My Kilkenny Life: Mag Kirwan

What’s your idea of a perfect day, or perfect weekend out in Kilkenny?
I have four kids so a perfect weekend would involve plenty of sporting activities and taxiing them from place to place.
Depending on what is happening Saturday, the day might begin with a 5km park run in Kilkenny Castle Park, followed by breakfast with my fellow runners. My girls love to shop, so a Saturday afternoon of retail therapy is great with so many great shops in the city. The new cinema is very posh and we love a good night out at the movies or we might opt to go to the leisure centre for a swim instead.
With so many weekend festivals in Kilkenny we are spoilt for choice and that is fantastic as we love theatre and a wide variety of music.
Sunday usually begins with a long run or cycle in preparation for an upcoming race or triathlon. I generally don’t feel the need to leave Kilkenny in the summer with so much to do especially if the weather is good.

Who has made the greatest contribution to Kilkenny in your lifetime - and why?
It’s very difficult to mention any one individual person with so many people who have contributed to make Kilkenny the best place to live. I have the greatest respect and gratitude to the countless number of people who give of their time to various local organisations.

What’s your first Kilkenny memory?
I remember as a child going into The Monster House shopping with my mother afraid of my life I wouldn’t come out alive!!!
What’s your favourite part of the county - and why?
It has to be the place I live, Thomastown. It’s quaint and a great place to visit for a relaxing afternoon. With Jerpoint Abbey, Kilfane Gardens, Jerpoint Park, Mount Juliet, and Inistioge not far away there are lots of places to visit.

What do you think gives Kilkenny its unique identity?
Kilkenny has a medival feel with lots of preserved old buildings including Kilkenny Castle, one of the most beautiful castles in Europe. It is also unrivalled when it comes to hurling and was voted ninth friendliest cities in the world last year - I could go on and on!

Do you have a favourite local writer or author?
As a food producer, I have to mention the authors of Kilkenny’s best cookery books, Ann Neary, Edward Hayden and Olivia Goodwillie all helping to put Kilkenny on the food map.

What’s the biggest challenge facing the county today?
There are many challenges but as a food producer I’d like to see Kilkenny develop more commercially scalable food businesses working together to make Kilkenny the food centre of Ireland. We are already a great place to eat with some of the finest eateries including two Michelin star restaurants so I believe this is an opportunity waiting to happen.

If you had the power to change one thing in, or about Kilkenny, what would it be?
The traffic on a Friday afternoon. Perhaps we should revisit the one-way system or encourage more cyclists.