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Our first stop after leaving Dublin was the Irish National Stud outside of Kildare constructed in the early 1900s by Colonel William Hall-Walker, a wealthy Scotsman; the stud became the English National Stud in 1915 when the Colonel donated it to the "nation" and remained so until it was taken over by the Irish government in 1945. The associated Japanese Gardens date to 1906-10. The horses are interesting but the gardens are gorgeous.

We then went to Kilkenny where the tour stop including the making of the hurley. We decided to skip this educational stop in favor of lunch at a local shop and a leisurely walking tour of the town including churches, unfortunately closed during the lunch hour, and ending back at Kilkenny Castle where we caught up with our tour group.

Then on to Cork for the night after a stop to see Cahir Castle. We did catch a brief glimpse, no picture, of the tip of the ruined Kilcash Castle just above the trees on the way but well off the road we were on.
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