Thomastown (Irish: Baile Mhic Andáin) is a town in County Kilkenny, with a population of 2300 in 2022. It was originally called Grennan and grew up at a crossing point on the River Nore, 17 km from Kilkenny. It was re-named for Thomas Fitzanthony, who built the castle and town walls in the 13th century; only a few scraps of those survive, but Jerpoint Abbey 3 km southwest is a substantial ruin. Other attractions are Kilfane Glen gardens and Mount Juliet Golf Course.
Get in
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By train
[edit]Trains from Dublin Heuston take two hours to Thomastown via Newbridge, Kildare, Athy, Carlow, Bagenalstown and Kilkenny. They continue south to Waterford, another 20 min. There are eight M-Sa and five on Sunday, see Irish Rail for timetables and fares.
1 Thomastown station is 1 km west of the village. It's unstaffed with no ticket vending, so you need to print out internet tickets in advance. There's level access, with just a single track and platform with no bridge to negotiate. Free car park but no bike parking.
By bus
[edit]Expressway Bus 4 runs every hour or two from Dublin Airport, Busáras and Heuston station, taking 2 hr 30 min to Thomastown via Carlow and continuing to Waterford. This route will be axed at the end of May 2026.
Bus Eireann 73 traverses the Midlands twice a day, from Athlone to Clara, Tullamore, Mountmellick, Portlaoise, Stradbally, Carlow, Kilkenny, Thomastown, Ballyhale, Mullinavat and Waterford.
By road
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From Dublin follow M7 then M9 for Kilkenny, then from exit 9 loop onto N10 then the Bennettsbridge road to come onto R700 south.
From Waterford take M9 north to exit 10, then R699 east onto R448 northeast.
From Rosslare and Wexford take N25 to New Ross then R700 north.
Get around
[edit]You need wheels. Grennan Castle is an easy walk but attractions such as Jerpoint Abbey are some 3 km away, along a busy road with no sidewalk. A bike would do.
Nore Cabs are on +353 56 780 0054.
See
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- Town centre follows the pattern of its medieval walls, with a clockwise one-way street system. The only remnant of those defences is by the river bridge. Thomastown Church on Pipe St stands by the ruins of the 13th-century church of St Mary.
- 1 Grennan Castle is a picturesque ruin by the river. It was built in the 13th century by Thomas FitzAnthony; he gave the name Thomastown to the village formerly called Grennan but this area south of the river retained the earlier name. The castle was abandoned after a siege by Cromwell but left intact, until the 1800s when it was raided for building masonry. Cattle wander in and out to admire the architecture, mind where you tread.
- Thomple Church by the castle is the overgrown ruin of a Norman church and graveyard, part of the Priory of Inistioge.
- 2 Jerpoint Abbey, Jockeyhall R95 P523 (2.5 km southwest of Thomastown on R448), ☏ +353 56 772 4623. Mar-Nov daily 10AM-5PM. Extensive ruin of a Cistercian monastery, founded 1180 (probably over an earlier Benedictine abbey) and dissolved in 1541. There's an impressive cloister arcade, tower, tombs and carvings, and the abbey remained an upmarket burial ground after the Dissolution. The visitor centre has a small exhibition. Adult €5, conc €4, child €3.
- St Nicholas' Church a quarter mile northwest of the abbey is the only remnant of the medieval village of Newton Jerpoint. A grave here is said to be that of St Nicholas of Myra (270-343 AD), but the clue's in the name, he was actually the bishop of Myra in Turkey. His bones were stolen from there and taken to Bari, whence he became better known in the west as Santa Claus. Jerpoint Park adjacent often has sheepdog demonstrations.
- 3 Kilfane Glen and Waterfall, Kilfane (off R703), ☏ +353 56 774 7105. July-Aug 11AM-6PM. Gardens, cottage orné and woodland dell with waterfall prettified in the 1790s - they were aiming for the Hameau style of Versailles, only without the subsequent beheadings. The site was restored in the 1970s. No dogs. Free car park. Adult €7, card only.
- 4 Kilfane Church is the ruin of a 13th century church, opposite its modern Anglican replacement. One of its denizens is the "Cantwell Fada" or "Long Man", an effigy of a knight carved from a single limestone slab. It originally lay horizontally on a tomb, but for some reason it's been set upright.
- 5 Dysart Castle is a dilapidated medieval turret some 3 km south of town, once part of the Priory of Kells (see Kilkenny}. Or is it? According to its most famous resident it may not exist at all if nobody is looking at it. Bishop George Berkeley (1685-1753) argued that what we can't or don't experience doesn't exist, unless it's encompassed by the mind of God. He's spoofed as The Red King in Through the Looking Glass: if the king wakes from his dream, Alice and everything else will disappear. He gives his name to Berkeley, California.
- 6 Inistioge is a picture-perfect little village, with 18th and 19th century buildings clustered around the green. An old ten-arched stone bridge takes the road over the River Nore. You can walk up to Woodstock Gardens from here. Halfway up, Mount Sandford Castle is a folly with panoramic views back down the valley to the bridge. Swiss Cottage was a similar folly but the ruins have been reclaimed by the jungle.
- 7 Woodstock Gardens, Inistioge, ☏ +353 56 779 4441. Daily Apr-Sep 9AM-7PM, Oct-Mar 9AM-4PM. Woodstock House was built from 1747, and the gardens laid out in the late 19th century. The house was torched in 1922 in the Irish civil war and remains a ruin, but the Victorian gardens and arboretum were restored from the 1990s, with many exotic species. There's an avenue of Monkey Puzzle trees, a charming glass house, and a panoramic view over Inistioge village from the entrance. €5 per car.
Do
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- Mount Juliet Golf Course is a championship parkland course at the hotel, see below. White tees 6926 yards, par 72.
- Mount Juliet Equestrian Centre at the hotel is open daily for lessons, trekking and cross country rides.
- 1 Mountain View, Kiltorcan, Ballyhale R95 NH31 (15 km south of Thomastown on R448), ☏ +353 85 716 4166, [email protected]. It used to be a golf club, but it's nowadays an event space for weddings and the like.
Buy
[edit]- Centra is a convenience store on Lady's Well St, open daily 7AM-10PM.
- Supervalu is north along Dublin Rd, open M-Sa 7:30AM-10PM, Su 9AM-9PM.
- Lidl further along that road is open M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 9AM-9PM.
- Brid Lyons Ceramics, Low Street R95 AT1K, ☏ +353 87 257 0735. Tu-Sa 10:30AM-5:30PM. Pottery studio making contemporary original designs.
- Jerpoint Glass Studio, Stoneyford R95 WN67 (opposite entrance to Mount Juliet), ☏ +353 56 772 4350. M-Sa 10AM-5PM. A family run glass studio.
Eat
[edit]- Green Spice, Low Street R95 WK2T, ☏ +353 56 775 54456. W-M 5-10PM. Decent Indian food.
- Bláth Cafe on Market St is open W-Su 9:30AM-4:30PM.
- Blackberry Cafe on Market St is open M-Sa 9:30AM-4:30PM.
- Unwind Coffee on Market St is open Tu-F 8AM-4PM, Sa-M 9:30AM-3PM.
- Lekker Food Collection on Pipe St is open Tu-Sa 9AM-4PM, Su 10:30AM-3PM.
- Tābú (formerly Barrows Keep), Station Rd R95 EH33, ☏ +353 83 164 1967. Th F 5-8PM, Sa Su 1-3PM, 5-8PM. Cheerful place for tapas.
- Mount Juliet (below) has two quality restaurants.
Drink
[edit]- Carroll’s Bar, Logan's Street R95 FK66, ☏ +353 56 779 3651. M Th F 4-11:30PM, Sa Su 2-11PM. Lively trad pub with beer garden and live music. No food but you can fetch from the pizza takeaway.
- The Jerpoint on Market St is open M-Sa 10:30AM-12:30AM, Su noon-11PM.
Sleep
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- Nore Valley Park is the nearest camping and caravan site, 6 km north near Bennettsbridge: see Kilkenny.
- Tower House, Low St R95 HE08, ☏ +353 56 772 4500. Comfy welcoming B&B in historic building in town centre. B&B double €150.
- 1 Mount Juliet, Walton's Grove, Thomastown R95 E096, ☏ +353 56 777 3000. Upscale resort hotel in Georgian mansion, gets great reviews for comfort, service and dining. The main Manor House has 32 bedrooms; Hunter's Yard outbuildings are cheaper. With spa and pool, golf courses, fishing and horse-riding. B&B double €350.
- 2 Oldtown Farmhouse, Oldtown, Stoneyford R95 K535, ☏ +353 56 772 8224. Welcoming B&B with four ensuite rooms open April-Oct. B&B double €140.
- Woodstock Arms, Inistioge R95 AX61, ☏ +353 56 775 8440. Charming pub B&B in Inistioge village. B&B double €150.
Connect
[edit]As of April 2026, Thomastown and its approach roads have 5G from all Irish carriers.
Go next
[edit]- Kilkenny is an attractive small medieval city.
- New Ross has the Kennedy ancestral homestead and JFK Arboretum.
- Waterford has a great Viking, medieval and Georgian heritage.