Your experience starts in Lanigans Bar on Rose Inn Street, where you’ll meet your hurling tutor and guide. You’ll be introduced to the sport, its history and a few rules in the Legends Hurling Bar, a homage to Ireland’s finest players, memorable matches and hurling heritage. Hand-painted murals of Irish hurling legends and prints of significant sporting moments line the walls.
Hurling is a highly significant element of Irish culture, and the Kilkenny Cats are widely acknowledged as one of the best teams, dominating the leaderboard of three different leagues alongside the Tipperary Legends, the Cork Rebels and the Galway Tribesmen. You’ll learn a little bit about this history and rivalry before picking your hurley (stick) and heading to the hurling field, about a 10- to 15-minute walk away.
Here, you’ll spend about an hour and a half learning how to pass, shoot and strike on the field under the tutelage of one of the Kilkenny Way coaches. Your coach will teach you how to block and hook, how to complete a successful solo run and how to lift and strike the sliotar (leather ball) for a long puck. This is an entertaining, energetic experience with as much competition as you want.
When you’ve had enough time to learn the basics, you’ll head back to Lanigans Bar for a lunch of traditional Irish stew while you watch a recording of a classic game of hurling on a big screen.
You’ll need to wear comfortable clothes that you can do light exercise in, and shoes that you don’t mind getting a bit muddy.
Start planning your tailor-made trip by contacting one of our Ireland specialists
These activities are designed to give you the most authentic experiences around where you're staying. We work with local guides, who use their knowledge and often a resident's eye to show you the main sights and more out-of-the-way attractions. Our specialists can suggest tours and activities that will introduce you to the local ways of life.
Kennedy homestead, Dunbrody Abbey & Dunbrody Famine Ship tour
Trace your relatives and discover Ireland’s famine history on this full-day tour of Ireland’s southeast. Meandering between Kilkenny and Waterford, it takes in the Dunbrody Famine Ship, explores the Kennedy dynasty’s roots and visits 13th-century Dunbrody Abbey.
Medieval Mile walking tour
Explore medieval Kilkenny on a guided tour that offers an insight into the city’s long history, creative residents and significant buildings. Visit Kilkenny Castle and Black Abbey as well as the meandering medieval streets as you learn about life here over the centuries.
You can enjoy this activity as part of the suggested tours below, or we can weave it into a trip shaped entirely around you.
