The Rising Sun is located just off of the M9 motorway in Mullinavat Kilkenny. There is a large car park with a barrier on it and plenty of parking on the street, including virtually right outside the door, handy for anyone with limited mobility.
The Rising Sun, or Garrandarragh inn as it’s also called is a large period stone building, and this rustic charm continues within, with furniture, fixtures and fittings suiting the period of the building. Certainly plenty to look at, with its stone walls, quarry tiled floors and high ceilings.
As expected, the place was spotlessly clean, given the building, I would imagine that dust and cobwebs could easily be a problem, but certainly none were visible, even up high, where you might expect a random one to be. The only observation i did notice was in the small condiments tray on the table, there was a few empty sugar sachets, and loose sugar in the tray. Not realising they were empty, i went to pick one up, which is how I came to notice they were empty, and the bottom of the tray had loose sugar in it. Only a small detail, and maybe it only happened before our arrival ( I wasnt going to check other tables… I’m not that bad!!!) However something like this should be checked, as with anything, it can make people wonder about attention to cleanliness in general, and start making assumptions!
Upon arrival we were promptly met and welcomed by a member of staff, who provided us with menu’s and asked if we’d like tea coffee, in advance of ordering, which were delivered promptly to the table. Once served, although the staff member didnt specifically come by to check if we were ok with everything, she was present, and we had no problem ordering further coffee etc, and teapot refil when required, which she did promplty
The Breakfast here is Fantatstic and great value. (€12.95 for a full Irish) I always say that a breakfast can die on the quality of its sausages and rashers, and this place didnt disappoint The sausages in particular were delicious, and obviously great quality, as was everything else on the plate to be fair. The Hash Brown was lovely and crunchy, and there’s nothing worse than a soggy hash brown, Beans came in it’s own bathtub as is proper order, even if it is mainly for portion control. The rasher, although thin, were very tasty too! The only thing that was missing was a side plate for the toast, as there is no room for it on the plate, meaning you had to hold it in your hand to butter / cut it (or put it on the table)
Great selection of items on the breakfast menu, with something for everyone. I always feel that eateries who serve breakfast, not just here, miss a trick by not having lunch/dinner menu’s visible, as to my mind, if someone has a great breakfast like me, and they see some of the dinner options, they might be tempted to return for a meal at a later time.
Prices here are very reasonable, and represent great quality for what you get on the plate, and we also got a free teapot refill, and extra toast which was not charged for, which made it great value.
The Rising Sun is a great place to stop. In easy commuting distance from both Waterford and Kilkenny, it’s ideally situated for it’s rooms alone, and the food offering is great to match. Any time I’ve stopped off here for breakfast, it’s been quiet, and I think that’s a shame as this place deserves to be a lot busier. It is literally just off of the M9 Motorway at Junction 11. Maybe it has busier periods for breakfast, but I’ve not been there. If you have never stopped off, and I’ve spoken to several people who say they have never been in there, do. You wont be disappointed. It’s well worth the stop!
Fork In The Road
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29 June 2025
10.0
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