Torncurtain's Qype profile

This place is located just above the Kilkenny Book Centre in the city centre. They serve a range of sandwiches, wraps, paninis and other lunch time foods. The classic toasted sandwich is good and comes with a side of chips and coleslaw. Grab a window seat so you can watch the hustle and bustle of High St. down below. If you’re ordering tea ask for a mug because the handles on their cups are just too small for normal-sized fingers!!

The only place in Kilkenny to train in traditional jiu-jitsu, the club trains twice a week (Mondays and Wednesdays) offering both adult and kids classes. Anyone can join and they also offer 12 week self defence courses every so often for those who want to do a once-off course. The club is affiliated with the World Kobudo Federation and hosts an annual international martial arts seminar in St. Kieran’s College gym every March. Members also have the opportunity to travel with the club to international seminars all over Europe. The standard here is excellent and the instructers are knowledgable and approachable.

This little shop is crammed full of great finds. They sell clothes, bags, shoes, jewellery and other accessories. It’s not particularly cheap but it’s not too expensive either and is worth it to pick up something unique with the help of the friendly staff. There’s even a rail of costume-style clothes so it’s a good idea to have a look in here in you have a fancy dress party to go to. I particularly like their vintage style bags and their jewellery.

There are two Mocha’s more or less next door to each other on William St. in Kilkenny, and just as well because they’re small and fill up pretty quickly. Selling gorgeous handmade chocolates, it’s an ideal place to pick up a small gift for someone. They also serve a lunch menu and really good coffee and the staff are friendly and helpful. There is a limited amount of outdoor seating available for smokers.

This 9th century round tower is located on the grounds of St. Canice’s Cathedral just off Dean St. in Kilkenny city centre. For a small fee (around 2euro) you can climb the many, many (many!) steps and ladders up to the top for a nice view of Kilkenny and its surrounding area.

You’ll spot this place from the little chalkboard outside, it can be easy to miss as it is a tiny little place above a shop. The paninis are so good and there are plenty to choose from. The cheesecake is a must-have for dessert and if you like hot chocolate, this place offers one of the best I’ve found in Dublin complete with marshmallows and a flake on the side. The staff are helpful and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. Get in before the lunch time rush though because this place fills up fast, and deservedly so!

A fairly standard cafe offering a lunch menu (the soup here is nice), cakes and tea/coffee. It has a covered outdoor seating area too which is good for those who want to smoke or just watch people go by. The best thing about the Pantry though is the small cake counter on the left as you come in. They do a really good apple tart and a range of other pastries and cakes to take-away.

Supermac’s is your standard McDonald’s-style fast food outlet with stores operating throughout Ireland. They offer the usual range of chips, burgers, battered sausages etc. and also have a deli counter and pizza menu. The hot muffin with ice-cream is a nice, basic dessert. Prices are pretty cheap and as you’d expect from a fast-food place. The usual mad post-pub ques at 3am are a thing of the past in Kilkenny however, as a problem with the licence forces them to close at 1am.

Such a nice place to come and relax away from the constant pace of Dublin city centre. It’s quaint and a pared-down in an 'alternative’ kind of way and the walls are covered in band posters and fliers. The staff here are so nice and the sandwiches are always fresh and tasty. Downstairs feels like a real home-from-home even on your first visit.

The book itself is beautiful and was an important find, but at the end of the day, unless you’re particularly into that sort of thing, it’s just a book. The Long Room library is really nice…but again, is just a library. There can be quite a long wait to get in here during the summer months and I don’t really think it’s quite worth the admission price they charge. If you really want to go but don’t want to pay full price, try and convince a broke Trinity student to bring you in for free with their student card and pay them for half of the ticket…win-win!