The Smithwick's Experience occupies the site of the former Smithwick's Brewery on Parliament Street, where Irish red ale has been made since 1710 within the walls of a medieval Franciscan friary. The guided tour covers the history of the brewery and the abbey, with sampling of the product along the way.
The experience is slick and visitor-friendly — it was designed that way — but the underlying history is genuine and interesting. The medieval friary ruins can be seen on-site; the story of how commercial brewing took over from monastic practice is well told. Kilkenny's identity is so bound up with Smithwick's that visiting feels appropriate even if you don't usually care about brewery tours. Book in advance in summer — it sells out.