Kilkenny city has many lanes and slips that can take you back in time and allow you to move through the city with ease while connecting with the past.

The network of lanes off High St and Irishtown date from what was originally the separate walled towns, English town or High Town, around the Castle, and Irishtown around the Cathedral. These towns were connected by the Watergate Bridge over the Breagagh.
The laneways to the west of Irishtown Abbey Lane, New Building Lane and Evan’s Lane have been recently renovated and connect High St. to St Canice’s Cathedral to The Black Abbey via The Black Freren Gate.
The laneways to the east of High St and Irishtown are also undergoing renovation and will tie in with the regeneration of the Abbey Quarter. This site was originally settled in the 13th century by Franciscan monks who established St. Francis Abbey on the banks of the River Nore. The monks brewed here long before the Smithwick’s brewery was established in the early 1700s on the banks of the River Nore.
Popular shortcuts in the city are from the city centre to MacDonagh Junction via The Butler Gallery, Maudlin St and Wolf Tone St Car Park and of course the slips, the Butterslip and Market Slip that connect High St with Kieran St and Market Yard.