Carraig Rua

A great breakfast and coffee, plus a nice chat with some of the other guests, made for a lovely morning. The hosts have maps and suggestions for exploring the area, from castles, ruins, and churches to little shops, restaurants, cafes, and pubs. You’re right on the main strip into town, close to everything. Highly recommended if you like exploring locally and starting the day with a good breakfast.

The owners were friendly and happy to let us arrive earlier than usual. The B&B is in a quieter part of town, so noise wasn’t an issue, while the medieval centre, shops, restaurants, and bars are all within walking distance. We had a great stay while on vacation and passing through Kilkenny.

We appreciated being able to leave the car and explore on foot. It’s a short walk to the medieval mile, and we enjoyed our night in Kilkenny here. The rooms were simple and very clean, and breakfast was a fabulous Irish one.

The cash-only checkout caught us off guard. We hadn’t been told in advance, and couldn’t find it in the fine print, so we had to walk into town for an ATM on our checkout morning. That was inconvenient. Kilkenny was one of our favourite cities in Ireland, though, and is well worth a visit. At Carraig Rua, the older-style room was spotless, spacious, and very comfortable, and the whole building felt welcoming. Breakfast was outstanding, especially the smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, and the full Irish was fantastic too. Parking right outside the front door made dealing with our heavy suitcases easy. It’s about a 20-minute stroll to the centre, enough to warm up without feeling like a bother.