We had just one afternoon in Kilkenny and planned our arrival so that we could first visit the tourist info center and get onto the only walking tour offered in Kilkenny, which leaves from the TI center .As luck would have it, it was pouring rain, as we waited outside for the center to re-open ( a sign said “ back at 2” ) . At exactly 2 we knocked and the staff person , whose name I will omit, opened up with such an unwelcome scowl on her face and proceeded to treat us rudely and was even disparaging of my connection to Kilkenny via my ancestors. . No sense going into more details, suffice it to say we walked away without a walking tour and the feeling of meeting our first rude and unfriendly person in Ireland.. What a shame to have someone like that greeting new visitors to such a lovely city.

It was great to visit this atmospheric institution, not only for the plentiful information available but also because of its lengthy history. Established in the late 1500s for the indigent and destitute of the city, a service it continued to provide until the early 1800s. By the way, the staff told us that the Information Office is imminently relocating to new premises. They didn’t know what role this evocative building will have in the future.