If you want one of the best little country restaurants in Ireland then Durrow is the place to go, at least definitely for their home made pies and bread - honest. I'd never been there but one day when in Kilkenny with my mother and her friend they insisted that we go to Durrow for lunch rather than stay around Kilkenny - and was I glad they did! Normally, I don't eat desserts but on going in the door of this little restaurant I just couldn't wait to get a taste of one of the pies they had on show.

So, even if you have no need or desire to stop in Durrow on your way to anywhere else down along that main Dublin to Cork road and you're feeling a bit hungry be sure to stop there - and just in case anyone wonders I have absolutely no connection to this restaurant, I don't even know the name of the owner of the "Kettle Restaurant"

If you live in this part of Laois or even if you live abroad and want to send flowers by inter-flora then they will come from Dunnes Garden center which is just on the outskirts of the town and if you are interested in gardening then Dunnes is where you will head for your plants

Besides the garden centre, the restaurant and being on the road to Cork, Durrow is also on the road to Kilkenny from various parts of county Laois. Durrow civil parish was spread through the counties of Laois and Kilkenny and is considered to be part of County Kilkenny only by some who seek their Irish ancestors - not so!

It's a nice little town with a square green in what was probably once the centre of the town (that's a guess) focused on the Castle and the Church of Ireland. The old bridge across the river is no longer in use as part of a main road and nice little walks have been developed along the river bank. The Roman Catholic Church (not featured here) is on the Kilkenny road and is open, the graveyard around the church is quite big and well maintained. The gates of the Church of Ireland were locked the last day I was there and this was not the case back in 1998/1999 when I transcribed the older stones

Castle Arms Hotel, Durrow	Old Bridge, Durrow from river	Old Bridge Durrow from road	To Cork, Kilkenny or Tipperary	Village Pump, Durrow
Church of Ireland , Durrow	Gravestones, Church of Ireland, Durrow	Gravestones, Church of Ireland, Durro	Kilkenny and Cork roads, Durrow	Durrow Castle entrance
Kettle Restaurant, Durrow	Kilkenny road, Durrow	Kilkenny signpost, Durrow