ROADS:Dublin is reasonably accessible (about 70 miles to the Red Cow Roundabout) via the N10, N9 and then the N7.

But there are frequent bottlenecks at both Carlow (up to half an hour at rush hour) and Castle-dermot, which can mean a round trip of four hours. The 30-mile trip south to Waterford is via a long and winding road passing through a number of villages. Improvements are on the horizon. A bypass of Carlow, scheduled to open next year, is the first leg of a four-part project to complete the Dublin-to-Waterford dual carriageway which will run through Co Kilkenny and is expected to open fully by 2010.

Trains:Kilkenny is on the main Dublin-Waterford route and there are six trains each weekday to both destinations. The earliest departs Kilkenny at 6.49am and arrives in Dublin at 8.39am.

Last train from Dublin departs at 18.25pm, arriving in Kilkenny at 19.59pm. So while daily commuting is theoretically possible (and some people do) this option is more likely to appeal to those who only need to visit Dublin once or twice a week.

Buses:Kilkenny is served daily by Bus Eireann Expressway on the Dublin/Cork route via Clonmel, with stops and connections on the way. Private coach operators lserve a number of destinations.

Airport:about 83.8 miles to Dublin airport, 96.5 to Shannon, 95.3 to Cork.