Kilkenny Castle

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About Kilkenny Castle

The Castelo de Kilkenny began as a wooden fortification erected by the Normans after 1170 and was rebuilt in stone from 1213 by William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, on a bend of the rio Nore. In 1391 it was bought by the Butler family, later Earls and Dukes of Ormonde, who lived there until 1935. In 1967 the castle was handed to the city of Kilkenny and today is cared for by the Irish State heritage body.

Of the four-towered medieval castle three remain, and the building was heavily altered in the 17th and 19th centuries, when it gained the appearance of a Victorian mansion. The tour goes through the restored rooms furnished with period furniture, wallpapers and paintings: the library, the sitting room, the bedrooms and the dining room. The highlight is the Long Gallery, a hall of about 46 metres with a painted wooden ceiling and walls covered with portraits of the Butler family.

In the basement, the kitchen and former servants’ quarters tell of the servants’ lives. The former stables, across the road, house the Design Centre, featuring Irish crafts and design, and shops.

The castle park, about 20 hectares of lawns, a rose garden laid out in the shape of a Celtic cross, a lake and a wood, is open to the public during the day and is used by locals for walks. From the riverbank one has the view of the castle above the river.