Mercy Leaders Reflection: Traveling to Kilkenny

Breathtaking is the first word that comes to mind if someone were to ask me how Ireland is. From the moment we landed in the Dublin airport to this very day, each one of us can’t get enough pictures to show everyone back home how beautiful this country really is. Today, we left a very special town which is Carlow, Ireland to travel to another part of Ireland called Kilkenny.

As we arrived at the Kilkenny Castle, it was another breathtaking scene, and we all were at a loss for words. The Butler family was fortunate enough to build and own the castle until 1935, and it then became abandoned until it was semi revamped to show to tourists like us. The next stop was another castle named the Rock of Cashel. This was another beautiful castle that was on top of what we would call a mountain but others would call a big rock. It was another beautiful site that we all were amazed to see.

As we walked through each castle, it made me wish that I could have had the opportunity to live like the Butlers in such a beautiful place that they called home. After we got to explore the Rock of Cashel, we were ready to travel to our next town, Doolin, Ireland. We pulled into a beautiful bed and breakfast that again we all looked at in awe. We were greeted by Maeve who was extremely energetic and excited to meet us. She showed us around the house and had reservations for us at the pub across the street for dinner. Something I have been looking forward to trying the entire time on this trip was a real Irish beef stew, and I was excited that it was on the menu! It was way better then I ever expected, and we are all convinced it was the little Guinness touch!

After a long day of traveling and touring, we ended our night bonding over new card games we had taught each other at the beginning of the trip. It was a fantastic day that I do not believe I will ever be able to experience again, and I am extremely excited to see what the rest of this journey has to offer us all!


Read more from the pilgrimage.

View photos of Ireland from the Mercy Leaders.

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