Kilkenny one of the ‘20 Best Places to Holiday in Ireland 2022’
 

Kilkenny has been named as one of the ‘20 Best Places to Holiday in Ireland 2022’. The city was one of just two – including Dublin - to make the ‘Best 20’ list.

Kilkenny is now in the running for the overall title following the publication of the long list of contenders at the weekend. The ‘Marble City’ was one of hundreds of locations which were nominated by close to 1,200 people from across the 32 counties for the title of ‘Best Place to Holiday in Ireland 2022’. 

Kilkenny, one of just two cities selected from all over Ireland for the ‘Best 20’ – received six nominations. The Irish Times ‘Best Place to Holiday in Ireland’ competition, which is being run in association with Fáilte Ireland, began at the end of April when members of the public were invited to nominate their favourite place to holiday for the award. 

The competition last took place in 2013 when the Loop Head Peninsula in County Clare was the eventual winner.

Each of the nominated locations in this year’s competition was considered by a panel of judges on a range of criteria including natural amenities, built environment, sustainability, tourism services, diversity, a welcome for visitors, transport links, accommodation supply, cost and of course the X factor. 

The panel of five judges which includes Nadia El Ferdaoussi, travel blogger; Trevor White, director of the Little Museum of Dublin; Cillian Murphy, county councillor from Loop Head, the 2013 winner; and Rosita Boland, Irish Times journalist – spent hours selecting the ‘Best 20’.

They found Kilkenny to be a very appealing and accessible city with a host of cultural attractions, beautifully restored buildings – including Rothe House, Kilkenny Castle and the new Butler Gallery – excellent shopping, a wide array of restaurants as well as lovely traditional bars.

The Chair of the Judging Panel, Conor Goodman from The Irish Times said the entries from people all over the island showcased the excellent quality and variety of holiday locations available here. 

“While the competition is a celebration of the many great holiday destinations this country has to offer, it also has a serious mission. As well as highlighting areas of natural beauty, we want to see which locations offer the best overall visitor experience, have a wide range of amenities and where care for the environment is a priority. Cost and value are also key considerations in a summer of rising prices and accommodation shortages across Ireland. In Kilkenny and the other locations named in the ‘Best 20’ – our judges found these elements are very much to the fore as is the desire to create a warm welcome for people of all ages and backgrounds.”

Other East of Ireland locations to be nominated included Carlingford, Kells, Dublin, St Mullins and the Barrow Way and Tramore.

The ‘Best 20’ list includes 7 towns, 7 regions, 3 islands, 2 cities and one lake. Four counties, Donegal, Mayo, Clare and Galway have two representatives. Five finalists will be named on Friday the 22nd of July with the overall winner announced a week later on the August Bank Holiday Weekend.

Cork was the county with the most nominations – 222 – with Donegal next on 133 and Kerry third on 124. Co Kilkenny was 17th with 9 nominations, the same as Antrim and Westmeath. The counties with the lowest number of nominations were Armagh – one – and Roscommon with two.

While the number of nominations influenced the selection of the 20 holiday locations, the quality of the place was the chief consideration.

For information about ‘The Best Places to Holiday in Ireland 2022’ go to Best Place To Holiday - The Irish Times 

The full list of the ‘20 Best Places to Holiday in Ireland 2022’ includes 7 towns: Carlingford (Co. Louth) Drumshanbo (Co Leitrim), Kells (Co. Meath) Rosscarbery (Co. Cork) Strandhill (Co Sligo) Tramore (Co.Waterford) and Westport (Co. Mayo) 7 regions: Ards Peninsula and Strangford (Co Down) Bundoran and Rossnowlagh (Co Donegal) Enniskillen and the Fermanagh Lakelands (Co Fermanagh) Inishowen Peninsula (Co Donegal) Portrush and the Causeway Coast (Co Antrim) St Mullins and the Barrow Way (Co Carlow) The Burren (Co Clare) 3 islands:  Achill Island (Co Mayo), Inisbofin Island (Co Galway) and Valentia Island (Co Kerry) 2 cities: Dublin and Kilkenny and 1 lake: Lough Derg (Cos Clare, Tipperary and Galway).