Kilkenny is the best preserved medieval city in Ireland. Be sure to visit Kilkenny Castle and the new Medieval Mile Museum.
The State Dining Room
The Library
The Drawing Room
The Victorian Nursery
The River Gods
The Picture Gallery
Kilkenny Castle
“KILKENNY CASTLE stands dramatically on a strategic height that commands a crossing on the River Nore and dominates the 'High Town' of Kilkenny City. Over the eight centuries of its existence, many additions and alterations have been made to the fabric of the building, making Kilkenny Castle today a complex structure of various architectural styles.
The original Anglo-Norman stone castle was built for William Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke (c.1146-1219) during the first decade of the thirteenth century. Kilkenny Castle later became the principal Irish residence of the powerful Butler family for almost 600 years. The Butler ownership began when James (c.1360-1405), 3rd Earl of Ormond, purchased the castle in c.1391, and lasted until 1967 when Arthur, 6th Marquess of Ormonde (1893-1971), presented it to the people of Kilkenny in return for a token payment of £50.
The buildings have been in the care of the Office of Public Works since 1969, and many important programmes of archaeological excavation, conservation, and restoration have been carried out there.” http://www.kilkennycastle.ie/
Replicas of sandstone crosses from the 800s
Anglo-Norman grave slab 1200-1300s
Charter of James I, 1608
The Liber primus - Kilkenny's oldest town book with entries between 1231 and 1537.
Effigy of a wealthy man 1325-1350
Tomb slab mid 1300's
Medieval Mile Museum
“Located on the 13th century site of St Mary’s cruciform church and graveyard (considered to be the finest example of a medieval church in Ireland), The Medieval Mile Museum represents an immense treasure trove of artefacts encompassing the work and lives of Ireland and its people across more than 800 years of history. Visitors to the museum will marvel not only at some of Ireland’s finest examples of medieval sculpture, but also the country’s largest collection of Renaissance tombs.
Following a five-year excavation and renovation, highlights of the visit include the incredibly ornate Rothe Chapel with exposed tombs belonging to the medieval merchant Rothe family; St Marys external graveyard (where only the wealthiest could be buried) and its abundance of medieval masterpieces; the stories of the multiple pauper graves discovered outside the church walls and the High Cross casts- reaching over 4 metres high that were originally commissioned by the High Kings of Ossory.” http://www.medievalmilemuseum.ie/