My Kilkenny Life: Megan Gibney

What’s your idea of a perfect day, or perfect weekend out in Kilkenny?
My perfect day out in Kilkenny would involve going shopping in MacDonagh Junction with my friends or if the weather was on our side we would walk to the park, get ice cream and sit down in the grass talking about the week that just went by. My favourite place for food is The House Of Pretzels in Market Cross followed by a sit down coffee at Insomnia.

Who has made the greatest contribution to Kilkenny in your lifetime - and why?
Personally, I think Paul Cuddihy has greatly contributed to my life in Kilkenny. He’s an excellent teacher at my school, I find him very motivational. He was recently involved in the opening of the Kilkenny War memorial and I think it’s really important to remember everyone who served in the war but especially those who fought for Kilkenny. He is also running the opening of our school library proving to be very successful.

What’s your first Kilkenny memory?
I remember when I was very young my Dad would take me for a walk down by the river and we would take the canal entrance to the castle park straight to the duck pond.
My Dad always tells me how long we used to spend at the pond as I was so mesmerized by the ducks, I don’t think I ever realised how lucky I was to have a beautiful park like that right at my doorstep.
After our long walk we would go to the playground, I was always so excited at this part of the day because I remember how much I adored climbing. Then my favourite part of the outing was always going to get the ice cream and eating it on the way home as fast as I could so my Mum wouldn’t know!

What do you think gives Kilkenny its unique identity?
My favourite part of the county is the city itself! I love coming from my peaceful home in the country to the buzz of Kilkenny city. It’s not an overly quiet place but there’s always a sense of community here.
There’s always so much going on around the city especially in the summer, my favourite part is walking around amongst the tourists.
It’s great to see tourism growing as it’s our biggest economic activity and I love getting asked questions about Kilkenny as it’s a time when I can speak proudly of my county.

Do you have a favourite local writer or author?
My favorite local writer is Jonathan Swift, who attended my school Kilkenny College. My favorite would have to be ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, it’s one that always reminds me of my childhood.

What’s the biggest challenge facing the county today?
I think the biggest problem facing Kilkenny is the the lack of retail in the city centre and what we’re going to do with the growing amount of empty units all around town.

If you had the power to change on thing in, or about Kilkenny, what would it be?
If I could change one thing in Kilkenny I would bring in more shops for young people.