular gin is in Ireland!

Dingle Gin & Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream at Murphy’s in Dublin!

In any case, when I plan our trips, I always search for fun eating and drinking experiences. Pearse Lyons gin distillery showed up for our Dublin, Ireland trip. Pearse Lyon seemed interesting, and Dan loves gin. I booked the only tour available on our visit – the Gin School! I had no idea what this is when I book, but book I did.  Pearse Lyons sent a confirming emails a few days in advance. We showed up on a Saturday night in the pouring rain, no idea what were for. Interestingly, the distillery, or at least part of it, is in an old church. Our Gin School was in an adjacent modern building, we unfortunately could not visit the distillery during our tour as the distillery was closed.

Pearse Lyon Distillery.  This is the old church!

The staff at Pearse Lyons was expecting us and opened the locked gates to bring us in from the rain. If you didn’t catch on, the Gin School takes place after hours. We waited a few minutes in the lobby and promptly at 6, were lead to the second floor of another building on the property.  We donned Pearse Lyons aprons and were given a freshly made Gin & Tonic before moving into the next room, which is where the Gin magic happens.

Round 1: Gin and Tonic with basil and lemon.

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Galway Food Tours – A Fun Way To Explore Galway, Ireland On US Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!! This year, Dan and I are celebrating at Dan’s favorite winery – Narbona in Carmelo, Uruguay. But last year, we celebrated in one of our favorite countries – Ireland! Particularly, Dublin & Galway – you can read about it here. In any case, I thought I would give you all a little gluttonous throw back regarding our food tour last Thanksgiving in Ireland. 

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Dan & I last Thanksgiving in Dublin.

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Restaurant Review: Ard Bia at Nimmo’s, Galway, Ireland

Dan and I ate lunch at Ard Bia at Nimmo’s in Galway, Ireland a few years ago when we visited Ireland with our mothers. At that time, we had no reservation and showed up on a whim for lunch. We were probably lucky that they had a table, and all 4 of us loved Ard Bia at Nimmo’s and still talk about it to date! What was so great about it? I have a difficult time explaining, but Ard Bia was cosy, friendly, and kind of felt like we were in someone’s home.

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Lunch at Ard Bia at Nimmo’s in 2014!

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Cosy wall decor!

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