In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Ireland
Freshford
Achadh Úr
Skip as a base: a 600-person village with one ruined church worth 30 minutes. Stop only if you are already driving the R693 between Kilkenny and Urlingford.
Freshford is a small village in County Kilkenny, about 14 km northwest of Kilkenny town on the R693. Its one real sight is the ruined 14th-century Ballylarkin Church, a short walk from the green. There is a guest house or two, a shop with fuel and three pubs. Most travellers pass through; a half-day stop is enough, and Kilkenny or Castlecomer makes a better base.
- Country
- Ireland
- Local name
- Achadh Úr
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (wet, dark early, little open)
- Stay
- 0–1 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including pubs and taxis.
- Daily spend
- Budget €50–80 excl. bed · Mid €80–130 excl. bed · High €130+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Vodafone, Three and Eir run the networks; prepaid SIMs (also 48, Tesco Mobile, GoMo) sell in phone shops and newsagents, no registration fuss.
- Emergency
- Police, ambulance, fire, coast guard 112 · Alternative emergency number 999
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Type G three-pin, like the UK; European and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–15% if service is not included.; Pub: Not expected when ordering at the bar.; Taxi: Round up.; Tour guide or driver: €5–10 per person for a day tour.; Hotel porter: €1–2 per bag.
- Water
- Tap water is safe; occasional local 'boil water' notices are posted by Uisce Éireann.
- Toilets
- Free in shopping centres, museums, pubs (as a customer) and many petrol stations; some public toilets charge 50c.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | €3–4.50 |
| Pub bar food, main dish | €12–18 |
| Pint of stout or lager | €5–6.50 |
| Petrol, per litre | €1.70–1.90 (check) |
| B&B double room, per night | €80–160 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DUB · Dublin Airport
- About 2 h by car via the M8 to Junction 4 at Urlingford, then the R693 east
- ORK · Cork Airport
- About 2 h by car
Typical fares
- Bus 871 Kilkenny → Freshford
- about €6, 25 min, twice M–Sa (check)
- Taxi Kilkenny → Freshford
- €25–35 (check)
- Car hire, one day
- from about €45 plus fuel (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The village and Ballylarkin Church are walkable. Everything else — the castles, Ballyragget, the loop trailhead — needs a car. JJ Kavanagh Bus 871 runs twice Monday–Saturday from Kilkenny to Freshford (about 25 min), Johnstown and Urlingford; it connects at Urlingford with Bus 812 from Roscrea via Thurles.
See and do
Known for
- Ballylarkin Church ruin
- St Lachtain's Church Romanesque doorway
- Freshford Cross base on the village green
- Freshford Loop walk
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Kilkenny | R693 southeast, about 14 km (8.7 mi); or JJ Kavanagh Bus 871, about 25 minR693 southeast, about 8.7 mi (14 km); or JJ Kavanagh Bus 871, about 25 min | About 20–30 min |
| Castlecomer | About 20 km (12 mi) northeast by road via BallyraggetAbout 12 mi (20 km) northeast by road via Ballyragget | About 30 min |
| Graignamanagh | About 40 km (25 mi) southeast by road via KilkennyAbout 25 mi (40 km) southeast by road via Kilkenny | About 50 min |
| Thomastown | About 35 km (22 mi) southeast by road via KilkennyAbout 22 mi (35 km) southeast by road via Kilkenny | About 45 min |
Sleep
- Freshford village
- One or two B&Bs on the west edge; walk to the pubs and the green.
- Kilkenny town
- 14 km (8.7 mi) southeast on the R693; far more beds, food and evening options. Use this as your base.8.7 mi (14 km) southeast on the R693; far more beds, food and evening options. Use this as your base.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Dia dhuitjeea gwit |
| Thank you | Go raibh maith agatgurra mah agut |
| Please | Le do thoilleh duh hull |
| Where is the toilet? | Cá bhfuil an leithreas?kaw will an leh-rass |
| How much is it? | Cé mhéad é?kay vade ay |
| Cheers | Sláinteslawn-cha |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake, first names quickly; avoid: Over-formality; it reads as coldness
- Conversation: Banter, weather and sport; self-deprecating humour; avoid: Opening with Northern Ireland, religion or the Famine
- Pubs: Buy your round; chat at the bar; avoid: Leaving a round without buying one
- Identity: Say Ireland, or the Republic when you need to distinguish; avoid: 'Southern Ireland' and calling it British
- Driving: Lift a finger from the wheel to thank drivers who pull in for you; avoid: Stopping on narrow bends for photos
Scams and watch-outs
- Bus 871 runs only twice a day, Monday–Saturday: check the timetable before you rely on it, or you will be stranded.
- Ballylarkin Church is an open ruin in a field with no facilities and no shelter.
- The Threecastles and Foulkscourt castle turrets are derelict and on private land: view from the road, do not climb.
- Village pubs may close early on quiet weeknights; check locally.
A quiet rural village and one of the safer places in Ireland. The real risks are narrow, unlit roads with no footpath, farm traffic, and wet surfaces; walk facing traffic and wear something visible after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Freshford yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Ballylarkin Church ruin
- St Lachtain's Church Romanesque doorway
- Freshford Cross base on the village green
- Freshford Loop walk
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Discover Ireland — County Kilkenny: www.discoverireland.ie/kilkenny
- JJ Kavanagh — Bus 871 timetable: jjkavanagh.ie/
- Sport Ireland — Freshford Loop: www.sportireland.ie/outdoors/walking/trails/freshford-loop
- Wikivoyage: Freshford (County Kilkenny), revision 5262059 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5262059
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
FreshfordAchadh Úr
Chuig an seoladh seo, le do thoil
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Freshford; the US Embassy is in Dublin, and most other missions are in Dublin too.
English is spoken everywhere; Irish is a courtesy here, not a necessity.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/freshford-county-kilkenny). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.