2026 IWSA Member Group Trip - Kilkenny

For 2026, our member group trip theme was Whiskey & Hurling, with the historic, medieval city of Kilkenny serving as host for the week. The Marble City is considered the home of hurling, Ireland's ancient Gaelic and national sport, as Kilkenny has won more championships than any county. Kilkenny is also considered the birthplace of Irish Whiskey and is known for its history of witchcraft trials. With an ideal location within an hour of Tipperary, Carlow, and Waterford, IWSA members were able to soak in Kilkenny's history while easily visiting Irish whiskey makers, pubs, and other points of interest.

Day 1: Experiencing the History of Kilkenny

We stayed at the Pembroke Hotel, in the heart of the city, around the corner from Kilkenny Castle and the launch point for our tour. We began with a private tour of the city in the black and amber (colors of the Kilkenny Cats) Kilkenny Train to familiarize with the sites and local history while getting a chauffeured ride to our first stop on our Day 1 itinerary.

We arrived at St. Canices's Cathedral for a tour and history of the 13th century structure where the Red Book of Ossory resides. This 14th century manuscript was composed in the cathedral by Bishop Ledrede and contains the recipe and first written recording of whiskey along with Ireland's first witch trials, which he presided over. 

Next to the cathedral is a 100 foot roundtower, one of only three able to be climbed in Ireland. A few of us braved the claustrophobic winding ladder to the top. Someone told us there might be a speakeasy at the top with a great Irish Whiskey selection. This proved to be a "tall" tale but squeezing through the opening did yield some nice views of Kilkenny.

Onward to Lanigan's Pub for the Kilkenny Way Hurling Experience. This involved a short film on hurling, lunch, and actual participation in the sport on the pitch.

We learned how to pick up the sliotar with the hurley, hit the sliotar, and defend (ice hockey slashing is legal in hurling and won't get you a 2 minute penalty). It's definitely harder to hit the sliotar when you also have to run or are being defended. After an hour on the pitch, we were all ready to play for the All Ireland Hurling Championship (or at least watch it with an Irish Whiskey.)

We concluded our official Day 1 activities with a private whiskey tasting at Kyteler's Inn. Hosted by owner JD Flynn, we learned about the history of the pub and Alice Kyteler, Ireland's first witch, accused and sentenced to death for witchcraft by Biship Ledrede (her 4 dead husbands might have had something to do with it.)

The 4 whiskey tasting (highlighted by nearby Co. Carlow brands Irishman/Writers' Tears) were explored around the stories of each husband and the witch trials that encapsulated Kilkenny centuries ago.

No trip to Kyteler's would be complete without sampling their Witches Brew (pub red ale) and Irish Whiskey (blend of single malt and single pot still matured in ex-bourbon casks). Members came back during the week to enjoy dinner and live music.

Day 2: It's Not a Long Way to Tipperary

Day 2 began by boarding our private coach for the short trip southwest to Tipperary. 

Our first stop was the Tipperary Boutique Distillery for a private tour and tasting led by owner Jennifer Nickerson. 

Tipperary is a single estate, farm, grain to glass distillery. The barley is grown on the family farm and distilled onsite before maturation in their on-premises warehouse. The whiskeys and gins are then bottled and labeled by hand. 

Jennifer brought us into the warehouse and showed us the variety of casks being used. We suggested picking teams for a quick game of basketball but there was whiskey to drink.

Jennifer was very gracious with her time showing us the entire operation before providing a wide range of offerings. After a few hours, we boarded our bus very happy with a lot more bottle weight.

After a quick lunch in Cashel, we looped back toward Kilkenny with our next stop at Cashel Irish Farmhouse Cheesemakers, home of Cashel Blue Cheese. We were provided a tasting of a number of cheeses while we learned about the entire cheese making process. 

We washed down our delicious cheese at the Thatch Pub of Cloneen on our way back to Kilkenny. Owner Marc Fitzgerald was gracious to open the pub for our group on a Tuesday (only open Thur-Sun). We enjoyed a pint while Marc told us the history of the family owned pub.

We left The Thatch for Kilkenny where members were on their own to grab dinner, drinks, and enjoy some music.

Day 3: Exploring Kilkenny

On the third day, there were no scheduled activities. Members were free to rest, relax, and enjoy Kilkenny on their own. Some of the sights of the city:

Day 4: Waterford & Ballykeefe

Back on our coach bus for Day 4 as we headed south to Waterford to visit W.D. O'Connell's Whiskey Merchants. We were greeted by owner/operator Daithi O'Connell who led us on a tour and history of the area and landmark facility (a former famine workhouse), part of which now contains the whiskey warehouse.

Daithi is a whiskey bonder, blender, and bottler. W.D. O'Connell acquires casks and whiskey from wineries and distilleries around the world. In the warehouse is where the whiskeys are aged and sometimes re-casked and blended to create independent bottlings under the W.D. O'Connell brand. Daithi shared his interesting background that led him to his current endeavor while explaining the process of creating different whiskey expressions. After being led through a sampling of whiskeys, members were given the opportunity to draw directly from a cask

After enjoying Daithi's generosity and acquiring a few bottles for the road, we embarked for Waterford city. Lunch and a tour at the Waterford Crystal Factory was the perfect break between whiskey stops.

Heading north back to Kilkenny for our last stop of the day, Ballykeefe Distillery. As Kilkenny's only distillery, Ballykeefe is a family farm, grain to glass operation. Returning the whiskey making legacy to Kilkenny is the Ging family. We were led on a tour and tasing by Morgan Ging, the founder. 

We had a welcome drink of "moonshine" before heading to the distillery.

Morgan described the "long-neck" stills customized to his specifications to produce his desired whiskey profile.

We concluded with a tasting of the Single Malt and Single Pot Still expressions in the refurbished stable, now visitor center. Overall, a great way to end the Kilkenny part of our trip. We made the short 15min trip back to Kilkenny city for a final night of dinner, music, and pub crawling.

Day 5: WhiskeyLive Dublin

On the 5th day, we packed our bags for Dublin to attend WhiskeyLive. We dropped our bags and checked in to the Wynns Hotel before a quick lunch.

WhiskeyLive Dublin is the premier whiskey event in Ireland each year with over 100 exhibitors telling their stories and offering their brands for everyone to sample.

Day 6: Hurling Championship Bonus

No better way to conclude our Whiskey & Hurling trip than by attending the 2026 Leinster Championship at historic Croke Park.

Galway was victorious. Off to the pubs to toast a great 2026 IWSA member group trip!