Weekends on the move: Thomastown and Jerpoint Abbey
In mid-May, during the late spring heatwave in Ireland, I decided to take a trip to the village of Thomastown in County Kilkenny and visit Jerpoint Abbey just outside the village.
I am starting a new personal project – traveling around Ireland using only public transport, without a car. A trip to Switzerland inspired me (I know I am annoying about this, but read on), after all, you can travel by train from Zurich to the Alps. We don’t have this in Ireland. Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle and there is beautiful nature, but getting there is really difficult. That is why I have given myself this challenge to look at trains and buses and see where I can get to with them. I have over 10 destinations that I can get to without changing trains and then a few other, interesting places where I will have to change trains at some point – cities, villages, nature, beaches and the sea,… In short – I will finally show you Ireland! That is what this blog is about, or at least that was the intention when I started it haha
So, Thomastown. I arrived there by train. It is the first stop from Waterford and the journey only takes about 25 minutes. The ticket cost me 5 euros one way and thanks to the great weather I enjoyed the beautiful views of the Irish countryside.
I was last in Thomastown in 2013 and that time we quickly walked through the village and went to see Jerpoint Abbey. It was time for me to repeat this visit. As always, I found out in advance what there was to see in Thomastown – except for Jerpoint Abbey, although I also googled that, I will explain why later.
Thomastown is a really small village in the middle of nowhere, but there are a few places to see. I originally wanted to go later in the afternoon, around three, but I ended up changing my ticket to one hour and that’s it. It takes about 15 minutes to get to the village from the train, but be careful, it’s a trap – right in front of the village there’s a herd of sheep on one side and cows on the other, and behind them stands a beautiful old mill building. So of course I spent almost an hour there taking pictures and looking at the sheep. Well.
Right at the entrance to the village you can notice colorful buildings on both sides such as the Community Center or the Concert Hall. This path will take you straight to the center of Thomastown, where it is teeming with cafes and shops. At the end of the main road, behind a locked gate, is the first stop – the ruins of a church, probably. Even though this building is not open to the public, if you walk down this road to the other end and look back, it is beautifully highlighted by the shops and buildings around it. From here I headed to the Church Of The Assumption, not only because it is photogenic, but in front of it is an old tower and a cemetery with iconic Irish/Celtic crosses.
I spent a long time here taking pictures and while I was looking around, I got a glimpse of the later stop of the day – Grennan Castle (read on if you want to know more about it). It was right in the parking lot next to the aforementioned cemetery, which also has tables and benches. It is definitely worth a short stop in good weather.
From there I took the same route back to the centre, because I had a photo in my head for months that I wanted to take. If you stand on the traffic triangle at the end of the main road by Central Take Away and look the other way, you will see a colorful street with the Church Of The Assumption in the background. Maybe this was the reason I went to Thomastown in the first place. Maybe…
Before leaving the village, I stopped at Sweetman Castle, where the locals were already getting ready to go fishing. I enjoyed the nature and it was time to head to Jerpoint Abbey. Jerpoint Abbey is a location that you definitely cannot miss during your visit to Thomastown. Jerpoint Abbey is located about 2 kilometers outside the village and unfortunately there is no local transport to it and there is no safe footpath created for pedestrians. I walked, but there were sections along the way where I almost jumped into the gutter to avoid being hit by cars. I recommend taking a taxi – it’s faster and safer. In Thomastown you can use Nore Cabs, where you can book a taxi online without calling (this is not an advertisement, just a friendly tip).
What is interesting about Jerpoint Abbey, apart from the fact that it is a very photogenic abbey, is the fact that it was dissolved in the 16th century by order of Henry VIII. Jerpoint Abbey was founded sometime in the 12th century and in the architecture itself you can see the transition from Romanesque to Gothic. In my opinion, a fairly large part of the abbey is preserved and you can see it not only in the structure, but also in the tombstones, statues and stone carvings. Another interesting thing is that during its time 36 monks lived here and the entire area was 20 thousand acres (yes, you read that right). In addition to the abbey there were workshops, mills, ponds, a brewery, a bakery, infirmaries, gardens, orchards, a guest house and a cemetery for the monks.
I was happy to return to Jerpoint, it’s a very nice place and 99% of the abbey is open to the public. Also, as I mentioned, it’s cool and looks really nice in photos. I was also lucky and there weren’t many tourists there for most of my time. The big tour arrived just when I was about to leave. The place is so nice that I spent an hour and a half there…
As for practical information:
– There is an entrance fee (currently 5 euros per adult)
– No refreshments are sold there, but there are tables and benches if you want to eat your own food
– There are toilets
– There is a car park
– They sell souvenirs
– You can either walk around the abbey on your own or take a tourguide
If you are travelling by train from or to Waterford, I recommend looking out the window – just as you arrive or depart, you can see Jerpoint Abbey towering over the fields.
You can find more information on the OPW website (the Irish organisation that looks after monuments).
Otherwise, you will definitely see from my photos that I did not only take pictures of Jerpoint in its grounds, but also from the road that runs around it. Please, don’t do that. Especially if there is traffic. There is no space there and it is dangerous.
When I was planning my visit, I also found the alleged grave of Saint Nicholas on the map. You can find it under “Tomb of Saint Nicholas”. Unfortunately it is currently closed, but it is definitely worth asking in Jerpoint (it falls under their jurisdiction). The place is located not far from the abbey and according to the photos there are sheep there and there is also a great view of Jerpoint – 3 in one!
After Jerpoint I headed back to Thomastown, where I stopped at Watties ice cream – they have a selection of ice creams (scoops) and various other goodies. Watties is located opposite The Salmon Pool Bar by the car park. They also have benches to sit on. I had a chocolate mint ice cream. The scoop only cost me 2.50 euros and it tasted really good. I put it in a cone and headed to Grennan Castle.
Grennan Castle is a ruin next to a football pitch and there is nothing special about it. But the locals have made a nice place out of it. The ruin is located in the middle of a field, usually surrounded by cattle. Unfortunately, there were none there during my visit. Just past the fence that separates the private field from the public, there is an officially beaten path that runs around the River Nore. On the other side, two horses were grazing and birds were chirping to the sound of the water. The entire path leads through the nearby forest and takes about two hours. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time for it, so I turned around a little behind the castle and walked back. More information, including a map, can be found here.
After all these stops, it was time to just walk back to the train station and wait for the train home. Don’t forget to stop at the bridge on the way back and take a good look at both sides – the views are worth it. Thomastown is a classic village, nothing special about it, but it has its own charm and places to see. I know the locals would probably laugh at me for being just a small village and not being that great (they don’t even have a cinema there, but I’m guessing there might be a screening at the local Community Centre). I won’t romanticise anything, but that day I wanted nature, peace and quiet and that’s what I got. I’m very happy with how my trip turned out. And I’ll definitely be back to Thomastown someday, if only to do the whole Grennan Loop Walk.
What to see in Thomastown in a nutshell
– ruins in the middle of the village
– Church Of The Assumption
– Grennan Castle/Grennan Loop Walk
– Jerpoint Abbey/Tomb of St. Nicholas
– Sweetman Castle and views around the river/bridge
– village centre
– Watties Ice Cream
More interesting places around Thomastown can be found here.
What I liked about Thomastown
It’s a small village, but they have benches everywhere to sit. I also liked that they think about people, whether locals or tourists, and they have built a path around the river (Grennan Loop Walk). Watties is also a great idea, considering that it’s a small village, the shop has been running for several years and sitting with a car park right next to it is absolutely perfect.
What I didn’t like about Thomastown
They don’t have public toilets. Officially, there are no toilets even on the train station, unofficially there is a toilet, but it’s completely demolished… The only toilets can be found in Jerpoint. I also saw a sign for toilets in the Church Of The Assumption area, but I don’t know if they are publicly accessible. Maybe some of the cafes on the main road have toilets for customers, but due to the heat I didn’t eat or drink anywhere, so unfortunately I can’t confirm. Then one more thing – I don’t understand why, with all the tourism they rely on from Jerpoint Abbey, they haven’t managed to build a safe footpath from the centre of the village. There is a footpath towards the end of the village, but then you are forced to walk on the road and sometimes you can’t even go onto the grass. It’s a real shame because the journey takes about 30 minutes and it would be a great walk there and back.
