Kilkenny or Killarney?

Neither is a beach destination, but Killarney comes a little closer. Inch and Rossbeigh are wide, wild Atlantic strands about 40 minutes away, good for long walks and beginner surf lessons.

From Kilkenny, the nearest sand at Tramore and the Copper Coast is about an hour's drive, and visitors mostly treat it as a scenic outing. Swimming off either coast is cold even in late summer.

The two eat at a similar level, but the produce differs. Kilkenny draws on its dairy farms and cheesemakers, and its more ambitious cooking is in country-house kitchens. It also has a real brewing heritage, centred on the old St Francis Abbey brewery.

Killarney has more restaurants for its size and leans on Kerry lamb and Atlantic seafood from Dingle and Kenmare, but many menus are pitched at coach parties. Keen diners there often drive to Kenmare or Dingle instead.

Kilkenny is clearly richer here. Its medieval street plan survives almost intact, and the castle, St Canice's Cathedral with its climbable round tower, Rothe House, the Black Abbey and the Tholsel all lie along one walkable mile.

Killarney's heritage sits out in the national park rather than in town: Muckross House and its gardens, Ross Castle on Lough Leane and the ruined Muckross Abbey. In the centre, Pugin's cathedral is the only real sight.

A night out is much the same in both: pubs, pints and conversation, a few late bars, and no cocktail or club scene to speak of. The difference is in the mood. Kilkenny's old bars on High Street and John Street have snugs and open fires, and weekends bring wedding and birthday groups. Killarney is busiest in summer, when the pubs on Plunkett Street fill with visitors most nights, but its winter weeknights are quiet.

This is where the two differ most. Kilkenny's countryside is gentle: green farmland, the wooded Nore Valley Way down to Inistioge, and modest hikes on Brandon Hill and the Blackstairs. Real mountains mean an hour's drive to the Comeraghs, or longer to Wicklow.

Killarney is far ahead. Lakes, ancient oak and yew woods, Torc Waterfall and red deer sit on flat paths from the edge of town, with Carrauntoohil, Ireland's highest summit, and the Gap of Dunloe beyond. The Kerry Way and the cliffs of Dingle and Beara are within an hour or so.

Both make good bases, but for different kinds of outing. From Kilkenny the theme is monastic and Norman heritage: the Rock of Cashel, Jerpoint Abbey, Kells Priory and Glendalough, with Waterford and Dublin reachable by train.

From Killarney the outings are mostly drives through landscape: the Ring of Kerry, Dingle, Kenmare over Moll's Gap and, weather permitting, a boat to Skellig Michael. Cork is the city trip on that side.

Families will find both equally easy, safe and relaxed, and neither has a zoo or theme park. In Kilkenny the castle lawns are close at hand, and the tree-top courses and zip lines near Castlecomer and Dunmore Cave make the best outings. In Killarney the park is the playground, with bike rides, jaunting cars, lake boats and deer, plus Muckross Traditional Farms. Rainy days are harder to fill there, though many hotels have pools.

Kilkenny is the easier of the two without a car. Everything worth seeing lies on or just off its 1km Medieval Mile, a short walk from the station on the Dublin to Waterford line.

Killarney's centre is also compact, and bikes or jaunting cars reach Muckross House on traffic-free paths. Its main attractions, though, are spread across the Ring of Kerry, Dingle and the Gap of Dunloe, along narrow roads busy with coaches. In both, the countryside needs a hire car or a tour.

Kilkenny has a real craft identity. The old castle stables gave rise to a national design movement and still sell regional pottery, glass and jewellery, and High Street adds independent bookshops and delis.

Killarney's shops are mostly knitwear, tweed and souvenirs aimed at passing visitors, which is fine for an Aran sweater but little more.

Both cost what Ireland costs, and neither is cheap. Killarney has a slight edge thanks to its large supply of family-run B&Bs and a national park that is free to walk or cycle. However, its hotels charge heavily in July and August. Kilkenny's main sights can also be seen on foot for little, but central rooms rise on weekends and festival dates. In both towns, a hire car is the hidden extra.

In both towns the music is mostly traditional sessions in the pubs, so an evening of fiddles and bodhráns is easy to find in either. Kilkenny has more beyond that, with a small year-round theatre and a festival calendar led by the August arts festival, which puts classical concerts in St Canice's Cathedral. Killarney offers dinner shows with set dancing and touring acts at a hotel arena, and the National Folk Theatre is in nearby Tralee.

Killarney is the better place to unwind. It has an unusual number of lakeside and country hotels with full spas, many looking out over the lakes and mountains, and walks in the park make a natural partner to a spa afternoon.

Kilkenny's spas are limited to a few country-house estates outside town. Its centre turns loud on weekend nights, so a restful stay there means staying out in the Nore villages.